Enterprise electronic archives store all documents, records and communications in a digital environment that is accessible to employees with access rights. These systems lower costs and increase productivity when compared to pen-and-paper methods. Searchable archives enable employees to access information more quickly and speed up the workflow process. For instance accounting firms can find the financial records of the past quickly to aid in data analysis. Digital archives allow companies to be in compliance with regulations and avoid costly litigation.

Certain industries, including healthcare, finance and government, have strict regulations that require compliance with data. Failure to comply can result in substantial fines, or a damaged reputation. To ensure compliance, these industries need to archive their old and inactive files frequently to be prepared for audits visit their website or court proceedings. To accomplish this, many companies opt to use cloud-based archives to meet their data retention requirements.

Utilizing an electronic system for archiving decreases the risk of losing important files by putting them at the fingertips of all authorized users. It also eliminates manual processes which can be time-consuming, and prone to mistakes. It also reduces space, and reduces the need to purchase more storage cabinets.

Additionally, a cloud archive makes it simple to conduct regular audits of data. For example the employee would like to check the terms of a contract before renewing it, they can simply access the agreement from the archive.