In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries, VRT, the public broadcaster for the Flemish Community of Belgium, sought to modernize its HR document management system. With a large workforce and a diverse media portfolio, VRT faced challenges in document accessibility, security, and efficiency. By partnering with IRIS, VRT implemented a cutting-edge cloud-based solution, enabling remote work capabilities, streamlining document retrieval, and ensuring secure storage of sensitive HR records. This case study explores how VRT successfully transitioned from a paper-based system to a digital, scalable, and secure solution.

HR staff faced significant challenges, including the inability to work remotely due to the exclusive reliance on physical documents. Finding specific records was often time-consuming, and the lack of digital backups posed risks of document loss or degradation. Additionally, handling confidential employee information required a highly secure solution to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations.

VRT had approximately 90,000 physical documents that had not yet been digitized. The new solution needed to be cloud-based, allowing users to log in directly at the application level without requiring integration with other systems. Security was a primary concern, ensuring that only authorized personnel could access specific documents within IRISNext. The platform also needed to support easy expansion, allowing for future scalability.

IRIS provided an end-to-end solution by collecting and scanning the documents, performing indexation, and uploading them into IRISNext, a robust cloud-based document management system. Given IRIS’s extensive experience in digitization, they ensured a seamless transition from paper to digital. A Proof of Concept (PoC) was implemented before full-scale deployment to validate the solution’s effectiveness. The project was structured in phases, starting with document transport and scanning at IRIS’s facilities. Automatic document separation and metadata indexing were applied during processing, categorizing each file for efficient retrieval within IRISNext. Once the documents were uploaded, a user training session was conducted to familiarize the HR team with the system.

The solution relied on IRISPowerscan for scanning, OCR extraction, and metadata indexing, while IRISNext served as the cloud-based document management system. The integration of these technologies enabled seamless digital storage, enhanced searchability, and secure remote access to HR files.

The implementation of IRISNext transformed HR document management at VRT, enabling employees to securely access records from any location while maintaining strict confidentiality. By digitizing 90,000 files and indexing them with metadata, document retrieval became significantly faster, reducing search times and improving overall efficiency. The HR team could now focus on strategic tasks rather than administrative paperwork. Additionally, IRISNext’s cloud-based nature ensured that documents were automatically backed up, mitigating risks of data loss or damage.

By adopting IRISNext, VRT successfully modernized its HR document management, overcoming the constraints of physical records and enabling location-independent work. The solution not only improved efficiency but also enhanced security and compliance, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Following this successful implementation, VRT has expanded the use of IRISNext to its archiving department and is working on further integrations to consolidate document management across the organization. With IRISNext at the core of its digital transformation, VRT continues to enhance operational efficiency and adapt to evolving workplace needs.