For Immediate Release
TREAT PRINT AS AN INTEGRAL BUSINESS COMPONENT TO MAXIMIZE
SPENDING AND GAIN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, SAYS NEW EDSF TREND STUDY
Gartner and
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (Oct. 4, 2005)
--- The
Electronic Document Systems Foundation (EDSF), the non-profit organization
dedicated to the document communications industry, announced the publication of
a landmark, co-branded research paper on industry trends with particular
emphasis on how business process managers regard printing. By viewing print as
an integral business function rather than merely part of a necessary
infrastructure, the study suggests, managers can transform print into a
thrifty, competitive hero. “Criticality of Printed Information in the Financial
Services Industry: 2005 Survey Results” is a collaboration between
Gartner, a Stamford, Conn.-based consulting firm, and the
“The survey results reveal that business managers believe printed information
is critical to their business process, but they are generally not engaged or
aware of how to improve their situation,” said Andrew Johnson, Gartner’s
Managing Vice President. “Far from being discouraged, we regard this as an
opportunity for increased education leading to cost savings and new competitive
opportunities. We are pleased that EDSF provides these grants to universities
and enables opportunities for organizations like Gartner to work with them, to
conduct research for the benefit of the document industry. This is a win-win
for everyone involved.”
Highlights of “Criticality of Printed Information in the Financial
Services Industry: 2005 Survey Results” include:
-- Approximately two-thirds (65%) of
those surveyed indicate that print is a highly important part of their business
processes. In departments where print is predominantly used for communications
(external-facing), 81% of the managers consider print to be highly important to
their business processes. But in departments that use print almost entirely for
internal communication (internal facing), 55% of the managers view print as
critical to their business process.
--
Managers are engaged in business process management/improvement (BPM) projects,
but are not evaluating and changing print processes as part of these projects.
-- Most of the changes in print have been unplanned and
brought about by BPM. In fact, 35% of managers involved with BPM report that
most print/copying changes have been unplanned.
--
Nearly half of those surveyed (43%) believe they can significantly reduce the
volume of printing. Interestingly, this belief is held strongly by 55% of the
managers from internal-facing departments as compared to only 17% of the
managers from external-facing departments.
"EDSF congratulates Gartner and the
This year, EDSF previously released an industry paper featuring
research from Doculabs and the
“Criticality of Printed
Information in the Financial Services Industry: 2005 Survey Results” and other EDSF papers are available as free
downloads at www.edsf.org
About EDSF
EDSF (www.edsf.org)
is an international, charitable foundation dedicated to enhancing the value and
relevance of document communications worldwide. EDSF is a catalyst for
education and research initiatives that brings the industry together to resolve
document communications issues that impact society. EDSF helps the industry and
public benefit from paper, electronic and digital documents, which are
continually being transformed by emerging technologies. For more information
about EDSF, call +1-310-541-1481, write info@edsf.org, or visit the EDSF website
at www.edsf.org.
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Media Contacts:
Aaron Kiel/ Jennifer Beaver
ak PR Group
562-983-8113/ 562-983-8117
akiel@akprgroup.com/ jbeaver@akprgroup.com
EDSF Contact:
Jeanne Mowlds
Executive Director
310-541-1581
JCMowlds@aol.com