The cost of new technology is one of the biggest obstacles in converting to a paperless office. Hardware upgrades including new computers, scanners, printers, and software are necessities when converting to an electronic office. However, the cost of technology is often misconstrued. Affordable hardware is more available today than ever before.
One of the main components of converting to an electronic office is the computer. Computers have always been viewed as expensive to purchase. However, if you compare the price of computers in 2010 to the early years of the decade, computer prices have fallen nearly 60%.* The second major component of a paperless office is electronic memory. Electronic memory is needed to store all documents that have been converted to a digital form. Over the past 20 years, prices per unit of memory have declined by an average of 32% each year.* Today, external hard drives able to hold millions of documents are very reasonably priced.
When the costs of converting to an electronic office are seen as an investment, the supposed high costs of hardware shouldn’t be brought into the equation. Technology is improving everyday and becoming more affordable. The myths of the past of expensive computers, memory, scanners, and printers are artificial. When increased productivity and profits are the result of a paperless office, technology costs seem like a small speed bump.
*statistics are from the Congressional Budget Office
