The last 10 years have seen a dramatic advancement in the technology behind document imaging, here are some examples.

Ten years ago, the highest powered PC was a 300mhz Pentium. Today you can get a less expensive PC which is theoretically 400 times faster for processing images. The same advancement is true for video cards, RAM and most other core components of PC's.

In the past, we had to look at these images on a 15” or 17” monitor, but now it is not unusual for users to have two 17” or 20” monitors, resulting in dramatically more screen area and easier reading.

In order to store and retrieve your digital files you need a network and networks have become much faster and more reliable. Almost everyone has access to high-speed Internet connections allowing remote access which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Storage is also a huge factor in document imaging. All those images have to go somewhere. In the past that meant a huge expense purchasing Optical Jukeboxes or CD changers. How else could you store all the data which could even be as large as 10 or 20 Gigabytes?

Today, storage is not an issue, you can purchase over 1,000 Gigabytes for under $500. You can carry a 8GB USB key in your pocket that can hold 160,000 digital pages (the equivalent of 16 filing cabinets).

Scanners are always an essential part of document imaging. Years ago, hardly anyone had a scanner. The largest and fastest departmental scanners could cost over $100,000. Today almost everyone already has a scanner. The multifunction copiers that are all around your office can be easily available, fast, familiar to use scanners with no additional acquisition cost. Departmental scanners can be network-connected and cost much less than in the past.

The last and most important piece of document imaging which has advanced in recent years is the user. Previously, implementing a document imaging solution might have encountered difficulty because you would have to train your users to look at documents on the PC, train them how to use software and make them comfortable with all the technological elements surrounding the system. This is not the case today. Users are much more computer-savvy, and many users (and customers, auditors and courts!) are requesting digital documents instead of paper.

Implementing document imaging has never been easier or more essential than today!