IM BLOG: Convert Paper Records into Business Intelligence
Many Australian organisations still hold decades of paper records stored in boxes. These archives are often forgotten until a contract, compliance file or other critical document is urgently needed. Searching through paper files can take hours, which is why it is essential to convert records into accessible digital formats.
For years, accredited providers have offered secure storage to protect physical archives from damage, loss and unauthorised access. While this is important, true information governance requires more. The Australian Government Data Governance Framework highlights the need for clear rules, processes and accountabilities. Senior leaders must know what information exists, where it is stored and who can access it. Meeting compliance and retention obligations reduces risk and supports business success.
The challenge is that paper archives often sit outside digital systems, making it difficult to know exactly what they contain. Records sentencing and cataloguing are vital steps. Outsourcing these tasks to a trusted specialist improves oversight, ensures retention schedules are followed and avoids costly mistakes. Demonstrating compliance at audit time strengthens internal processes and creates a solid platform for future needs.
Digitisation should be treated as a deliberate business strategy. Converting paper into high quality, searchable files allow information to flow into document management systems. This improves decision making, speeds up workflows and makes compliance easier to manage. With records in one controlled environment, organisations benefit from audit trails, privacy protections and clear retention rules. Remote teams and multiple offices can access the same information without duplication, reducing risk and improving continuity.
A bundled approach is often the most practical. This combines secure offsite storage with a structured digitisation plan, creating a single governance position across both physical and digital holdings. Services can include secure handling, logistics, storage, collection, digitisation and delivery.
Digitisation delivers its full value when records are integrated into existing workflows. This means indexing files to match naming conventions, applying access controls, and enforcing retention policies. Collaborating with a trusted partner such as TIMG ensures integration requirements are mapped before scanning begins. Once digital, records can support automation and analytics. Decades of knowledge become searchable, insights can be uncovered with AI tools and legacy information can connect with current projects.
Some records will always need physical storage, but for most archives the case for digitisation is clear. A bundled solution from TIMG combines secure storage, intelligent digitisation, and governance expertise into one seamless service. This transforms static archives into active business intelligence.
Choosing TIMG means gaining more than a service provider. TIMG works as an extension of your team, taking time to understand your goals, compliance obligations, and ways of working. Every step is intentional and designed to support your broader objectives.
The future of archive management is one where physical and digital assets are connected, information is instantly accessible, and security is never compromised. With TIMG you can prepare for automation, analytics and AI driven insights while maintaining the highest standards of compliance.
Explore how TIMG can help you convert paper records and transform your archives into a strategic resource, click here.
Meet your blog author:
Maurice Hewson, Group Sales Manager & SA/NT State Manager, TIMG
With 26 years in records management, I am a founding member of TIMG South Australia and currently serve as TIMG Group Sales Manager & SA/NT State Manager. I’ve helped grow TIMG from a small client base into a leading provider of information management solutions, supporting hundreds of businesses across the state. My focus has always been on building strong client relationships and tailoring innovative, cost‑effective solutions that help organisations manage data securely and grow successfully.