The Difference Between Electronic and Digitized Documents

The Difference Between Electronic and Digitized Documents

Electronic document archiving is becoming increasingly important for business, especially due to new legal obligations such as the submission of the archive book in 2025. As electronic archiving becomes mandatory, it is essential to understand the difference between electronic and digitized documents.

What Is an Electronic Document?

An electronic document is a record created directly in digital format and can be:

  • An electronic invoice
  • A digitally signed contract
  • A document generated in electronic archiving software

According to the Law on Electronic Documents, Electronic Identification, and Trust Services in Electronic Business, an electronic document is defined as "a set of data composed of letters, numbers, symbols, graphic, audio, and video materials, in electronic form".

Advantages of Electronic Document Archiving:

  • Reduced paper and printing costs
  • Fast search and sharing
  • Greater legal security with digital signatures and encryption

What Is a Digitized Document?

A digitized document is a paper document converted into digital format. These are, for example, scanned invoices or digital copies of contracts.

The Importance of Digitization for Mandatory Document Archiving:

Digitization enables better organization of archive materials and facilitates the fulfillment of legal obligations, such as the submission of the archive book.

Key Differences Between Electronic and Digitized Documents

Characteristic Electronic Document Digitized Document
Origin Created digitally Converted from paper
Use Ideal for new business processes Archiving older records
Legal validity Greater legal force with digital signature Depends on the digitization procedure

How to Choose the Right Strategy for Electronic Archiving?

Your strategy should combine both approaches. Electronic archiving is ideal for new documents, while digitization helps organize existing archives and facilitates the submission of the archive book in 2025.

Understanding the differences between electronic and digitized documents is key to successful archive management. Although it may seem complex, with Arhivix, you can easily implement electronic archiving solutions and align your business with legal requirements.