Research commissioned by M-Files Corporation, the intelligent information management company, has revealed that poor information management practices are preventing UK businesses from realising the true potential of mobile and remote working.
The research, which was conducted by Vanson Bourne and polled 250 UK-based IT decision-makers, found that nearly nine out of every ten (89 per cent) respondents said their staff find it challenging at least some of the time to locate documents when working outside of the office or from mobile devices. Other key findings included: - Half (51 per cent) of respondents would like to be able to access company documents and files, and/or have the ability to edit them, when working remotely/on a mobile device;
- 44 per cent want the ability to approve documents with digital signatures;
- 40 per cent are not able to share or collaborate on documents remotely.
Commenting on the findings, Julian Cook, VP of UK Business at M-Files, said: “Remote and mobile working practices are proliferating throughout organisations, and are increasingly viewed as a must-have not only by Millennials entering the workforce, but also by more established members of staff. Effectively empowering your mobile workforce can make a big difference to productivity and efficiency, but only if the tools provided have the robust information management functionality required by organisations with the ease and simplicity employees demand. It’s clear from our research that this is something that most organisations aren’t currently able to offer their employees. Many remote workers still struggle to find the information they need and because of this must find workarounds, such as unauthorised file-sharing apps just to keep the wheels moving.
“The use of unsanctioned personal file-sharing apps at work by employees increases the risk of data breaches, reduces the IT department’s visibility and can raise compliance issues. Organisations intent on pursuing mobile and remote working initiatives therefore need to focus on providing the right tools to make these activities straightforward for everyone if they are to be successful,” Cook continued.
