Paperless has been called a popular fad – but the reality is, many a government is taking it seriously. India, the UK, even the US has begun initiatives to move federal operations paperless. In 2012, Obama announced that federal agencies must be paperless by 2019.
A 7-year deadline sounds achievable for a single company – but for the numerous federal agencies, it’s quite ambitious, and given that he will not be in office in 2019, the initiative may not even hold up. Nevertheless, the record creation and document management changes that are already taking place in many an industry are hitting the US Government. That suggests the paperless lifestyle is not a fad, not just a great streamlining solution for your business, but ultimately here to stay in the business world.
The initiative is a National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) joint initiative focused on a two step process – agencies were required to establish a plan by the end of 2013. In 2016, an email archiving solution is the next hurdle for all federal agencies.
As a member of a document management solutions company, it’s easy to observe that the paperless operation has small hurdles to meet. An email archiving solution is not even the halfway mark for most agencies. What about additional databasing, social media platform posts, public statements and all other internal documents? Email is just one part of a multi-level, multi-program document management organization. Is this a realistic goal, or a procrastination project for USGS?
As of September, 2014, nearly 80 percent of companies have taken steps to limit their paper usage (CompTIA). Even India has begun testing paperless documentation – and India’s government has already gone fully paperless.
Paperless is undoubtedly the next big transition into “the future” as we establish ourselves as the advanced, 21st Century superheroes the movies we grew up with envisioned for us. Enter: the world without paper. Better spaceships can be the next priority.
For more information on converting to a paperless office environment, visit our paperless solutions page>>
