With advances in technology occurring across all industries almost every day, the promise of the paperless office is closer than ever. With iPads, Kindles, email and extremely high speed internet at all of our fingertips, the need for traditional paper might be gone. Now, small businesses are in the unique position to start reaping the rewards of switching to a paperless office like never before.
Small businesses, as they operate on a smaller scale, have the unique ability to employ digital document imaging to make the switch to a paperless office. The following facts are the top 4 reasons why small businesses should use digital document imaging to cut out the paper, and bring on the benefits of a paperless office.
If you were to take a poll of a random sampling of businesses around the world as to what their biggest business nightmare situation is, it would most likely be a disastrous data loss of any kind. Whether that loss of data comes in traditional paper form or in electronic form, both are crippling to the business and both need to be planned for and avoided at all costs. Digital document imaging is an amazingly efficient and cost-effective way to do that.
Watch out Google, you’re officially being targeted by an extremely unlikely source: Germany. That’s right, the German Digital Library plans to make millions of books, films, images and even audio recordings available and accessible online via digital conversion. The good news for the German library and bad news for Google is that already more than 30,000 libraries, museums and existing archives are expected to contribute digitized cultural artifacts.
If we started listing the pros and cons of paper-based offices, I’m fairly certain the list would quickly skew ‘con’ given advances in technology, mobile demand and Internet-centric design. Thanks to document imaging, however, companies are given a cost-cutting, space-conserving alternative to paper-based offices.
Besides the benefits of cost reduction and space conservation, digital imaging is the number one way to avoid document duplication. Paper files often lead to multiple copies, via copy machine, fax or printer, leading to stacks of paper spread over multiple locations. The amount of space needed for filing cabinets and storing boxes in back rooms is drastically reduced using document imaging. This creates additional employee workspace or incremental storage while housing all critical files in a single location, readily available to any employee.
While we’re much closer today than we ever have been, the paperless office has not come to be a complete reality. But with new digital document imaging techniques and corresponding equipment, like the iPad and the inevitable iPad 2.0, could we finally usher in the era of the paperless office?
Maybe.
While printer manufacturers, paper salespeople and others connected to the paper industry may be opponents, many in the “pro” camp think the technology is here, and are ready to do away with paper waste.
How many of you have old family photos and artifacts that date back over 100 years? How many have invaluable documents, journals, family crests, even recipes handwritten by your great grandmother? Almost all of us have inherited artifacts, mementos and photographs of our family. It’s a great way to pass along and share family heritage and traditions. But often times these photos and documents end up damaged or altered by sun, water or simple wear over time or even lost or misplace.
What if there was a better way to save these memories for future generations?
In what might be a substantial leap forward for electronic records and the digital imaging of confidential paper documents, a bill to establish the Kansas Enterprise Electronic Preservation System (KEEP) is going to the Governor. If passed, House Bill 2195 will:
- Establish KEEP to ensure digital record authenticity
- Give citizens the ability to access government electronic records like census data, court cases and financial information
- Maintain accuracy and authenticity acceptable in a court of law
When the computer first entered the office place, speculation flew that the days of a paperless office might not be too far behind. Those days came and went, and still paper dominates the landscape of the modern office space. But does it have to?
No, according to a recent report from JP Morgan, “Sustainable Treasury Management: It’s Easier Than You Think”. The report concluded that the feasibility of the paperless office is finally here. Before, a paperless office was neither technically nor economically possible. But today, with help from digital document imaging solutions, it can be a reality.
The decades of medical care being completely paper-driven are officially coming to a close. The days of having to constantly update, rewrite and keep track of stacks of paperwork might be in their final days. Digital medical records are taking over the medical paper trail that has long dominated the healthcare industry.
Modern technology is enabling Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to slowly replace the traditional paper and film versions.
The move to digital medical records is being fueled by President Obama’s economic stimulus, which allows for $19.2 billion for health information technology. Many hospitals will use these funds to implement EHRs.
Without a doubt, the recession has forced almost every company to take a long, hard look at the bottom line. Even as the US creeps into economic recovery, companies and their employees are increasingly trying to “do more with less.”
In fact, the Labor Department recently reported that in 2009, worker productivity rose 5.8% — the largest increase in seven years – meaning less employees are working harder.
One solution for maximizing business success with fewer resources and employees is to outsource document imaging and management.
Outsourced document imaging services allow businesses to refocus valuable personnel time to tasks more relevant to the actual job and company’s bottom line.
July 7th 
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With advances in technology occurring across all industries almost every day, the promise of the paperless office is closer than ever. With iPads, Kindles, email and extremely high speed internet at all of our fingertips, the need for traditional paper might be gone. Now, small businesses are in the unique position to start reaping the rewards of switching to a paperless office like never before.
