Rethinking Paper: Why More NC Departments Are Prioritizing Digitization in 2025
Learn how departments across North Carolina are reducing friction, risk, and delays by transitioning from paper dependency to structured digital access.
In 2025, the shift isn’t about innovation. It’s about necessity.
Across North Carolina, departments are facing mounting documentation demands and fewer people to manage them. Public records requests, internal audits, grant compliance, and vendor transactions all rely on fast access to critical records. Paper slows everything down.
And in too many cases, it stalls it completely.
AP teams are still chasing down paper invoices. HR is still managing personnel files in lateral cabinets. Compliance staff are still navigating file rooms held together by memory and post-it notes.
In our recent review of document operations in 22 North Carolina organizations, over 40% of high-priority files were physically accessible to only one individual—and more than half were improperly indexed or partially missing.
What effective, department-ready digitization looks like
July 25, 2025
4-Min. Read
The risk isn’t theoretical. It is daily and cumulative.
Legacy filing systems were not designed to support today’s visibility, access, and audit requirements. When departments are asked to respond quickly — whether to a regulator, a partner, or a citizen — paper gets in the way.
This is especially problematic in high-document-volume areas:
Accounts Payable: Paper invoices and check remittance backups introduce delays, approval bottlenecks, and fraud risk
Human Resources: New hire packets, I-9s, and sensitive personnel actions are still stored physically, making access inconsistent and error-prone
Compliance and Legal: Deadlines tied to HIPAA, FERPA, FOIA, and NC Public Records Law do not align with paper-based retrieval speeds
Municipal Government: Zoning records, permits, and historical archives remain locked in fragile formats without search functionality or redaction controls
Departments are now recognizing that the biggest blocker to transformation is not technology. It is paper.
Why internal digitization efforts fail to scale
Many teams have attempted internal scanning projects, but few succeed beyond the first handful of boxes. The issue is not intent. It is infrastructure.
Common points of failure include:
Lack of metadata standards: Without structured indexing, scanned files are no more useful than paper
Inconsistent prep practices: Staples, folds, tabs, and binders cause scanning errors and lost content
Poor documentation of chain of custody: Legal defensibility vanishes without audit logs and process proof
Resource strain: Most teams are already overloaded. Adding file prep or scanning breaks throughput and morale
Without a managed conversion framework, digitization becomes just another backlog.
A complete conversion strategy goes far beyond scanning pages to PDF. Done correctly, it delivers structured, compliant, and searchable records, mapped to how your team works rather than how documents were stored.
Essential elements include:
Pre-scan file prep and validation: Unfastening, organizing, and cleaning documents
OCR and index capture: Creating full-text search with tags by name, ID, date, or custom fields
Retention-based logic: Applying the correct retention schedule by document type
Delivery flexibility: Upload to OnBase, Penta, cloud storage, or encrypted drives
Scalable throughput: Consistent quality whether you scan 20 boxes or 2,000
Audit protection: Verified chain of custody and activity logs at every step
What to Look for in a Document Conversion Partner
Not every scanning vendor is built for regulated, high-pressure operational environments. If your organization is evaluating options, prioritize vendors who offer:
Process-aware indexing: Scans are organized to match workflows, not just file names
Department-specific experience: HR, finance, legal, and permitting expertise built in
Regulatory fluency: HIPAA, SHRA, FERPA, NC Public Records Law compliance by design
Secure logistics: From pickup to delivery, every document movement should be tracked and verifiable
Support for legacy formats: Binders, microfilm, blueprints, and delicate paper types must be in scope
How DTI supports North Carolina departments
At NCScanning, we deliver high-volume, full-service scanning and conversion with local compliance, operational insight, and logistical support tailored to North Carolina’s unique regulatory landscape.
Our capabilities include:
2M plus image per month production capacity
Local pickup and documented chain of custody
Custom indexing by department, document type, or system
OCR, metadata, and retention rules applied to every file
Post-conversion delivery to ECM, cloud, or secure drive
Built-in audit readiness and regulatory compliance
We work with municipalities, school systems, healthcare providers, and finance teams to replace paper clutter with operational control without disrupting day-to-day work.
Start where you are. Transform one process, one department, one box at a time.
Share This Post
What North Carolina Is Saying
Pepsi Bottling Ventures
“DTI made a major transition easy for us. They helped us eliminate filing cabinets across Accounting, Finance, and HR by delivering well-organized digital files fast.” - Matt B.
KBI Pharmaceuticals
“Their team is dependable, professional, and always easy to work with. We trust them completely.” - Neshon Farrar
American Board Of Pediatrics
“DTI exceeded our expectations. Their attention to detail, responsiveness, and commitment to quality stood out from day one.” - Scott Doyle
