Arabic electronic archiving system for Iraqi organisations

What does the Arabic electronic archiving system include?

It covers document types and their index fields, scanning, Arabic search, an incoming and outgoing correspondence register, approval routes, permissions, an audit trail and backups, in a web system that runs in the browser.

If you are early in planning, read our guide to electronic archiving for departments and companies to see what to prepare before you start.

Government departments have extra requirements for hosting, permissions and handover, explained in systems for government bodies in Iraq.

• Document types such as official letters, contracts, personnel files and invoices, each with its own index fields.
• Scanner integration for large batches, plus upload of PDFs and images from a computer or phone.
• An incoming and outgoing correspondence register with numbers, dates and parties, linking each reply to the original letter.
• Routing transactions between departments with each employee’s notes and endorsements, and knowing where a file is at any moment.
• Confidentiality levels and permissions by department, position and document type.
• A dashboard of overdue transactions and workload per department.

Why an Arabic archiving system rather than a translated foreign product?

Because searching Arabic documents has its own rules: hamza and alef forms, taa marbuta and haa, yaa and alif maqsura, diacritics and four-part names. A system built for Arabic from the ground up finds the document however the word was typed.

• Text normalisation in search, so different spellings of the same name or word still match.
• A fully right-to-left interface, including tables, dates and numbers.
• Arabic text extraction from scanned documents where scan quality allows, with manual index correction.
• Kurdish and English support in the interface and documents when needed.

How do we start digitising a huge paper archive?

We start by classifying document types and index fields, archive new documents daily first, then process the old archive in batches by how often it’s used, rather than trying to digitise everything at once.

This way staff benefit from the system in the first weeks, and daily work never waits for the old files to be finished. The organisation’s own staff can handle scanning and indexing after training, or the old archive can be digitised by a dedicated team working in batches, with samples from each batch reviewed to confirm scan quality and correct indexing.

How do we deliver an electronic archiving project, step by step, and how long does it take?

We start by listing document types and transaction routes, design the indexes and permissions, build the system and pilot it in one department, then roll it out and train staff. Running it in the first departments often takes two to four months.

Cost depends on the number of departments, users, document types, integrations and the size of the old archive; our page on what an app or system costs in Iraq explains how we price. For an estimate for your organisation, you can request a quote for an archiving system.

• Discovery: an inventory of document types and rough volumes, who issues and who reads them, and how transactions move today.
• Design: index fields per type, a permissions matrix and the Arabic screen layouts.
• Build: the system itself, connected to scanners and to the organisation’s other systems where needed.
• Testing: a pilot in one department with real documents and transactions, adjusting indexes from feedback.
• Launch: rollout to departments and staff training, then digitising the old archive in batches.
• Support: ongoing follow-up, backups and regular restore tests.

What technology is used, and where are documents stored?

A web system built with widely used technologies such as React and Next.js, a PostgreSQL database for indexes and transactions, and file storage on the organisation’s own servers or a cloud it chooses.

Many departments prefer documents to stay inside their own network, so the system can run entirely on the internal network without internet access, with encrypted connections, backups to a second location and regular restore tests.

What do Iraqi departments and companies need from an archiving system?

A correspondence register that matches the official-letter format, approval chains that mirror the administrative hierarchy, operation on the internal network despite weak internet, and permissions that protect confidential documents.

• Numbering, dates and parties for official letters, with the option to print a letter with a QR code pointing to its archived copy.
• Managers’ endorsements and referrals as on paper, but with a clear time and owner for each step.
• Handling old papers of uneven quality with suitable scan resolution, and manual indexing where text extraction falls short.
• A Kurdish interface for organisations in the Kurdistan Region, or documents in Arabic, Kurdish and English together.
• Authenticated approvals inside the system, with digital signatures integrated per the organisation’s approved framework.