Access provided a tailored data archival solution to extract historical records from multiple legacy ERP systems—including 8 HR/payroll systems and 3 financial systems—and securely archive them into Fovea, our trusted digital preservation platform.

This case study highlights how Access helped the City of Detroit transition seamlessly to new technology while maintaining complete access to essential historical information.

Want to learn how we did it?
Fill out the form below to discover how Access ensured smooth, compliant, and cost-effective data archival for one of America’s most iconic cities.

This online retailer was familiar with selling products and serving customers through digital channels. However, in their human resource department, paper files and manual processes were the norm as all employee documents were stored in a dedicated file room at the company headquarters.

A quick observation of HR operations revealed that the team was taking approximately 20-30 minutes to locate and access employee documents. Their process included walking to the file room, unlocking the door, searching physical files to locate the required documents, ensuring the room was locked again before leaving, and returning to their desks to process specific requests. They completed this task up to five times per week, hampering productivity. They aspired to reduce the time needed to access information to just minutes.

Additionally, improving document security was a high priority. “We wanted to proactively ensure business continuity in case of a fire or other disaster, make accessing and updating employee information quicker more feasible, and move into the digital age,” explained the HR Operations Team Lead.

The Solution

The company turned to Access for help building a digital HR document workflow that puts information at their fingertips—ditching the paper chaos for good.

After Access scanned their termed and active employee files, they were made available via a cloud-based document management system that’s integrated with Workday, the company’s HCM system.

The new setup allowed the team to implement permissions that dictate who can access which records and folders, thus improving document security.

“Ease of access is the best way to describe our experience with Access. It’s a game changer – the convenience is a luxury. We have peace of mind, knowing that our HR files are safe and secure.” – HR Operations Team Lead, Online Retail Company

The Results

The new digital process for managing employee documents significantly increased the HR team’s productivity and efficiency. They used to take 20 to 30 minutes to pull a paper employee file. Today, the process requires just a few minutes, representing a 50% to 60% time savings over the old manual system.

“With paper employee records, retrieving information was never as simple as grabbing a file from a nearby cabinet. Now, retrieving a digital employee file in between responding to emails is possible. The new level of convenience is such a luxury,” said the HR Operations Team Lead.

DOWNLOAD PDF

Eclaro’s employees manually printed, collated, and filed essential documents related to their role. This paper-based process was labor-intensive, exposed the business to compliance risks, increased the chance of lost or mishandled paperwork, and wasn’t in alignment with the global growth of this leading IT and business consulting organization. With team members in the U.S., Canada, and the Philippines, and the need to support remote workers, secure access to records was a need that their current, manual system couldn’t support. Additionally, they needed a solution that would work seamlessly with their current tech stack.

The Solution

Eclaro partnered with Access to transform their paper-based process by implementing a document management solution that integrates with their ERP, Microsoft Dynamics GP. With the right technology in place, they saw collaboration and productivity increase across departments and locations as team members can now easily find, view, and share invoices, time sheets, and contracts essential to their role. The document repository, along with the continuous import integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP, provides the teams with timely and accurate information. Today, Eclaro team members can perform 95% of their (previously) paper processes in a fully digital environment.

Additionally, the finance and human resources teams routinely handle sensitive PII, making document security paramount to Eclaro. Through Access’ document management platform, the team implemented access controls and permissions to ensure sensitive information is protected.

“Our old process wasn’t scalable, and remote teams did not have secure, easy access to documents. Access’ solution is a game-changer that allowed us to digitize a formerly paper-intensive process.” – Luke Ruzek, Assistant to the Director of Operations

The Results

By digitizing 95% of a previously paper-intensive process, the finance and human resources departments have gained the ability to create dynamic, highly focused teams—driving both efficiency and cost savings.

Eclaro initially sought remote access to digitized files to improve collaboration between locations, and Access’ document management solution made that possible. As remote work flexibility became critical to business continuity, the value of this investment grew. With the ability to securely access and share information from anywhere, Eclaro has achieved greater business resiliency.

Eclaro chose to partner with Access because their document management solution could integrate with the company’s existing ERP system. That partnership deepened during the implementation phase, which coincided with the height of the pandemic in New York City, where their company headquarters are located. Despite those challenges, the Access team completed the rollout successfully while ensuring the safety of both teams.

DOWNLOAD PDF

TMC faced the need for a highly structured information governance (IG) program to address long-standing challenges within its records management system. Decades of disorganized physical records across multiple departments had led to a lack of visibility into box and file contents, making timely retrieval and defensible disposal difficult. Manual chart pulls increased operational overhead, and the broader industry shift to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) added pressure to digitize a significant portion of patient files. A more disciplined IG approach was essential to drive efficiency, compliance, and modernization.

The Solution

With the design and approach in hand, Access was excited to partner with TMC to solve the intricacies and resource requirements needed to implement their new IG policy. This included finding a solution to index and catalogue thousands of existing boxes across multiple facilities and vendors. Additionally, identifying records suitable for disposition helped create a stable and sustainable model to ensure compliance.

In the end, TMC and Access developed a creative solution that included scanning, records storage, and secure destruction, and met TMC’s operational and budgetary requirements. It was in this partnership that Access was able to differentiate itself from other options in the marketplace and solidify the foundation for a great relationship.

By reducing the volume of physical files in storage, TMC was able to lower ongoing document archiving costs and minimize potential liability—delivering immediate impact. The Access team collaborates regularly with TMC to identify records eligible for secure destruction and those that can be converted to electronic format. Leveraging Access’s records management platform, TMC’s users gained easy, on-demand access to critical documents through a secure, permission-based system.

The Results

Through well-defined governance policy and procedure, the information management department has become the “backbone” of TMC, supporting the records and document needs for several crucial disciplines within the organization. Over the course of the project, approximately 1,000,000 patient records were properly disposed of through Access’ secure shredding services, which is the equivalent of nearly 30,000 records boxes. This reduction in physical inventory resulted in more than $5,000 in monthly storage savings.

Additional benefits included improved efficiency for hospital staff in locating and retrieving records, streamlined retrieval processes through records management software, and faster, more responsive service for daily requests via the scan-on-demand system. Each of these benefits were further enhanced by a searchable database that has been customized to the organization’s specific needs.

“We needed a partner who understood our commitment to the community and was willing to work with us, financially. Access quickly became our one place to go for our information management needs.  “– Seth Katz, Associate Chief Information Officer

DOWNLOAD PDF

About Our Platform

Our records management software offers a powerful gateway to online inventory management, service, material ordering, reporting, metrics, and secure file transfer. This platform serves as a bridge between your existing records management program to a more digital way of working – helping to ensure your information remains secure and accessible while mitigating your risks.

At Penn State Health’s facilities, charts and other patient records were completely paper based. Over time, the thousands upon thousands of records grew into millions and became incredibly burdensome to store onsite.  

Managing all this paper demanded time-consuming processes and intensive manual work, leading to high overhead and frequent training costs for new staff. There was also a major disconnect with the electronic medical record (EMR) system, which had been implemented in Penn State Health’s physician clinics. The new system was there, but the records were still on paper, offering limited visibility and causing difficulties in retrieving patient records. 

“Prior to Access, our records were completely paper-based. Our process was labor intensive and systems were limited.” – Tony Wood, HIM Program Manager

The Solution

The organization knew it had reached a point where documents needed to be converted to digital and into a system that could improve access and scale with future growth. The task ahead was daunting as they had over 1.4 million records spread across 40+ locations, so Penn State Health relied on its established relationship with Access to guide the transition. 

The project to convert hundreds of thousands of paper records to digital required expertise in security, chain of custody, and regulatory requirements that Access was ready to provide. 

Access packed, picked up, transported, and inventoried over 1.4 million records across 40+ different locations, making their physical records available digitally. Over 800 file requests are processed monthly, and records are delivered electronically to their portal and enterprise content management (ECM) platforms. Penn State Health is largely digital now, and the HIM team has online access to their records inventory and order processing.  

The Result

By transitioning to a digital system, the organization reclaimed substantial physical space—freeing up an entire file room of floor space in the health and information management (HIM) department and a football field’s worth of storage in the basement. That space now accommodates 20-30 team members. This shift allowed staff to focus on EMR training and day-forward processes, rather than spending their time hunting down files. 

Physicians gained faster access to patient records from any location, reducing retrieval delays and saving valuable time. The shift away from manual processes also resulted in significant cost savings for the organization. With continued support from Access, the HIM team at Penn State Health is now focused on uncovering deeper program insights. Analyzing how often charts are requested and how long documents need to be retained is providing ongoing value and helps inform future records management decisions.  

Having provided value to the HIM team at Penn State Health for over 20 years, Access continues to support their acquisition and business processes, helping the organization stay agile, compliant, and focused on patient care. 

Download PDF

With over 4,000 locations and more than 24,000 employees in the U.S. alone, this retailer of professional beauty supplies generates and manages a significant volume of HR and employee documents. That volume is amplified by high seasonal turnover, making strict file management and retention practices even more critical.

To meet compliance requirements, they were storing the physical files of both departed and active employees onsite at the company’s headquarters. Over time, these records became increasingly burdensome. Inefficient document retrieval was a growing issue, and so was the expanding footprint needed to store them.

Driven by the dual need to free up office space for newly hired employees at the corporate headquarters and reduce ongoing storage expenses, the company embraced a digital transformation strategy.

The Solution: An Efficient Transition From Paper to Digital Employee Records

The rapidly growing company turned to Access for help converting their physical HR files to digital.

Approximately 60,000 employee files were boxed up, securely transported to a nearby Access records center, scanned and indexed, then made available digitally via Access’ cloud-based document management platform. Afterwards, the physical files were compliantly shredded. The project enabled the retailer to achieve their goals with minimal disruption.

The Results

With all of their employee files accessible from any location via a cloud-based system, productivity skyrocketed. Regional and corporate HR teams greatly reduced the amount of time it took to find employee documents for audits and everyday business needs.

And the space that was previously being used to store physical records was repurposed for a much more important goal: adding new employee workstations without paying for additional real estate.

“We’ve enjoyed working with Access throughout our transition to digital employee HR documentation. The team has acted as a true partner to our organization, helping us to drive new initiatives and delivering a product that is easy to use while saving us time and money.” – Director of HR Operations

Download PDF

Before partnering with Access, the firm relied on one primary offsite storage vendor along with several smaller vendors supporting localized accounts. Over time, complaints from local offices about poor service became increasingly common, and efforts to resolve issues with the primary vendor saw little to no improvement. 

Billing also became a significant pain point. Multiple contracts across vendors led to inconsistent service rates and a confusing, disjointed invoicing process. With fragmented inventory data spread across different accounts, gaining accurate insight into total storage holdings was nearly impossible. The firm needed to consolidate storage, streamline billing, and regain control over its offsite inventory. 

The Solution  

The transition began with Access doing what many vendors overlook—listening. From the start, Access demonstrated a deep understanding of the legal offsite storage process and aligned closely with the firm’s vision for a responsive, service-first relationship. 

“We were impressed early on by not only the depth of knowledge the Access team had regarding the legal offsite process, but also the solutions they were proposing. It was obvious from the very beginning that the values and service-related philosophy at Access were exactly what we were looking for in an offsite storage vendor.”  Patrick Benedict, Director of Records Management Services 

On the billing side, Access delivered a tailored invoicing system that offered clarity and consistency across all local offices. Therefore, Perkins Coie could better account for what was being billed for each local office. 

The firm transitioned approximately 152,000 boxes across seven locations, with most moves completed in a few months. The largest site, in Seattle, was successfully transitioned over the course of a year. Throughout, Access managed vendor coordination, tracked in-transit inventory, and provided consistent progress updates. 

“I could not speak more highly of the transfer team that was put in place from Access. Their ability to organize multiple moves simultaneously, coordinate with our prior vendors, locate inventory “in transit” when necessary and report on progress was more than impressive.” Patrick Benedict, Director of Records Management Services  

The Results  

With the transition complete, the firm gained full visibility and control over its offsite inventory—something that was impossible under the fragmented, multi-vendor model. By consolidating storage and standardizing service with Access, they eliminated recurring complaints from local offices and significantly improved the experience across all locations.  

Billing, once a major pain point, is now streamlined and transparent. The firm can easily track usage by location, thanks to simplified, consistent invoicing that clearly outlines activity across all offices.  

Most importantly, what once seemed like an overwhelming and risky transition turned out to be smooth and manageable, thanks to Access’s dedicated project team and organized approach. 

The success of this move not only resolved long-standing operational frustrations but also established a trusted partnership that the firm is eager to expand in the future.  

Now that the dust has settled, Patrick has some advice for firms battling similar challenges: 

“The prospect of moving large quantities of inventory can seem extremely daunting when first considered. The “what ifs” prevented us from making a change for many years. My advice to firms considering a change is simply do it. The Access team is top notch and will walk you through the process, regardless of how complex the project may seem. I’m extremely satisfied with the move to Access and only wish we would have done it sooner.” 

Download PDF

With thousands of hotels in over 60 countries and multiple well-known brands, the expansive structure of this company created challenges in managing, securing, and accessing HR documents. Their 30,000+ employees serve in a wide variety of roles, ranging from corporate positions to hotel staff. Many of these workers don’t have access to computers on the job, so they rely on paper-based employee onboarding forms and HR files.

The company faced a logistical and compliance nightmare as they did not have a secure and efficient way to share employee documents from their hotels and properties, continent to continent.

The company’s breadth and scale, coupled with the structure of its workforce, and compliance needs made it critical to bridge the gap between paper and digital HR files.

The Solution – Migrating To A Digital Platform

To streamline HR operations and support global accessibility, this hospitality organization partnered with Access to implement a centralized document management system. The solution bridged the gap between physical and digital records by enabling the secure capture, conversion, and cloud-based storage of paper HR documents.  Whether scanned or born digital, the new document management platform made all employee files accessible and secure. The built-in search functionality streamlined document access, helping staff complete compliance audits, licensure reviews, and daily tasks with far greater speed and accuracy. The ability to securely share files without relying on fax or outdated transfer methods, improved compliance and security.

The Results

The implementation of Access’ document management solution delivered significant operational improvements. The organization successfully centralized over 30,000 employee records in a compliant manner, eliminating the inefficiencies of fragmented storage systems. HR teams gained secure, real-time access to employee files across all global locations, streamlining workflows and ensuring greater consistency in recordkeeping. The ability to share documents securely from within the system removed the need for manual processes, like faxing, and reduced the risks associated with handling sensitive information.

“For a global company like ours that’s spread across not only the U.S. but around the world, it’s critical to be able to access employee files easily and efficiently from anywhere…in the old days, you’d have to fax or take extra security measures with confidential files, but now we can share them securely from within the application.” – Senior Director of HRMS

Download PDF

As the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in New Jersey, Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) needed to streamline the management of patient records while achieving HIPAA compliance.  

Physical records were difficult and time-consuming to locate. Digital records were spread across databases. As a result, HIPAA compliance was difficult to prove, and patient care was impacted by delayed access to information. 

It was evident that HUMC’s current document management processes were holding back progress. That’s when they turned to Access for help. 

The Solution

To help streamline HUMC’s records management, Access implemented a comprehensive off-site storage solution supported by barcode tracking, workflow automation, and a centralized records management platform. Services include pickup and delivery, secure storage, refiling, document destruction, vital records handling, and custom reporting—all designed to reduce administrative burden and improve access. 

As part of the transition, Access physically relocated more than 1.2 million patient records and migrated database records for over 75 departments. 

To further support urgent care scenarios, staff can now request hard copy records from Access and view them as electronic files on their computer in under an hour. This immediate access helps improve response times and overall patient care. 

“By partnering with Access, we now have a long-term partner for all our document management needs.” – Barbara Siegel, Director of Health Information Management at HUMC 

The Results  

With Access’s off-site hard copy storage solution and digital file delivery, HUMC now benefits from a scalable system that supports fast, reliable retrieval of patient records. The improved process has streamlined records management while ensuring full compliance with HIPAA and state regulations. 

Staff can track inventory down to the file or box level and manage requests remotely through a secure, web-based portal—backed by 24/7 support. The result: significantly less time spent locating patient files and more time focused on delivering quality care. 

By complementing existing IT infrastructure, Access’s technology has also helped extend the capabilities of HUMC’s internal technical team.  

Download PDF

UFCW Local 1262 & Employers Benefit Funds processes an average of 2,700 new membership applications each month. Managing that volume meant hours of scanning and manually entering data—tasks handled entirely by one in-house resource. Unsurprisingly, a constant backlog of applications began to pile up, making it difficult for the fund office to maintain the level of service members expected. 

Beyond struggling with volume, the organization knew its in-house records system wasn’t keeping pace. While other internal options were evaluated, each came with the same problem: they required additional staff—something the organization wanted to avoid. It became clear that the organization needed a broader, more scalable solution that could boost efficiency, support growth, and deliver long-term value. 

The search began for a partner that could offer flexibility, reliability, and room to grow. That search led to Access.  

The Solution

To help eliminate the bottlenecks caused by manual processing, Access implemented a hosted document imaging solution for UFCW Local 1262 & Employers Benefit Funds. Each week, membership applications are captured, converted into digital images, indexed, and stored securely in an online portal, making them easy to retrieve at any time.  

Access also performs full data entry on every application and delivers a complete data feed to the organization on a weekly basis. That information is then uploaded directly into the organization’s in-house system, giving staff fast, reliable access to accurate membership data.  

With the new solution in place, the organization is prepared to scale. The number of membership applications is expected to grow nearly tenfold, and now they have the resources in place to handle them without sacrificing speed, accuracy, or security.
  

“They asked illuminating questions and made sure they understood our exact needs. Access is a world-class operation, a finely tuned machine.” – Harvey Whille, President, UFCW Local 1262

The Results

With Access’s hosted imaging solution, UFCW Local 1262 & Employers Benefit Funds decreased application processing time from two weeks down to just two days. This dramatic improvement equates to an 85% time savings, allowing the team to respond to member needs faster and with greater consistency. 

Record accuracy has also improved significantly. Access’s quality control process includes multiple verification checkpoints during scanning and data entry, reducing errors. 

By offloading manual tasks like scanning and data input, the organization avoided the need to hire additional staff or expand internal infrastructure. The reduced operational load has freed up valuable time and resources, enabling the in-house team to focus on delivering the highest possible levels of service to members.  

Download PDF

American Seafoods needed to expand the strategic contributions of the HR team and reduce the time spent on administrative functions such as employee paperwork, compliance, and crew orientation.

Each year, American Seafoods generated approximately 1,500 contracts, which needed to be signed by the crew. Each contract contained 20 pages, totaling 31,000 pages of paper. This paperwork then needed to be organized, filed, and stored, which took a significant amount of time to do. Additionally, responding to requests was slow and inefficient due to the difficulty of locating specific files in a paper-based system.

The Solution

After enlisting help from Access, American Seafoods Group fully transitioned from paper-based HR processes to a digital document management solution. More than 31,000 pages were digitized and securely stored in a centralized platform, giving the HR team fast, reliable access to employee records without the burden of managing physical files. With built-in search functionality, locating specific documents became a quick and efficient task, eliminating the delays once caused by manual retrieval.

Moving to a fully digital system also streamlined the onboarding process, improving the overall experience for new hires and the HR team. This improved process ensures American Seafoods Group can continue to retain employees, far longer than their competitors – a core ingredient to how they continue to excel in a competitive and challenging environment.

The Results

After the transition was complete, American Seafoods’ Human Resources team was able to allocate more than 35% of its previous time spent on managing paperwork toward more strategically aligned projects. This equates to over 2,000 hours saved each year!

With the new system, HR now processes a wide range of documents, including 16 types of employee contracts—more quickly and efficiently than ever before. And with the security that Access’ document management solution features, audits and compliance reviews run smoothly.

“Moving to digital files and forms has allowed our HR Department to devote much more time and resources to becoming an impactful business partner rather than managing paperwork.” – Jennifer Gladney, HR Manager

Download PDF

Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in the state, with more than 7,000 employees and over 30 locations across Ohio. Summa’s HR team is charged with managing documentation across a network of hospitals, community-based health centers, a health plan, a multi-specialty group practice, an accountable care organization, research and medical education, and a foundation.

Historically, most of their HR files were retained in physical form. When documents needed to be moved or shared across locations, they used interoffice mail, which posed security concerns and increased the risk of missing files. Thus, the effort needed to track, store, share, and secure employee documents was a major point of stress for the HR team.

The Solution: Digital HR Files Save Time and Improve Compliance

It was clear that Summa Health needed to transition to a digital system for managing its wide-reaching HR file management needs, and they turned to Access for help. Through implementation of Access’ document management software, they were able to facilitate better access, security, and collaboration.

Not all locations throughout the organization had the same level of HR support, so implementing a digital document management solution allowed for the standardization of processes regardless of local personnel resources.

Now, HR business partners in the field can upload documents directly to a centralized location. This allows authorized users to securely access and share employee HR files in real time and reduces the risk of lost files.

The Results

With one central repository for managing all HR documentation, file sharing no longer caused security and compliance concerns. The need to transport physical documents between locations was a thing of the past. The HR team was also able to implement access controls and permissions within the new platform, further reducing the risk of inadvertent employee PII exposure.

Now that sharing a document no longer requires a drive across town (or across the state), efficiency and collaboration have increased. The HR team can complete their job duties much easier and faster, and processes are standardized across locations.

We’ve been extremely pleased with Access. Customer service has been excellent, and the [document management] platform itself is extremely user-friendly, making it easy to share and manage employee files across multiple locations.” – Stacie Novosel, System Director for Compensation and HRIS

Download PDF