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Taming the Digital Tiger
By Jim Donovan
Freshly arrived in the new millennium, we continue our relentless foray into the information-based culture, driven by technology. The information age is definitely here and it's changing the way business operates forever. To succeed, companies must re-think their information systems and redefine how their data will flow throughout the business.
Most executives recognize the need to make information and data easily accessible and available throughout the organization. The more we move our businesses to a totally electronic information base what Bill Gates refers to as the "Digital nervous system the more we can make use of the data available to us.
Companies who have already made this transition are finding more and better uses for their customer data, faster turn-around times for manufacturing processes, better purchasing systems, reduced operating costs and more. Companies who have digitized their information are more easily able to share ideas and data throughout the company. This contributes greatly to employee empowerment, facilitates better communication and creates more knowledgeable workers. Contributions from information workers are encouraged company-wide.
This is all well and good; however, how does one accomplish this building of the digital nervous system? While Mr. Gates makes a compelling case in favor of doing this in his book, Business at the Speed of Thought, he does elaborate on the process of actually doing it. Perhaps this is because the implementation of a digital conversion process is not so simple and requires a company-wide commitment in order to succeed, not to mention a substantial effort.
One important fact that was pointed out by Mr. Gates at a recent breakfast meeting is that only after businesses replace paper documents with electronic information will they be able to take advantage of the digital age and optimize corporate knowledge both internally and externally.
One of the many challenges facing companies is how to handle the mountains of paper we've accumulated up to this point. Unfortunately, we can't just roll them up and slide them into a slot in the front of the computer. They must be scanned into the system. Sadly, the problem does not end there. If all you do is scan the pile of documents, what you will end up with is a "digital" paper pile.
Taming the Digital Tiger
Once you have your information in digital form, you still need a way to access it. You must still tame the digital tiger. Perhaps the best way to do this and the method of choice for the IRS, FDA, EPA and several other government agencies, as well as most major corporations is the Adobe Portable Document Format, PDF. While there are other ways to accomplish the task, none offer the flexibility and technological advantages of the PDF format. PDF files can be indexed, hyperlinked, bookmarked and searched, making your data more accessible. Most important, PDF files retain your original design.
The only problem with PDF is the lack of software tools to make all of it an efficient process. Fortunately, this is changing with the recent introduction of tools, developed by third-party companies, to facilitate the use of the PDF platform.
One example of the power of PDF software tools was the work performed by one of our strategic partners for a pharmaceutical client. They were able to complete the conversion of one million pages of Case Report Tabulations with five million bookmarks within one month by one person. The client was quite impressed. In another case, they produced 1.5 million pages of Case Report Forms in one three-month period and are currently producing some 50,00 pages per day. The final output is one PDF file per patient, fully bookmarked by visit and domain. These files are then accessed via the client company's Intranet with patient table of contents pages linked to the individual patient file.
Another benefit to be gained from digital conversion is storage. Consider that an 8GB hard drive will hold approximately 200,000 pages of scanned images the equivalent of 16 file cabinets! The National Center for State Courts has estimated that, when you include the cost of finding and retrieving files, the annual cost of document storage is $500-$700 per square foot.
However you choose to go about it, the benefits realized from developing a digital infrastructure far outweigh any expense associated with its creation. Making this decision now will give you the ability to use information as never before: expanding your marketing efforts, strengthening relationships with your customers, enhancing your internal processes, improving communications with your employees, streamlining your ordering process, and positively impacting your bottom line. While it may look like an unwieldy beast at first glance, once tamed, the digital tiger can become your most powerful information ally.
Copyright ©2000 Jim Donovan
Jim Donovan is a strategic marketing consultant, author and professional speaker, specializing in new technology. He can be reached at: http://www.jimdonovan.com