How Secure are Your Documents?
For the second time in under six months, DOCUMENTS are capturing the headlines! As I listen to all the news about unsecured documents being found everywhere except the national archives, I can’t help thinking about ghost documents. No matter how big or small the organization or what system is in place, ghost files tend to always exist, and unfortunately, nothing is ever done to deal with them.
By ghost files or documents, I am referring to unofficial copies of documents that are floating around and unable to be tracked. They usually come from employees keeping copies of documents at their desk for their own reference and are not the official versions that are retained by the organization for archiving. Ghost files will never be used in an audit or subpoena, and they will most likely end up in the shredder once the employee is done with them. But despite the documents being shredded, ghost documents pose a massive risk to the organization.
Employees keep ghost files for several reasons, but it’s mostly due to delays in availability throughout a process. For example, if an employee receives a document from a customer or another source, they may scan or add the document to the ECM system themselves, upload it to a queue for somebody else to index and save, or send it off to a scanning department. In any of these scenarios, it could take a day or two before the document is available in the system. The scanning department could be a couple days behind, or the system may need to process the files overnight.
When this happens, employees tend to keep a copy at their desk in case they need to refer to the document before it is available. They may make notes on their version, and even worse, they may provide a copy with their notes to a customer. The organization now has two working versions of the document, and the archived copy is not the copy given to the customer.
Remote work is another area that creates ghost files, especially since the pandemic. Remote employees may not have large, external monitors at home, so it is easier to print documents rather than working them on a laptop. Printing documents is also quicker and easier if they are working from a vacation spot or airplane.
Remote work most likely means that documents are being moved and stored in a manner that is not secure. Although it is improbable, what if somebody breaks into the employee’s car while they stopped at the grocery store on their way home. What if their work bag was taken and it contained ghost documents? Was there sensitive customer info on the documents? If the employee is working on vacation, the documents could be left in a hotel room while the cleaning staff is in there. There are so many opportunities where the information could be at risk.
Luckily, addressing the issue of ghost documents is simple. You could always establish a policy to address printing and transporting documents, but a better option is to use technology to remove the need for ghost documents altogether.
The first and most important step in eliminating ghost documents is uncovering where they exist and why they are being created. This can be accomplished by talking to the users. Sit down with the users and walk through their daily tasks with them. When you uncover a ghost document, ask them why they print a copy, and they will identify the inefficiency in the process or system.
Once you understand where and why ghost documents are created, you can fix them by leveraging the technology solutions. If you understand the full capabilities of they systems involved in the process, you can implement features that ultimately help eliminate the need for ghost documents. For example, if there is a delay in availability of a document after it is scanned because it must go to QA, you might be able to automate the indexing and avoid the need for QA. The document would be instantly available so the employee would not need a ghost copy for reference.
Although ghost documents rarely cause issues, the potential risk they pose is too great to ignore them. The repercussions if those documents are lost and contain customer data or if the organization provides a copy for a subpoena that is different than what the customer provides cost much more than investing the time to removing ghost files. Not only will eliminating ghost documents reduce the risk associated with these files, but it will also improve the productivity of your team. Ghost documents are a result of inefficient processes so there is a ton of benefit in finding and eliminating these documents.
If you do not feel that your team has the resources or product knowledge to address ghost files, Solution Optimizers can help you clean them up quickly and economically. We help organizations leverage their current software to be more efficient which includes eliminating ghost files. Our specialists are trained in your system and have the operational experience to help your team complete their job without the need for a ghost filing system. Please reach out if you would like additional information about how we can help your organization.
