SmartCheck
What if I lose the original file?
What can still be proven without the file, and why it is best not to get there.
Certifying a document does not store a copy somewhere else in the world: it fixes a fingerprint that lets you check that **that** file is the same one that existed on that date. The practical consequence is direct: if the file disappears, the check has nothing to work on.
What survives and what does not
| Still exists | No longer possible |
|---|---|
| The record that something was certified, and when | Checking a file matches, with no file |
| The fingerprint of that content | Reconstructing the content from the fingerprint |
| The record of who did it | Proving exactly what the document said |
Important
The second row on the right surprises people: the fingerprint is not a compressed copy, and you cannot work back from it. It proves a file is the same one; it does not let you recover it.
How to avoid the problem
- 1
Keep the document in its file, not only on a machine
That is what stops it depending on a disk or a person.
- 2
Download copies of what is genuinely critical
Whatever supports a large claim, keep outside as well.
- 3
And do not delete old material to make room
It takes little space and its value appears years later, exactly when it is gone.
Watch out
Beware automatic retention deletion. If you have a policy that deletes after X years, check it does not sweep up certified documents supporting something with a longer claim window.
If it has already happened
That last point has a positive reading: if a recovered copy verifies, you know with certainty it is the original document and not a version altered along the way.
Worth knowing
The commonest loss is not a technical failure: it is a document that only existed in the email or desktop of someone who has left. The answer is not more backups; it is that it should never have lived there.
›Does the platform store my documents?
Yes, what is uploaded is there and can be downloaded. The risk is what was never uploaded.
›What if I stop being a customer?
You can export everything; and certified material can still be verified afterwards.
›Is a paper printout enough?
To read it yes, to verify no: the check is on the exact file.
A real case
The situation
A company certifies a report and keeps it only on the author's laptop.
What you do
- Uploads the report to the matter's file
- Also downloads a copy of what is critical
What you get
The day that laptop fails, the document is still there and still verifies.
The situation
The file is lost and only the reference remains.
What you do
- Checks what can be asserted without it
What you get
You know what you actually have.
The situation
The file sits on a machine that failed.
What you do
- Keeps a copy in more than one place
What you get
The loss stops being total.
The situation
Only the seal reference is kept.
What you do
- Keeps document and reference together
What you get
The proof is complete.
The situation
The loss is discovered when the proof is needed.
What you do
- Verifies a sample periodically
What you get
The problem is discovered sooner.
The situation
The file was held by somebody who left.
What you do
- Stores evidence off personal machines
What you get
Somebody leaving does not take the proof.
This article answers
- i lost the certified document
- can it be verified without the file
- what if i delete a sealed document
- recovering certified evidence