DCA Logo;
blog
Document Conversion Visual
Have a backlog conversion to get done?
Have a backlog conversion to get done?
Have a backlog conversion to get done?

DCA News Blog

The Legality of Digital Images Explained

Posted on 11/23/2010

Legal

In an increasingly demanding regulatory environment, an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) can help organizations ensure compliance with record retention and destruction schedules by managing digital image copies scanned from the original paper documents.

In making the decision to convert paper documents to digital images, the legality of scanned copies is often a concern.  A third party study conducted by Cohasset Associates addresses this issue and outlines best practices for implementing successful content management solutions. 

Generally, for an imaged document to qualify as a legal record, the following must be true:

  • Documents must be stored on unalterable media
  • The system must have controls to ensure integrity, accuracy, and reliability
  • The system must include an audit trail to track creation, alteration and deletion of records
  • A complete and accurate transfer of records must be possible
  • The system must have controls to prevent and detect deterioration of records
  • There must be an indexing system to assist with record retrieval
  • The system must have the ability to print records
  • The system must be able to cross-reference other record-keeping systems and software
  • The system must include documentation on how the software works and how it is set up

It is also important to note that technology alone cannot guarantee compliance.  It is crucial to establish clear and consistent policies and procedures for the capture, storage and access of documents.  With these guidelines in place, digital image copies can be considered equally acceptable to both federal and state governments as the original physical records.

DCA has 19 years of experience developing and deploying EDMS solutions across a variety of industries including government, education, healthcare, finance and pharmaceutical.  For more information on document imaging and scanning solutions, please call DCA at (908) 735-0393 or contact us online.

Tags:
document imaging scanning legal compliance edms content management record retention


Comments