makingit_18_pp6-13_globalforum_print 11/05/2015 12:38 Page 13
GLOBAL FORUM
“Instead of throwing out legacy processes that are working, organizations would be wise to look to new solutions that include paper as an option in their digital workflows, embracing the old while ushering in the new.” efficiency and customer satisfaction. Rip and replace systems, like the VBMS, often force too much change, too quickly, throughout the organization. The failure rate is high.
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Lots of valuable data remains on paper The paperless mindset often overlooks a critical fact: vast stores of valuable information are still housed on paper. When we think of big data as only including the information we can easily access – like web logs and click streams – we are missing a huge opportunity. Both commercial and public sector organizations need solutions that help them analyze paper-based data with big data tools. This view embraces data in all its forms. The idea of “paper vs. paperless” is a false dichotomy. Data comes in both forms, and we need to think more about how to get the data we need rather than about the form it comes in. As the digital and analog worlds increasingly meld together, we need to centre our thinking around “going paperless” as a means to use digital data, not an end. ●KUANG CHEN is co-founder and CEO of Captricity, a California-based technology start-up that transforms multi-channel data – including data generated by complex handwritten paper forms – into ready-to-process business information.
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