September 2007

The Paperless Office Is Coming. Slowly.

For years now, we’ve been told the same story: the paperless office is right around the corner.

And yet, if you walk into most Midtown offices today, you’ll still hear the familiar rhythm of printers warming up at 8:45 a.m. Contracts are reviewed on paper. Spreadsheets are marked in pen. Entire email chains are printed “just in case.”

The truth is, we are not becoming paperless. We are becoming hybrid.

In 2007, something important is happening beneath the surface. Multifunction devices are no longer just copiers with extra buttons. They scan directly to network folders. They email PDFs. They integrate with document management systems. For law firms and financial offices in Manhattan, that changes the way information moves.

But technology alone doesn’t create efficiency.

I’ve seen offices invest in high-end equipment with full scanning capability, only to watch staff continue using the copy function out of habit. No naming conventions. No shared folder structure. No security protocols. Just digital clutter replacing physical clutter.

There’s also a new risk emerging.

As more devices connect directly to the company network, they become endpoints. That means they require the same attention you would give a workstation. Firmware updates. Password protection. Controlled access. Yet in many offices, the copier still lives in a blind spot between IT and operations.

The real opportunity isn’t eliminating paper overnight. It’s designing a workflow that makes sense.

Ask a few practical questions:

• Where should documents live after they’re scanned?

• Who needs access?

• How long should files be retained?

• Are we paying for print volume that no longer reflects how we work?

In a city where time is expensive and square footage is limited, workflow matters. A well-planned document environment saves more than paper. It saves movement, confusion, and duplicated effort.

The paperless office may still be a headline.
But the well-managed office is a competitive advantage today.