An independent report from Quocirca, commissioned by PFU (EMEA) Limited, shows that despite remote and hybrid working pushing businesses toward digital transformation, a staggering amount of documents are still paper-based
PFU (EMEA) Limited
London, September 22, 2022
PFU (EMEA) Limited has today unveiled findings from the Scanning As An Enabler for Digital Transformation report, in which Quocirca, the print industry's leading source of market insight, explored IT employees' views towards scanners and paper use in the workplace. The report 1 finds that paper remains engrained across many business processes, including those related to customer and employee records; 52% of companies haven't yet fully digitised payslips, while 69% of organisations still store customer records in paper form.
The research also found that while some paper copies of important documents, such as customer records, contracts and identification documents, are securely destroyed (10%), 41% of paper documents are left lying around the office, presenting a potential security risk. And with almost aquarter (22%) of respondents saying that they choose paper over digital for security reasons, it would appear there is a wide disconnect between the perceived risks associated with digital and physical formats.
The survey also suggests that the paper ecosystem within organisations remains reliant on a number of factors; customer need (29%) and employee preference (25%) appear key among the reasons why paper maintains such a presence within organisational processes, along with the most prevalent response, legal compliance reasons (39%).
The findings of the report also come at a time where COVID, the ‘Great Resignation’ and increasing costs have shifted the focus of digital transformation. In the Fujitsu Image Scanners Organisational Intelligence Research Report 2020, conducted by PFU, top drivers were shown to be efficiency and profitability; in 2022, reasons are more heavily weighted towards business agility and having a scalable IT infrastructure that allows for contingencies (53%).
“It’s clear that organisations still rely on paper for many daily operations; something that could be seen as problematic from a security point of view, and perhaps indicative of an education gap among organisations and employees when it comes to the storage and management of paper,” comments Louella Fernandes, Director at Quocirca.
“For many organisations, paper is still an important part of their workflow processes. Even those who have minimised its use internally still have to deal with paper coming from external sources. To effectively capture incoming information, organisations should look to digitise at the first touchpoint, and put in place policies to ensure physical documents are suitably and securely managed,” adds Hiroaki Kashiwagi, President & CEO at PFU EMEA.
To download the full report visit www.pfuemea.com/en-gb/quocirca
1 The research surveyed respondents from five different geographies, three verticals and organisations ranging in size from 250 to over 1,000 employees.
PFU (EMEA) Limited is a specialist company within the Ricoh family, that’s dedicated to information management solutions. We offer advanced technology, intelligent software and consultancy services; these have made us the partner of choice for the world’s most ambitious organisations. So, whether it is document management solutions, bringing galleries online, or small format keyboards for coders, we are committed to enabling the world’s flow of knowledge.
Operating in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, PFU (EMEA) Limited is responsible for marketing and sales of Fujitsu document scanners. The European company was established in the United Kingdom in 1981 and has offices in Germany, Italy and Spain and Knowledge Suites in London, France and Dubai. For more information, please see: http://www.pfu.ricoh.com/emea/.
Quocirca is a global market insight and research firm specialising in analysing the convergence of print and digital technologies in the future workplace.
Since 2006, Quocirca has played an influential role in advising clients on major shifts in the market. Our consulting and research is at the forefront of the rapidly evolving print services and solutions market, trusted by clients who are seeking new strategies to address disruptive technologies.
Quocirca has pioneered research in many emerging market areas. More than 10 years ago we were the first to analyse the competitive global market landscape for managed print services (MPS), followed by the first global competitive review of the print security market. More recently Quocirca reinforced its leading and unique approach in the market, publishing the first study looking at the smart, connected future of print in the digital workplace. The Global Print 2025 study provides unparalleled insight into the impact of digital disruption, from both an industry executive and end-user perspective. For more information, visit www.quocirca.com.
Date: September 22, 2022
City: London
Company: PFU (EMEA) Limited