Smartphones vs. paper

DIGITAL PRINT Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are being used more and more frequently at work. However, they are not replacing traditional work tools such as desktop PCs or printed paper, but rather complementing them. This is also the case in 2015, as a study by DokuLife Consulting and Broher shows.This year marks the 40th anniversary of an idea: In 1975, it was predicted that the introduction of computers and EDP would one day banish printed paper from everyday working life. The dream of the "paperless office" has not yet come true by 2015 - on the contrary. This is actually surprising at a time when everything is talking about "digital transformation. Apparently, paper is far from being obsolete, even though mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets make it possible to access electronic documents regardless of their paper form.Only a quarter prints lessThis year's Smart Worker survey, conducted by DokuLife Consulting in collaboration with Brother, used the aforementioned anniversary as an opportunity to ask IT decision-makers and office users what tools they use and how they do it. Around 8,000 people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were surveyed. The result: Hardly any workplace is paperless; on the contrary, printing is used constantly and at a high level. For example, 45% of the office users surveyed said that they print about the same amount as they did two years ago, and 23 % even print more. Only 27 % say they print less paper in the office compared to two years ago. Digital = more information = more documents The conclusion is obvious: there tends to be more printing than in the past. What could be the reason for this? The reasons are quickly identified: Digitization means that the amount of information is increasing - and with it the number of documents to be processed. The more information that is processed, the higher the print volume, as the study found. When asked why the study participants print more, 58 percent answered: "Because I process more documents"- 48 percent: "Because I receive more and more information (e-mails, PDFs, documents) and get an overview by printing the documents"- 29 percent: "Because I have to file more on paper.And where less is printed, the answers are as follows:- "I have to file less on paper" (52 percent) - "We have an electronic filing system" (48 percent) - "I process fewer documents" (17 percent)The bottom line from these answers: Paper can be saved if there is a consistent switch from paper-based filing to an electronic filing system (DMS).No paperless revolution despite mobile devicesMobile devices could actually provide the "initial spark" here, but this does not yet seem to be the case in many places, especially since the 2015 Smart Worker Survey found that modern, mobile devices are now firmly integrated into the workplace by the majority. Thus, 59 % of the professionals surveyed now use a smartphone for business, likewise 59 % a notebook, and 30 % even a tablet. Switzerland is even slightly higher than average in this regard: 64 percent of Swiss respondents use a smartphone (Germany: 56 percent), 33 percent a tablet (Germany: 28 percent). So the affinity for mobile devices seems to be slightly higher in this country than in our northern neighbor, for example. Be that as it may, professional data is increasingly available on the move, making it no longer absolutely necessary to carry paper with them. Nevertheless, knowledge workers are sticking to their printing habits, according to another conclusion of the study. The survey results also show that, for users, "smart working" does not mean that mobile devices replace classic work tools: For example, only 22 % of respondents would want to replace their desktop PC with a notebook or tablet. The survey results indicate that mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks are supplementing the old work tools, which means that there is more variety of devices in the IT landscape, but the paperless revolution is still a long time coming.Printing costs moneyThe still high print volume is definitely a cost factor in various companies. 79 percent of respondents admit that they pay attention to printing costs within their company. IT decision-makers in the companies are also price-sensitive when it comes to procuring printing devices. The price of the printed page is given the highest weighting, followed by print and copy quality and speed. Only in fourth place comes the actual price of the device. The device fleet in the companies is about two years old in most companies (48 percent), and about three years old in 23 percent. In other words, the companies generally seem to want to rely on a modern infrastructure. What is surprising, however, is that 81 percent of those surveyed are only renewing their print infrastructure gradually and as needed, and not as part of an overall project.NSA disclosures have little impact on ITSince the publication of Edward Snowden, the topic of data security and data protection has also been hotly debated. But what consequences have IT decision-makers actually drawn from the publications and the surveillance allegations against BND, NSA, GCHQ? Not many, according to the results of the Smart Worker survey. 71% of the IT decision-makers surveyed say that the publications surrounding the "NSA Leaks" have had no impact on their daily work. Accordingly, enterprise security measures tend to focus on everyday protective measures - the most popular protective measure is installing a virus scanner on the client (97 %), followed by login passwords for users (84 %) and an updated software firewall on the client (78 %). Interestingly, insider attacks are considered less relevant. For example, user downloads are rarely prevented (15 %), and even the prevention of USB sticks on the client is a rarity (22 %).Electronic DMS is most effective savings measureIn summary: Both users and IT decision-makers state that printed paper continues to play a major role in the office despite tablets, smartphones - more or less the same amount is printed at most companies, in some companies even more than two years ago. And where more is printed, this is a result of increased document volumes. The authors of the study see investments in an electronic filing and archiving system as the most effective print-saving measure. However, such systems only show their full effect when they are used throughout the company. Accordingly, the hurdles to introduction should not be underestimated. After all, the successful use of a DMS also depends on how a company is able to handle information as a resource.