So now we know. According to a survey of more than 2,000 people by OKI Systems, the paperless office is still a long way away. According to a report on the MicroScope web site, 92% of office workers print documents every day and 45% of them print more than 10 pages daily.
While the notion of people printing reams of paper every day might come as a surprise to some, it probably comes as less of a surprise to hear that much of their printing (59% of those polled) is to meet regulatory and compliance requirements with hard copies of documents.
As Jane Austen might once have observed if she was writing about business and technology in the 21st century rather than romantic fiction in the 18th century: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a business in possession of effective modern technology must be in want of lots of extra regulatory and compliance requirements to make it less effective."
As well as the bureaucrats, businesses are also having to contend with a fifth column of sneaky printers using company equipment for their own personal use. According to the survey, 79% of people confessed to using office printers to print their personal documents, although only 9% did so on a daily basis.
The solution to both issues may well lie with a managed print strategy or, more accurately, with a managed print strategy that is not only in place but also enforced. According to the survey, only 27% of people said their company had a policy that was being actively enforced.
At this point, I wonder if I’m the only one who suddenly finds the words "channel" and "opportunity" floating into my head? Managed print services are nothing new but it would appear from this survey that a properly thought out and executed managed print strategy that is not only delivered but enforced is still a rare and wonderful thing. Quite why this should be the case is not immediately clear but it does seem clear that channel partners that are able to help customers get a grip on their paper usage could provide a valuable service.
This is especially pertinent given the BYOD and mobility trend and the expectation from employees that they will be able to use office printers to print from their smart phones and tablets. The survey found just short of a quarter of respondents brought their own phones and tablets into work and a fairly significant 45% of them used them to print through the office printer.
If the numbers of people using mobile devices within workplaces increases as much as some analysts expect, it might be wise for businesses to start defining policies that govern how those devices are used with company printers. And for channel partners to make sure they are able to help them do so.
After all, to borrow from Austen again: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that an employee in possession of an exciting shiny gadget must be in want of finding new gimmicky (and potentially wasteful) ways to use it."
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