U.K. survey says businesses well on the way to a paper-free office

Newswire: Oct. 18, 2017.

Dateline: London

A survey of British companies says two-thirds of them are on the way to paper-free records management.

The Crown Records Management Survey queried IT decision makers for companies with between 100 and 1,000 employees. It found 66 percent scanning paper records and storing them digitally and 65 percent with a fully digital records archive.

But 55 percent said they can’t quickly find and retrieve electronic recrds when required.

The shift is seen as important in light of current or upcoming events. World Paper Free Day is Nov. 9, and legislation in the U.K. and European Union will give individuals the right to ask for their personal information to be edited or deleted by the companies maintaining it.

Dominic Johnstone, head of information management for Crown Records Management called it “worrying that over half of businesses say they aren’t able to quickly locate and retrieve electronic records.”

“Any business progressing towards a paper-free or paper-lite office but not ensuring their electronic records are accessible is setting themselves up for a major headache in the future – and it’s not a problem that can be ignored,” Johnstone added.

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