Paperless Document Management – Go Paperless!
Today’s technologies have brought to reality the paperless solutions that were only hinted at by visionaries roughly a half century ago. Paperless document management was imagined as a far-fetched method to create a work environment in which the use of paper was eliminated or greatly reduced. Office automation was dreamt of as an ideal situation where one would go paperless in an effort to improve efficiencies and better organize printed material. A bespectacled secretary in an outer office was replaced in these futuristic imageries with a sleek, modern tv-like screen with data on display at the push of a button. Much like a flying vehicle, an office without a stitch of paper promised to remain fiction far into the foreseeable future.
As unlikely as it may have once seemed, paperless solutions are now a very real part of business landscapes worldwide. Offices and entire industries are able to go paperless with the widespread availability of paperless document management systems in every price range with a plethora of service options. Proponents of paperless businesses claim that those who “go paperless” can save money, boost productivity, save space, make documentation and information sharing easier, keep personal information more secure and help the environment.
True paperless document management, by today’s standards, would include the conversion of existing paper documents into electronic format, being stored securely, but readily available for retrieval and use. In addition, paperless solutions call for the eventual elimination of the creation of paper-based communication all together. High printing, reproduction, and shipping costs are greatly increasing the speed at which going paperless is spreading worldwide. Improvements in PC portability and the reduction of hardware and software costs have exponentially expanded the global use of electronic information transfer, without the traditional ink and paper requirements of yesteryear. The Internet has brought encyclopedic knowledge to every corner of the earth, leveling the playing fields of international business.
In addition to electronic information transfer afforded by digital file transfers, fillable electronic forms and digital signatures have rounded out the necessary tools to quickly and easily take paper out of the business equation. Once federal establishments including the IRS and FDIC insured banks endorsed, encouraged, and even mandated the reduction of paper creation and use, the rest of the world followed.
Today’s work environment dictates a conscious move towards an environmentally friendly, business-savvy, technology-encompassing way of handling all transactions, communications, and information retention. Many seasoned business executives and decision makers understand the benefits of moving away from paper, but most have no clear path on how to go about doing it. ArchiveIT assists companies in their transition process, from paper to paperless, beginning with their current stage, moving towards the degree of paperless that they are comfortable with. A free consultation will assess your company’s needs today and plan to move it into its tomorrow.
