Office Furniture Dilemmas

In this day and age of PDF files, computer storage, microfilms and more, is paper really necessary? Is it important for an office to keep a lot of paper files around? Are filing cabinets a thing of the past?

The answer to this is yes and no! That's right - yes and no.

It really depends on what kind of business is going on in an office on whether the good old fashion bank of filing cabinets should be included in a furnishing job or maybe just a single cabinet.

Businesses that rely on a lot of paperwork that cannot be computerized or automated, such as those involving legal issues where ink signatures are a must to have and preserve, files are mandatory. This not only include law offices, but also medical offices, anyone who keeps or makes contracts, personnel departments and more.

While computers are wonderful and can store a lot of unnecessary "paperwork" in their hard drives, nothing can replace the signature. When a business depends on this, the old filing cabinets of the past are a must.

Companies that don't rely on legal documents or require paper records, can lessen the number of cabinets in their purchase list if good computer storage files are available. This can involve PDF storage of invoices, purchase orders and so on to reduce the amount of paper that needs to be filed, stored and held onto.

Just remember in cases where legalities might be brought into question, nothing replaces a good paper filing system, although it can be copied and stored for backup purposes on computer as well.

Why are computer files just not as good? It's simple. Computer savvy people have the ability to alter files and signatures. Ink on paper is the preferred form for many legal arrangements for that reason. Anyone with a scanner, a copy of someone's signature and a little ability at playing with computer programs can alter a document. Forging or altering a signature in ink is much more difficult.

Don't totally count out the good old fashion filing cabinets when stocking an office with furniture. The only difference a computer makes is perhaps a reduction in the number of cabinets that are really needed.