Many business owners think the epitome of a smooth operating office is a paperless one. They want to throw away their file cabinets and storage facilities in favor of keeping everything on computer disks. While this sounds like a wonderful way to run a business, you have to decide if going paperless is right for your company?

Going paperless is a big step for any company and requires a lot of planning before you start. One of the most important things to remember is when you go paperless you must backup your files regularly. Daily backups should be done, without fail, to insure your records are safe. Not only should you have a backup on-site, but you should also keep a copy off-site. You do not want a fire or other disaster that destroys your building to ruin your records as well.

Before you make the decision to go paperless, you will need to consider some things first.

A paperless office will not happen overnight. Unlike changing the type of copier you use; changing your office dynamics to a paperless one is not as easy. You have to plan carefully. You will need to purchase the proper equipment, such as scanners and backup systems, to facilitate your change. You will need to train your employees in using this equipment. In the beginning you will have more work until your new system is running smooth.

Decide how much past information you want in your computer backups. Depending on the type of business you have, you might be able to go back to the beginning and scan in all your old invoices, payment records, etc into the computer. Small businesses are better able to do this since their records are not as abundant as a larger corporation. It is really up to you how far back you go, but make the decision prior to starting the transition, so the change easier to manage. Also, take state and federal record keeping rules into consideration when you make this decision.

All of your employees must be willing to make the change. It will only make your decision to go paperless more difficult if only a percentage of your employees are willing to make the changes required. Everyone must do their part to make this change happen. You probably will have some employees who are change-resistant. Those are the employees you will have to work the hardest to convert. You must be firm that this is the company's new policy and you expect all employees to follow it.

Your office will not be totally paperless. You are going to have customers and vendors who will not deal with electronic transactions. Do not throw out your old forms. You can use them for those few hard-copies you will have to print out. Also, some government offices, both state and federal, require keeping a paper hard-copy of certain records. Double check your local, state and federal requirements for proof of your business records. But even if you have to keep some hard copies of your records, the amount of paper stored will be minimal in comparison to what you were keeping.

Rearrange your office. Once you have the system in place, you will find you need less storage space. As you scan documents into your computer, you can start disposing of the paper versions, thus freeing up not only file cabinet space but floor space. Getting rid of those space stealers will make your office appear less messy and more professional to your customers and employees.

In the end, going paperless does more than help the environment. It can help your business environment by having your paperwork at the push of a button instead of the opening of a file cabinet. It will give you this access anywhere you have internet access. You will spend less time shuffling paper, less time trying to find something important and more time building your business