Each disk is capable of storing 6.6 gigabytes of data-about 300,000 pages' worth of information. UCF's interest in electronic document management arose from the need for better and faster access to archived documents. Most documents handled by the university are kept for a minimum of ten years and often require almost perpetual availability, as in the case of student records. Microfiche and paper warehousing have proven to be an inefficient and often expensive way of managing information, in addition to being easily damaged and difficult to back up. Optical storage eliminates those problems.
Improved access is another benefit of the document management system.
Many university documents need to be filed in multiple categories or used by many departments. Instead of making, distributing, filing, and tracking several copies of one document, any department who needs to can call up its on-line image from the central server. The Graduate Admissions Department was the test department on the initial document management system. Each year, Graduate Admissions receives an average of 7500 applications, each about 30 pages of information, resulting in 225,000 pages processed every year. University Personnel Services, Student Records, Academic affairs, Administration and Finance, and Computer Services are all now using the document management system to handle their documents.