Dramatic changes in document imaging technology

Over the last ten years there have been dramatic advancements in technology’s ease of use. People are more receptive to change when the benefits are easily distinguishable and the advantages numerous, both of which are the case for the technological progress in the realm of document imaging.

As recently as ten years ago, the most powerful PC ran at a modest 300 MHz. Modern machines process images 400 times faster at lower costs than their slow-moving predecessors. We’ve seen similar advancements in video cards, Ram and most other core PC components. And where we once viewed these images on a 14″ or 15″ monitor, most screens today are 17″ or larger, and we have the added luxury of plugging into our large flat screen televisions at home. The new generation monitor has better resolution and glare protection, resulting in more screen area and easier reading.

Storing and retrieving your digital files requires a network. These have vastly improved over the years, gaining more and more features and better managing software. Nearly everyone has high speed Internet access allowing them to remotely access other networks. Storage used to be a big problem — documents had to go somewhere, and purchasing Optical Jukeboxes or CD changers was a costly proposition. How else could you store 10 or 20 Gigabytes worth of data? But this is no longer an issue, as today you can purchase thousands of Gigabytes of storage for a fraction of what it once cost.

You can even carry a 16GB USB flash drive in your pocket that can hold 160,000 digital pages (the equivalent of 16 filing cabinets). Consider the environmental impact of that! Scanners that transfer hard copy to digital images were previously very pricey; the largest and fastest scanners in years past went for up to $100,000. That’s staggering considering nowadays you can pick one up for $60 at your local retailer. Departmental scanners are now network-ready and very cost-effective.

The most significant change and greatest advancement in document imaging lies within the human factor. When a company would implement a document imaging solution in the past, the task would be daunting due to the training needs of its employees. However, today’s users are more computer savvy, so bringing them up to speed is much less of a hurdle. This advance comes just in time, as more customers, auditors, even the court systems are increasingly relying on digital documents.

_{Interested in learning more? Together with Century Business Products, your company has many options for how you are able to manage and store documents while seamlessly integrating with your current business systems. Contact your CBP representative today to learn more about your options.}