CHALLENGES
- Housing 16 five-drawer file cabinets full of driver-centric documents – all company data was sitting in one place.
- The high cost of copying, storage space, and time spent locating lost or misplaced files.
- Security measures not up to the latest privacy regulations.
RESULTS
- SNL Distribution transformed the file cabinets into digital documents and data with Vasion
- With Vasion, they have a cloud solution that provides greater access, efficiency and scalability.
- Off-site backup, audit trails, and user-access levels all provide top-notch security to all of SNL Distribution’s documents and data.
- Easy access to necessary documents and data.
- With private information now secure, SNL Distribution is able to continue operations following natural, or other, disasters.
The High Cost of a Paper-Based Business
A leader in the shipping and distribution industry, SNL Distribution Services Corporation has been in operation since 1991 and has over 600 drivers providing fast and reliable delivery for notable companies such as Wendy’s®, McDonald’s®, Checkers®, and Flowers Bakery Outlets®. Specializing in the delivery of perishable food products, SNL Distribution Services prides itself on the timely and safe delivery of their clients’ products.
Vital to the success of SNL Distribution is the relationship between their drivers and staff. Maintaining a positive and safe work environment requires careful management of personnel files, training documents, incident reports and other Human Resources documents. Like many other companies, SNL Distribution Services endured high costs associated with the cumbersome management of so much paper. Already managing 16 five-drawer file cabinets filled to the brim with current and former employee records, the HR staff was adding another 100 or more documents per day.
As SNL Distribution Services was evaluating the shortcomings of their paper filing system: paper and copying costs, storage costs, time spent physically filing and searching for documents, and how to maintain the security and confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they were shocked into action by events occurring in their back yard. In April 2011, a series of tornadoes struck nearby businesses and SNL Distribution Services witnessed – up close – the vulnerabilities of maintaining paper files and the devastating consequences of a natural disaster on a business’s ability to continue operating. If employees’ private information was spread by the four winds into the hands of identity thieves, SNL Distribution Services could be liable. In addition, if their HR and other corporate documents were completely lost or destroyed, it could shut down their business entirely as the tornadoes had done to some of their neighbors. SNL Distribution Services knew they needed a better system for storing documents and data, and bolstering security with off-site backups, so they turned to Vasion.
Upgrading to Vasion
The Vasion team worked with SNL Distribution Services to digitally transform the company by implementing their robust electronic document management system (EDMS) which would not only save them money but secure their vital corporate data from catastrophic loss. The first task was to eliminate unnecessary printing of documents. Rather than create paper copies of an electronic form, documents that needed to be preserved in any driver’s file are instead “printed” directly to Vasion as a PDF document. When “printing” to Vasion, the user can choose into which folder to store the document and is also prompted to enter indexing information used to quickly identify and retrieve the documents. To record the data on
documents that arrive as paper and import the existing paper files, SNL Distribution Services is using Konica-Minolta® multi-function peripherals (MFP) to scan stacks of documents. As with the “Print to Vasion” option, staff may index the document and select where to store them right at the MFP control panel.
Vasion’s easy point-and-click digitization, simple to understand interface, and customizable searches now make finding documents extremely easy. To top it off, the data and documents are more secure than ever, along with the company itself. With control of over 50 different user privileges, administrators can make sure that those who do have access to the files only have access to folders, documents, and features they need to see. Gone are the days of file cabinets left accidentally unlocked or documents left unsecured on a desk or copy machine. Behind the security features are the Vasion audit logs which monitor all user and system activity. If there is ever a question about the integrity of a file or the actions of a system user, they can quickly be audited to reveal its history. And what about those tornadoes and other natural disasters? By digitizing all data and documents, SNL Distribution Services now have SaaS backups run automatically on a daily basis which are stored off-site, guaranteeing that a disaster at any site(s) will not cripple their business by providing quick data recovery and restoration.
“I am 100% satisfied with the Vasion System,” exclaims Shawn C. Zerges, Director of Information Technology at SNL Distribution Services. “The security, audit trails, workflow, and records management tools for archiving older records have made it much easier to abide by regulations for privacy and the maintenance of corporate records.” Having used the Vasion system for 7 years now, Mr. Zerges said that the system paid for itself within the first year. “The sales engineers are professionals that took care of all my needs without question, and the support I receive from Vasion is top notch. I would recommend Vasion without reservation to anyone looking to increase their office productivity.”
Partnering up for Results
Some benefits SNL Distribution Services achieved during their digital transformation journey to Vasion are:
- Data and document protection, recovery from catastrophic disaster, and security from theft.
- Online forms replace paper for instant data capture.
- Credentialed employees and customers may access documents securely anytime and from anywhere.
- Security, audit trails and records management tools for archiving older records have made it made it much easier to abide by privacy regulations.
By going digital with Vasion, SNL Distribution Services achieved its goals of keeping their drivers happy by cutting administration workload with fast reporting, efficient billing, and quick payment turnaround.
"...security, audit trails, workflow, and records management tools for archiving older records have made it much easier to abide by regulations"