BPI Network Study, Sponsored by Foxit Software, Highlights Challenges and Risks of Working with Untraceable Documents
A new study released by the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network finds an overwhelming majority of professionals are dealing with document-related productivity challenges associated with the inability to locate and track documents, control versions, efficiently complete reviews and approvals, and maintain information security.
Based on a survey of approximately 500 professionals worldwide, the study finds 92 percent of managers and knowledge workers consider themselves to be document-dependent, including 90 percent who say they are dependent on PDF technology to create and distribute documents. Most expect their dependency to continue to increase into the future.
The study, entitled Overcoming Document Deluge and Danger, was sponsored by Foxit, a leading software provider of fast, affordable, and secure PDF solutions. The study finds that workers are frustrated by a wide range of issues related to creating, finding, sharing, approving, and processing documents. Their top four concerns are:
- Lost time searching for documents
- Wasted time recreating lost documents
- Long waits gaining approvals on documents
- Security and privacy worries
The survey demonstrates that managers and knowledge workers would benefit from technology solutions that make document management simple and affordable. Three-quarters of all survey respondents say that being able to track the receipt, readership, and location of documents would be valuable to their work. Top benefits, according to respondent, would be:
- Ensuring the integrity and trust of each document
- Improving conformance with policies and regulations
- Easier removal of outdated documents from circulation
- Intellectual property protection and control over who sees it
“Far from reducing our use of documents, the digital age and connected economy seem to be increasing the value, necessity and use of documents in our daily work lives—and perhaps multiplying the challenges and dangers as well,” said Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the BPI Network. “Yet, at least until now, there is no widely adopted technology solution to mitigate common challenges that are costly to businesses of all kinds.”
“The study findings demonstrate the need for a new approach to document management and collaboration in a connected world,” said David Ronald, Head of Marketing at Foxit Software. “It’s time for a new kind of PDF that is intrinsically connected so it can be better protected, tracked, recovered and collaboratively reviewed without the need for costly and complex systems that are largely ignored.”
The most beneficial features in a next-generation cloud service for PDFs would be: simplified document retrieval, simplified refresh and updating of documents in circulation, the ability to easily notify recipients of document changes, and the ability to track who is opening and editing a document.
To address these concerns, Foxit announced the introduction of ConnectedPDF, a new technology that embeds identity and intelligence into PDF documents, enabling a range of cloud-delivered document management capabilities, including document locating and tracking, file update notifications, shared and synchronized review, remote file protection, data collection, and more.