Companies
wanting to modernize and streamline their record keeping are turning to
Aperture
Card Scanning technology. The
data-carrying cards, used widely by industries like engineering,
defense and manufacturing have been outdated by newer, digital
solutions. Sophisticated equipment is now available for sale or lease ,
but most small to medium size businesses and organizations are opting
to outsource the transition of data to specialists in the industry.
It's now possible to transfer the information on up to 15, 000 cards to
a single CD, and the amount of data that can be digitized and
transferred to a computer's hard drive is much higher. Besides
eliminating boxes of bulky cards, the benefits include easier access to
information, better search and sort capabilities and improved data
sharing via e-mail and other desktop and smart phone applications.
Burdensome card readers that were once considered state-of-the-art are
fast becoming obsolete.
Aperture cards differ from other similar products and are easily
identifiable by the cut-out window that holds a chip of microfilm.
Seemingly random hole punches actually represent metadata (data about
data) that is stored on the microfilm, such as large architectural or
engineering drawings. For purposes of identification, a reduced image
of the data appears on the outside of the microfilm chip which creates
one advantage over digital-only files because it can be viewed when a
machine or computer is not available.
Still, the advantages of digital storage solutions seem to outweigh any
disadvantages. That realization over the past decade has contributed to
a business boom for companies that manufacture new scanning equipment,
and for companies that offer the transfer service. It's a competitive
market and data conversion and record storage companies are usually
willing to negotiate prices and offer discounts, especially for large
bulk orders and return business.
These companies offer a variety of options to suit the customer's
needs. For example, information on paper cards can be converted to
almost any format including text, TIFF and PDF. Once files are
converted, there are many options for output such as CD-ROM, DVD,
print, optical platters and magnetic tape. Additional services are
offered by most companies in the data conversion and storage industry
and can be included in the original agreement or added on as needed.
Once sensitive data is transferred and trust is established, it is
common for customers to outsource other important tasks to the service
provider including destroying the old cards. Companies who provide data
transfer are often "one-stop-shops" that offer indexing, on-line
storage and retrieval, data entry, coding, forms processing, document
determination, image processing and printing. Plenty of safeguards are
involved in the process and security is guaranteed so that records are
not leaked, lost, stolen or damaged.
For the best of both worlds, the original hard copies can be kept as a
back up of digital files, or vice-versa. Many data transfer companies
also offer secure storage facilities for original paper records.
Storage areas are not only secure, but also climate controlled to meet
archival specifications. Some customers have requirements that
sensitive information cannot leave their facilities, or country, and
choose on-site document scanning.
A web search can turn up an overwhelming number of data transfer and
records storage companies as well as sellers and resellers of scanning
equipment. For best results, potential buyers of these products and
services can familiarize themselves with the lingo and leaders of the
industry and ask for samples and bids from a minimum of three
providers. Aperture Card
Scanning companies can be
as close as your own city but listed by a name or under a category that
is unexpected.
