Malaysia organizations don't realize severity of cyberattacks http://t.co/PUCv68Rd
48 minutes ago by ALLsecuritySoft on twitterZDNet / Techguide / Tech Management
What happened to going paperless?
Summary
Remember that quaint idea for offices to go paperless? What can we learn from this failed technology revolution?
Events
Echelon 2012
June 11 and 12, 2012
University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore
Startup Asia Jakarta 2012
June 7 and 8, 2012
12th Floor, Annex Building, Wisma Nusantara Complex, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 59 Jakarta 10350, Indonesia
MMA Forum Singapore
April 23-25, 2012
Grand Hyatt Singapore
When I think of technologies that held amazing promise, created an entire industry and associated hype cycle, and then faded into oblivion, the paperless office seems one of the more notable examples.
In case this was before your time or you forgot about the gist of the offering, it was relatively simple. Rather than pushing paper, we would move around digital documents and forms and all that legacy paper would be scanned, organized, and ready for instant retrieval. File cabinets would join typewriters in landfills everywhere, and forests would loom large, spared from the scourge of the office paper industry.
While the vision did manage to sell thousands of huge "multifunction" printers, we seem even further from the paperless office than before. My physical inbox is constantly flooded with paper invoices, catalogs, government notices, and the like, and venues that were prime candidates for going "paperless" still pull out the paper documents and clipboard forms.
Furthermore, a side effect of the supposed paperless revolution has been the immense ease with which one can click the "print" icon and spit out hundreds of pages in seconds, with only the smell of hot paper and burnt toner to remind one of the shattered dreams of paperless nirvana. So, what happened to going paperless, and can we learn anything from this failed technology revolution?
The joy of self, and the printed page
Most of us have probably attended a meeting organized by someone who got the "paperless bug." The meeting starts with a request to open a document, and invariably some portion of the attendees didn't receive it, deleted it, or can't open it on their computer. The other two people who actually received the document ended up printing it out in a larger font so it consumed even more paper. After wasting half the meeting printing the document, most paperless crusaders realize the futility of their ways and bring a stack of paper to their next meeting.
A technology needs an obvious, self-centered benefit to be adopted. Paper is immediate, portable, cheap, and the way most of us learned to consume the written word. Throwing an intermediary layer of technology over the problem with vague benefits about trees and "green" will never match the convenience of paper. Contrast this to something like digital music, where the digital version is vastly more convenient than a CD and offers instant gratification, and it's obvious that most people take the path of least resistance. Automating "for the greater good" will never succeed unless accompanied with readily apparent individual benefit.
Medicine that's worse than the disease
Obviously, printed paper is an organizational nightmare. Whole groups of people were dedicated to tracking and filing paper, and one of my first thoughts as I slid open the well-worn drawers of a file cabinet as an intern in my first office job was "there must be a better way." Unfortunately the "better way" proposed by the paperless office involved dealing with potentially complex scanning machines and then overblown electronic filing systems. One afternoon applying categorizations, keywords, and hierarchies to a mundane document is enough to have one running for the manila folders.
The companies that have successfully deployed paperless systems usually automate much of the filing, shuffling, and signing associated with pushing paper, making for a clear individual benefit in terms of automation. The cure alleviates a painful process through speed and seeming "intelligence" in the process. The worst automations take the paper-based process and attempt to duplicate signing, filing, and paper pushing with the additional complexity of technology.
The missing link
Arguably, the critical missing piece of the paperless revolution is at the point of data capture. Despite my love for technology, it's still easier to use US$5 worth of notepad and paper to take meeting notes, and this is the case in applications from doctors' offices to field sales and service. The paperless piece failed to consider that so many processes are initiated on paper, and trying to start automation from the end or midpoint of the process was an exercise in futility. If one examined many paper-based processes, they might conclude paper is the best technology available.
Avoid considering only the back end of a process when you look for automation opportunities. The paperless office expected the tail to wag the dog, an obviously rare scenario.
While most offices are anything but paperless, the quick rise and rapid fall of the concept is illustrative to the larger technology industry. Without considering individual benefit, introducing additional complexity, and failing to consider an entire business process, your revolutionary technology endeavors are liable to meet the same fate.
Patrick Gray is the founder and president of Prevoyance Group.
Resource Centre Useful content from our premier sponsors
Tech Management TechGuides
Watch your mouth
You are what you measure: Choose your metrics wisely
Develop application portfolio, acquisition processes to protect business
The department of 'No'
Why management-by-intimidation can never work long-term in IT
Quantum computing: What is it and has it arrived?
Hire learners, not people with specialized skills
The great and powerful (and exceptionally resilient) ego
CIO 2015: The future is now
Technical solutions looking for a problem
ZDNet Asia Live
News: Radio Costa Rica by EnjoyIT 1.0: Radio Costa Rica allows you to listen to a great var... http://t.co/BLzVT5As http://t.co/1Dhcy6ki
48 minutes ago by CostaRica_VIP on twitterThe key for mobile operators is identifying the applications that are popular with subscribers on their network. They can then work partn...
2 hours ago by camcullen on Experience trumps content in apps monetization
Experience trumps content in apps monetization | ZDNet http://t.co/gBXcjbGd
2 hours ago by DennisOosterman on twitter
Experience trumps content in apps monetization - ZDNet Asia News: "What we are doing currently is not to monetiz... http://t.co/S2EZtd8m
3 hours ago by kennyfabre1 on twitter
Malaysia organizations don't realize severity of cyberattacks: "Minister Maximus Johnity Ongkili said at the Sec... http://t.co/bgVlOBvx
4 hours ago by Bug2Hunt on twitter
#security Malaysia organizations don't realize severity of cyberattacks: "Minister Maximus Johnity Ongkili said ... http://t.co/hkFb4zrI
4 hours ago by Wiredsec on twitter
Malaysia organizations don't realize severity of cyberattacks http://t.co/EEEmRM3j via @zdnetasia
5 hours ago by RedDragon1949 on twitter
Malaysia organizations don't realize severity of cyberattacks - ZDNet Asia News http://t.co/YpNMYgb5
5 hours ago by RedDragon1949 on twitter
Malaysia organizations don't realize severity of cyberattacks http://t.co/FFems54Q
5 hours ago by mytech_pro on twitter
China solar cell makers seek Taiwan partnerships http://t.co/p5Hh7kJD
6 hours ago by Export2China on twitter
Big data acquisitions pave way to fast, effective innovation http://t.co/hdiEfBsz via @zdnetasia
6 hours ago by jowoodley on twitter
Integration, focused investments to propel Windows Phone: By Kevin Kwang , ZDNet Asia on May 23, 2012 (2 hours a... http://t.co/E7tsZbHJ
7 hours ago by Easyforexdotcom on twitter
Integration, focused investments to propel Windows Phone http://t.co/u9TqjQ8C
7 hours ago by ashvin_9 on twitter
AsiaClassifiedToday. Integration, focused investments to propel Windows Phone - ZDNet Asia: S... http://t.co/47tdjZyG #asia #google #biz
8 hours ago by ChemarieMonica on twitterSo much as we know , MTK6575 extremely integrated frequency1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, the superiority of 3G / HSPA Modem, and help the...
1 day ago by y15822137359 on 5 SaaS adoption speed bumps to avoidI reckon your view: "CRM is strategy, not software", if a company replicating the approach uses in ERP implementation into CRM, what they...
2 days ago by wykoong on Gartner: Mobile CRM gives better ROI than socialThis video will teach you about the Excel fill handle but also provide you with a workook to download... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
3 days ago by TradeBrother on A quick fill handle trick for Microsoft Excelwaiting...
5 days ago by eapete on What should count in a company's market value?Boy, you've opened a can of worms now.
Wait for the rants & raves.
I was puzzling before this whether to replicate the success formula we executed for a financial institute, and come out with a standard s...
5 days ago by wykoong on Drop the egos, copy ideas, then innovateKeep up with ZDNet Asia
Facebook 
RSS Feeds 
Newsletters 
Twitter Whitepapers
Understanding Awareness in Mixed Presence Collaboration
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on the IBM PureFlex System
IBM® PureFlex™ System: The Future of Datacenter Management by Ptak, Noel & Associates LLC
Businesses are ready for a new approach to IT
IBM PureFlex System for consistent SAP solution hosting and management
Downloads
Tech Management News
Inside ZDNet Asia
Sponsored
Threats and malware know no boundaries. Neither should your web security. See how far Blue Coat Unified Web Security goes to protect your network.
Echelon 2012 - The Awesomer Tech Event in Asia
Echelon 2012 – SEA’s longest running tech startup event goes Awesomer. Catch 50 of Asia’s most promising startups & over 40 international speakers on June 11-12.
Startup Asia Jakarta showcases new product-ready tech startups. Plus: hackathon, exhibition, and speakers. Use promo code CBSi50 for 50% discount.
ZDNet Asia Intelligent Singapore video series
Featuring inteviews with CXOs who define "intelligence" in their markets and reveal how their companies drive business efficiencies through ICT.
