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DIGITALISATION
20
Digitalisation is more than just a
buzz-word. As new research from AIIM
shows, the transition from paper-based
to electronic processes is having a
significant effect on how information
is distributed, with half of business
executives reporting a decrease in
the amount of paper received by their
organisation – 9% of respondents
describe this decline as rapid.
Released in the run-up to November 4’s
World Paper Free Day, AIIM’s latest annual
survey of paper use in the workplace,
Paper-Free in 2016, Are we there yet?
,
highlights the progress businesses are
making towards eliminating paper.
Two thirds of respondents say that
demand for paperless processes is growing,
with 25% claiming to run a clear/paper-free
environment, up from 18% in last year’s
report. The main benefits of going paper-
free are faster customer response times
(50%) and higher productivity (42%).
The business functions that have shown
the greatest fall in paper use are Human
Resources, particularly in the areas of
recruitment (49%) and employee lifecycle
(48%); Accounts Payable (41%); and
Accounts Receivable (39%).
Almost half (45%) of businesses say
they achieve payback on their paper-free
investment within six months; one in 10
(9%) does so within just three months.
Despite this progress, it is unlikely that
all business processes and transaction
will go paper-free any time soon. Reasons
given for sticking with paper include the
human factor when handling, reading and
note taking (47%); a lack of management
initiatives to move away from paper (47%);
and a lack of understanding and awareness
when it comes to paper-free options (39%).
Two thirds (65%) of business executives
still use handwritten signatures on paper.
AIIM chief analyst Bob Larrivee said:
“People instinctively like paper, and for
3M experiment
highlights benefits of secure print
3M is
warning
businesses
of the
dangers
of visual
hacking,
following a
recent experiment
that demonstrated
just how easy it
is for intruders to
steal information from
offices in plain sight of employees.
The purpose of 3M’s study is to promote its computer
screen protectors, but its findings are also useful to printer
resellers as they underline the security benefits of secure print
and follow me printing.
In the experiment by Ponemon Institute for 3M, a white
hat hacker posing as a contractor/part-time worker roamed the
offices of eight US companies, attempting to obtain corporate
data in full view of other office workers.
In 88% of instances, the hacker was able to steal corporate
information, such as confidential/classified documents and
employee login credentials, by reading or photographing
data displayed on computer screens and by removing printed
documents left on desks and printers.
Just over half (53%) of the sensitive information collected
was read from unprotected computer screens, with the
remainder (47%) coming from printed documents taken from
desks (29%), printer bins (9%), copiers (6%) and fax machines
(3%).
The easiest hunting grounds are open plan offices, where
an average of 4.4 information types were visually hacked,
compared to 3 information types in traditional cellular office
layouts.
As organisations are unable to rely on employees to be
vigilant – in 70% of incidences no one accosted the hacker
even when he was using a smartphone to take a picture of
a screen – 3M is advising businesses to make better use of
privacy controls, including computer screen filters, password-
protected screensavers, clean desk policies and shredding
procedures.
To 3M’s list should be added secure print and follow me
printing solutions, which can reduce the risk of visual hacking
and save money by eliminating unnecessary printing.
Printer resellers can find out more about the experiment
and download 3M’s whitepaper at
en_GB/privacy-protection-UK/visual-privacy-issues/
visual-hacking-experiment
many it still feels natural to print out a
document to read, sign, edit or share.
But things are gradually changing as
people become more comfortable using
technology for such tasks and realise that
e-signatures are just as valid as physical
ones. Enterprises are also seeing the
benefit of digitising content, in terms of
customer service, collaboration and overall
productivity, which will only help the move
to paper-free.”
Calling time on paper
In a separate survey by Xerox, more than
80% of SMEs in the UK, US, France and
Germany said that within the next 12
months they wanted to eliminate paper
from time-consuming processes, including
invoicing, HR and financial reporting.
The main reasons to go paper-free are
to increase productivity, grow the business
and reduce print costs. Almost half (43%)
of UK SMBs say they waste a significant
amount of time on paper-intensive
processes and 60% say this has a major
impact on their bottom line.
Other ways in which businesses aim
to reduce paper use include introducing
Managed Print Services (MPS) – 42%
already have an MPS and 40% plan to
put one in place in 2017 – and integrating
mobile devices with workflow processes to
increase the productivity of mobile workers
and improve customer service.
Like AIIM’s report,
Office Productivity
Trends to Improve the Bottom Line
highlights a lack of awareness amongst
businesses about their options. Only 20%
of SMBs have knowledge of existing paper-
free solutions.
When it comes to seeking advice, 50%
turn to an office equipment dealer, one
in four looks to their IT reseller and 37%
approach a product manufacturer.
New studies by AIIM and Xerox highlight move from paper to digital workflows
Paper use declining in more
than half of businesses
