Nuremberg, April 29, 2022: From July 1, 2022, notaries must always store documents electronically in an electronic document archive. The corresponding law § 55 paragraph 2 Beurkundungsgesetz (BeurkG) has been known for some time. Now it is becoming concrete. The archive will be set up centrally by the Federal Chamber of Notaries, which writes on its website
www.elektronisches-urkundenarchiv.de: "From July 1, 2022, all newly issued deeds must be scanned and stored as an 'electronic version of the original' in the electronic collection of deeds." Notary's offices that have not already implemented appropriate solutions must act now.
Carsten Kühlich, a lawyer with his own notary's office in Gladbeck, has already done this and set up a suitable workflow for digitizing and archiving documents. He was advised by his long-standing specialist dealer for office solutions, the UTAX sales partner
Ferdinand Fais Bürotechnik from Essen. Carsten Kühlich summarizes the selection criteria that were most important to him: "The guarantee of maximum security, the possibility of assigning responsibilities in compliance with data protection regulations and prompt and everyday feasibility with maximum cost control." In April 2021, Peter Jankowski, Head of Sales and Technology at
Fais Bürotechnik, installed a new UTAX DIN A3 color multifunctional system for his long-standing customer. In the fall, Carsten Kühlich called with the request to establish a connection to the "electronic document archive" of the Federal Chamber of Notaries.
"That's exactly what I need!"
For Carsten Kühlich, one thing was certain: "I want my law firm to be one of the first to implement and live digitalization." The notary had already attended professional law seminars last year in order to quickly get to grips with the subject matter: "And that was successful because the new working methods were demonstrated live in the training courses." When Peter Jankowski and David Lühr from the UTAX Consulting and Solution team came to the notary's office for a presentation at the beginning of October 2021, Carsten Kühlich knew exactly what he wanted. During the meeting, his long-standing specialist dealer and the solution expert from UTAX showed him how the notary's new DIN A3 multifunctional systems, supplemented by the appropriate software, could be linked to the central electronic document collection. Afterwards, Kühlich knew: "That's exactly what I need!"
With aQrate and ScannerVision into the electronic document archive
The ScannerVision and aQrate software solutions are used. They can be installed on the "Hybrid Platform for Advanced Solutions" (HyPAS)-capable systems, which can be expanded with individual applications thanks to this technology. aQrate is like a control center that makes all print, scan and copy jobs on the UTAX multifunction printer (MFP) more secure, because the solution applies the "Follow2Print" principle, i.e. the print job 'follows' the user. Only when the user has logged on to the multifunctional system using a PIN or chip card is the printout triggered on the PC or mobile device. Personalized scanning "Scan2Me" works in a similar way: After authentication at the MFP, the system scans according to a workflow individually tailored to the person and stores the document, for example, in a personal directory or sends it to a defined e-mail address. "aQrate creates the conditions for meeting the necessary security requirements for a connection to the electronic document archive of the Federal Chamber of Notaries," says UTAX Consulting and Solution expert David Lühr. In addition, ScannerVision ensures greater efficiency and a low error rate in capture processes. The solution creates a searchable PDF. With one touch on the multifunctional system's control panel, documents are automatically converted into the desired format and stored in a predefined destination folder. The powerful feeder with dual scan function of the UTAX A3 color MFP also ensures that documents are captured quickly and completely.
UTAX solution enables maximum security and modern working methods
For Carsten Kühlich, the hardware in combination with the two software solutions meets his high requirements for security and modern working methods in three respects:
- Reliability: The scanning process is precise and controlled. "If I'm scanning a seven-page document, for example, I want to be sure that only six pages aren't accidentally scanned because something wasn't captured. The UTAX solution always works in a controlled manner and always does what it is supposed to do, even at high workloads.
- "High security and automated workflows: For the notary, it must be ensured that only authorized persons perform certain scanning tasks. This is guaranteed by authentication on the system. "For example, access to our own folder in the electronic document system of the Federal Chamber of Notaries is linked to my personal authentication card. Only when I log into the system with my card can documents be stored in the central nationwide directory." The lawyer deliberately opted for a chip card, which he considers more secure than a PIN. "The chip gives me the best access control and assignment of responsibility to individual processes," says Kühlich. UTAX specialist dealer Peter Jankowski added the USB card reader to the UTAX DIN A3 color MFP 4007ci and UTAX DIN A3 color MFP 3508ci and assigned the RFID cards supplied to a single user on the system. Once the individual employees have logged in, the system automatically calls up the appropriate folder in which documents are to be stored when the scan button is pressed.
- Data protection compliance: „Sensitive documents must not simply be left open in the multifunctional system's filing system.“ This is also important to Carsten Kühlich. "An MFP is located in the hallway and we also have customer traffic, so visitors potentially have access to printouts. This problem is also solved by the fact that a printout is only made after the client has logged in to the system on site."
Cost-efficient solution convinces and will be expanded
The fact that the software solutions could be extended to a second multifunctional system in the office community, in which Carsten Kühlich works with a lawyer colleague, was also convincing. This has now also been replaced by a UTAX system. It was important that both law firm partners could work independently of each other in two separate networks due to security requirements. In addition to the increased security, notary Kühlich is pleased with another advantage of the new solutions: "I can assign scanning and copying processes to individual clients and bill them precisely. This gives me greater cost control and allows me to allocate the fees incurred accurately in accordance with legal requirements."
UTAX partnership also enables specialist dealers without software experience to sell digital solutions for the electronic register of deeds
Overall, the optimized office infrastructure will enable Carsten Kühlich to live up to his claim of being one of the pioneers of digitalization in the future. It was also a successful premiere for the sales partner, as Fais had previously concentrated mainly on hardware sales and this project was the first time it had implemented a specific hardware and software solution. Peter Jankowski draws a positive conclusion: "The cooperation with the consulting and solution experts from UTAX went hand in hand. Together, we were able to offer a long-standing customer a tailor-made solution for a very complex and industry-specific digitization task."
David Lühr from UTAX sums up the project in the same vein: "The solution for notary Kühlich is a picture-book example of how successful digitization can work for SMEs. Modern digitization solutions need hardware and software from a single source. We see ourselves as a reliable partner for our specialist retailers, helping them to offer their customers this modern service. Specialist retailers can also help their customers to benefit as much as possible from digitalization."
About the notary's office of Carsten Kühlich
Carsten Kühlich has been working in a joint office with a colleague in Gladbeck since 1999. A separate notary's office was added in 2021. With five employees, the firm assists clients in all legal and notarial matters.
About Ferdinand Fais KG office technologyFerdinand Fais Bürotechnik has been offering all services in the field of printer hardware, printer consumables and office technology for over 80 years. Founded in 1939 by Ferdinand Fais, the master craftsman's business is still family-run today. The showrooms for office and copying technology and the company's own workshop are located in Essen city center. The company has been a UTAX sales partner since 2018. Individual advice, customer-oriented solutions and reliable service guarantee the success of the specialist retailer.
The electronic document archive
From 2022, notaries must keep an electronic collection of documents in accordance with Section 55 (2) of the Notarization Act (BeurkG). The Federal Chamber of Notaries explains what this means on its website www.elektronisches-urkundenarchiv.de: "From 2022, notaries will always keep their documents electronically. To this end, the Federal Chamber of Notaries will set up an 'electronic document archive', which will enable the secure storage of documents for 100 years. All new deeds will then be digitized by the notary, signed electronically in a qualified manner and stored in encrypted form in an 'electronic collection of deeds'. [...] From July 1, 2022, all newly drawn up deeds must be scanned and stored as an 'electronic version of the original' in the electronic collection of deeds."
UTAX DIN A3 MFPs meet all the requirements of the Federal Chamber of Notaries for the electronic document archive
- Processing up to DIN A3 formats in scan and print mode in black and white and color with at least 300 dpi
- Compression processes that create the risk of falsification are not supported or can be reliably deactivated.
- Image-altering algorithms can be deactivated.
- The scan product is an ISO standard-compliant PDF/A document.
- The non-reconstructible deletion of data on the internal data carriers after data transfer, after switching off and during decommissioning is supported.
- Unauthorized remote access via the network can be disabled.
- The device does not have a FireWire connection.
- There is protection against manipulative changes to the firmware.
- Access is secured by user authentication (e.g. PIN).
- The scan results are transmitted in encrypted form (transport encryption, e.g. SSL).
- There is secure administrator access.
- The device has an automatic document feeder (at least 50 sheets).
- Encryption of internal data carriers
- Logging of system errors, configuration changes and failed authentication processes
- Dual feed control
