Agencies still underusing digital documents

Australian government agencies are still at the beginning stage of their digital transformation, with the majority continuing to use a hybrid approach of paper-based and digital documents, according to Adobe.

Only 14% of public-sector IT decision-maker respondents to a Forrester Consulting survey conducted on behalf of the company said their agency had entirely digitised its document processes.

Meanwhile 68% of respondents cited a lack of technology and tools as a detriment to employee productivity, with 58% reporting that their agency has difficulty maintaining security and confidentiality in terms of accessing restricted documents.

But the rapid digitisation brought on by the pandemic has resulted in a significant mindset shift, with barriers to adopting digital document process technologies, such as e-signatures, starting to fade.

The research found that before COVID-19, 56% of respondents said they were concerned about the complexity of integrating signatures with day-to-day productivity applications. This has now fallen to just 18%.

Meanwhile agencies are increasing their investment in digitalisation, with respondents ranking improving the use of data and decision-making and improving data security and privacy risk management among their top priorities for the next 12 months.

Adobe’s Director of Digital Media B2B Strategy and GTM for APAC, Chandra Sinnathamby, said one of the main challenges government agencies face is the need to expand digital services while preserving citizen trust.

“This calls for the adoption of solutions that easily digitise workflow processes while ensuring cyber resiliency. Digital adoption can meet the need for mobility, scalability and auditability in government agencies,” Sinnathamby said.

“Hence, it is crucial for government agencies to develop a humanised approach to digital transformation.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/ZinetroN