BACKFILE CONVERSION & RECORDS MODERNIZATION
Turn Paper
Records Into
Usable Information
Transform legacy files into secure, searchable digital information—carefully organized around how your organization needs to access, manage, retain, and use it.
YOUR RECORDS SHOULD BE AN ASSET—
NOT AN OBSTACLE
Paper records often remain long after the processes that created them have changed. Over time, file rooms, storage boxes, cabinets, and off-site archives can become difficult to manage, expensive to maintain, and increasingly disconnected from the way the organization works today.
The challenge isn’t simply converting paper to digital files. It’s determining what you have, what should be retained, how information needs to be organized, who needs access to it, and where those records should ultimately live.
WHEN LEGACY RECORDS BEGIN GETTING IN THE WAY
- File rooms or storage areas consume valuable space
- Boxes of records accumulate without a clear conversion plan
- Employees spend too much time locating information
- Records are stored across multiple locations or departments
- Naming, filing, or indexing practices are inconsistent
- Information and records requests are difficult to fulfill efficiently
- Retention requirements are difficult to manage
- An office move, system migration, or modernization initiative is approaching
Holtworth brings structure to the entire conversion initiative—from understanding the records environment to delivering organized digital information ready for use.
THE HOLTWORTH CONVERSION PROCESS
FROM FILE ROOM TO DIGITAL INFORMATION
Successful records conversion begins before the first document is scanned. Holtworth approaches each project as a structured information initiative, building the conversion plan around the records themselves, how they are used, and the environment they need to support when the project is complete.
01
ASSESS
Understand the records environment.
We evaluate record types, approximate volumes, physical condition, organization, retention considerations, retrieval requirements, and the systems or repositories involved.
02
PLAN
Design the conversion strategy.
Holtworth defines project scope, priorities, indexing requirements, security protocols, quality standards, delivery requirements, and the workflow needed to move records through conversion efficiently.
03
PREPARE
Make records conversion-ready.
Documents are organized and prepared according to the project plan, including classification, document separation, preparation requirements, and any special handling considerations.
04
CONVERT
Create accurate digital records.
Records are securely scanned using specifications appropriate to the source material and intended use, with OCR applied when searchable text is required.
05
INDEX
Make information findable.
Metadata and indexing are applied according to the agreed structure so users can locate records using the information that matters to the organization.
06
VALIDATE
Protect quality and completeness.
Quality-control procedures verify image quality, document integrity, indexing accuracy, and project completeness before converted records are released.
07
DELIVERY & INTEGRATE
Put the information where it belongs.
Final records are delivered in the agreed format or prepared for migration into the organization’s document management, content management, records repository, or other designated system.
The result is more than a collection of scanned images. It’s an organized digital records environment designed around how your organization needs to find, manage, and use information.
BUILT AROUND YOUR RECORDS
No two backfile conversion projects are exactly alike. Record types, physical condition, indexing requirements, retention needs, security considerations, and destination systems can vary significantly across organizations—and often within the same project.
Holtworth designs each conversion initiative around the records environment rather than forcing the project into a predetermined scanning model.
Records & Project Environments
- Administrative and business records
- Financial and accounting records
- Human resources and personnel files
- Customer and client records
- Healthcare and patient records
- Legal and case files
- Government and public records
- Historical and archival collections
- Engineering and project documentation
- Mixed-format departmental archives
Conversion Capabilities
- High-volume document scanning
- Document preparation and classification
- OCR and searchable text
- Indexing and metadata capture
- Image enhancement and quality control
- File naming and organization
- Secure chain-of-custody processes
- Repository-ready file preparation
- Data and document migration support
- Project-level validation and reconciliation
ALREADY HAVE A DESTINATION SYSTEM?
Holtworth can structure converted records for migration into an existing document management, content management, records management, or line-of-business system.
DON’T HAVE ONE YET?
We can help evaluate how your organization should manage, access, and govern information going forward.
BUILT FOR ACCURACY. MANAGED WITH CARE.
Records conversion requires more than speed. Organizations are entrusting important business information to the conversion process, making security, accuracy, completeness, and accountability essential throughout the project.
Holtworth establishes project controls around the specific requirements of each engagement—from the movement and handling of physical records through scanning, indexing, validation, and final delivery.
01
Controlled Record Handling
Know where records are throughout the project.
Record movement, project staging, and handling procedures are defined before conversion begins, creating clear accountability as physical files move through the project workflow.
02
Defined Quality Standards
Establish expectations before production begins.
Image specifications, indexing requirements, file structure, naming conventions, and validation criteria are documented as part of the project plan so quality can be evaluated against agreed standards.
03
Quality Control & Validation
Verify the work before final delivery.
Converted records are reviewed using project-specific quality-control procedures designed to identify image, indexing, organization, and completeness issues before final acceptance.
04
Secure Delivery
Deliver information according to the destination environment.
Completed records are prepared and transferred according to agreed project requirements, whether destined for an existing repository, content management platform, line-of-business system, or structured digital archive.
Every project begins by defining what successful conversion means for your organization—because quality isn’t simply producing a digital image. It’s delivering information that is complete, organized, findable, and ready to use.
FROM STORED RECORDS TO WORKING INFORMATION
The value of records conversion isn’t measured by how many pages are scanned. It’s measured by what the organization can do with the information once it’s usable.
When records are properly converted, organized, and indexed, information that once required a trip to a file room or storage box can become accessible to the people and processes that need it—creating opportunities to improve productivity, strengthen information management, and simplify the way work gets done.
Faster Retrieval
Locate information using meaningful search criteria instead of manually searching files and boxes.
Improved Accessibility
Make authorized information available where and when the organization needs it.
Recovered Space
Reduce dependence on file rooms, cabinets, and physical records storage as retention requirements allow.
Greater Operational Efficiency
Reduce the time employees spend filing, locating, transporting, and recreating information.
Stronger Information Governance
Create a more structured foundation for managing records, retention requirements, access, and information lifecycle.
Digital Readiness
Prepare information for content management, workflow automation, system migration, and broader modernization initiatives.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Digitization is the Beginning—Not the Destination
Converting paper creates digital information. The next step is determining how that information should be managed, accessed, secured, retained, and incorporated into everyday workflows.
DIGITIZE → ORGANIZE → MANAGE → AUTOMATE → USE
Holtworth can help build the information environment that comes next—connecting digital records with content management, intelligent capture, workflow automation, and the systems your organization already uses.
START WITH YOUR RECORDS
Whether you’re facing an overflowing file room, boxes of legacy records, an upcoming move, a system migration, or simply years of paper that have become difficult to manage, the first step is understanding what you have and what you need the information to become.
Holtworth begins with a conversation about your records environment, project priorities, retrieval needs, and desired outcome. From there, we’ll help define the right approach for converting your physical records into organized digital information.
Not sure how many records you have or where to begin? That’s okay. Project assessment is part of the process.