ECM improves campus storage and work environment

Antioch University has chosen an enterprise content management solution to eliminate hundreds of boxes of documents that have caused storage and potential health problems.

Doug Wamer, Antioch University director of record administration and compliance officer, says, “Many people don’t realize it, but not having the paper product in your office is actually a lot healthier. There were times when we would go through those boxes and they were filled with mold.”

The university chose ImageNow, a document management, imaging and workflow solution from  Perceptive Software. The initial project was limited to the Registrar’s Office, where boxes of documents were stored in the basement, some dating back to 1972. The office was not only running out of storage space, but also couldn’t serve students efficiently with the old system.

Wamer says, “We ultimately went with ImageNow when we realized how intuitive it was in terms of setup and ease of use. Prior to having the new system, we saved everything—information in paper form, microfiche and microfilm. We have over 800 boxes absolutely loaded with education records that we didn’t need to keep. With the new solution, the institution felt safe eliminating the hard copies and moving to the digital form so we could access the information more quickly and better serve our customers.”

Wamer continues, “Some of our employees working with those documents would get sick for days. Getting rid of the old, moldy paper in storage was a milestone for us—it made for a better, healthier work environment where employees were able to work more efficiently.”

Antioch is continuing to expand its use of ImageNow, according to a news release from Perceptive Software. The university has five campuses across the country. Its Midwest campus in Yellow Springs, Ohio, primarily chose ImageNow as its ECM solution because it could be easily integrated with an Datatel higher education system on campus.