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I was just reading an article on News-Press.com titled “Florida courts to ditch paper and go electronic”, about how the Florida Supreme Court is committed to this move, making it mandatory that all documents filed with the court be done so electronically. They have also moved to require attorneys to serve legal documents to each other using email. As I read this, two things immediately came to mind. First that the Florida Supreme Court has made an important step into the digital generation and is forward thinking in that sense; second, if they are willing to commit and do this, why are so many businesses and other government organizations still lagging behind? After all, if it is good enough for the Supreme Court why isn’t it good enough for everyone else?

There are probably many reasons and excuses for why there is still reluctance and the one I hear most often is that it is not a priority. It is not considered mission critical yet as the world moves in a more digital direction, companies and organizations of all sizes indicate they know it will be important to their future. Perhaps the term “mission critical” is a cover for the fact that as humans we get comfortable and a move like this is a major change or shift in the way we do things today. It will definitely take us out of our comfort zone and cause us to rethink how we operate. But is that such a bad thing?

In my view, the message sent by the Florida Supreme Court is a clear and loud signal to get on board the digital express. It is time for businesses and government agencies of all sizes to consider the benefits of committing in the way the Supreme Court has done. In the document referenced in this article, the justices are cited as stating "As the Legislature has indicated, implementation of an electronic filing process should reduce costs, increase timeliness in the processing of cases, and provide the judiciary with case-related information to allow for improved case management.'' This is a clear indication of their perceived value and benefit resulting from this move to the digital world. What would your benefit be?

The question in my mind now becomes one of where you stand. Is your organization ready to follow in the footsteps of the Florida Supreme Court and take that first step into the digital age? The options today are many. You can buy and own your solutions. You can look to the cloud for hosted solutions. You can even turn to the use of social media tools for internal communications. The options are endless. So what is preventing you from making the commitment? If you are unsure of how to proceed, there is training available to help you get started, AIIM being one of those resources to train with. So what is stopping you? Take the first step. Go digital.

What say you? Do you have a story to tell? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a topic of interest you would like discussed in this forum? Let me know.

Bob Larrivee, Director and Industry Advisor – AIIM

Email me: blarrivee@aiim.org   

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