2022-02-07
Paperless and digitization will follow user needs
In the frantic pursuit of digitization, it is worth taking a cool look at the market and the trends that will shape it in the coming year — writes Ewelina Chudy. The Asseco Data Systems expert indicates 5 areas that will determine the direction of the development paperless solutions in Poland.
From this article you will learn:
- How the paperless market has evolved in 2021.
- What will shape it in 2022.
- Why we are not ready for full digitization.
Paperless? — not so fast!
Despite the peculiar optimism that we adapted to the new conditions forced by the pandemic very quickly, the world of paperless solutions in Poland is still a song of the future. We are very far from groundbreaking decisions like the one in Dubai, where the government has decided to migrate its 100% of its work to a digital system abandoning the use of paper documents.
In a number of cases in Poland, the pandemic has left business no choice, but to discover the already available technologies anew. The existing legal regulations, such as eIDAS Regulation those introducing and ordering trust services, including the use of electronic signatures, which was in place in Poland long before COVID-19, were also noticed.
What was completely new, however, was the acceleration of the transformation, which began to leave its mark on the implementations being introduced. Current experiences and lessons learned are being applied quite nimbly in the operations of even the largest organizations, which have gained more decision-making and steering.
We enter the year 2022 with a considerable amount of experience in digitalization and an appetite for more. When going paperless, it is worth considering the directions the paperless market may take. Here are the top 5, in my opinion:
1. User at the center of digital services
Regardless of the sector, we hear more and more today that the human being is at the center of attention. The user of the technology should have, on the one hand, the freedom and convenience of its use, and on the other hand — control over their data and a sense of security.
This type of approach is emerging not only in commercial implementations but also in e-Administration. The growing importance of UX (user experience) and CX (customer experience) has changed the way we look at how digital services work, even at the EU level. The European Union, in its draft revision of eIDAS Regulation 2.0 shifts the burden heavily from regulating to matching real-world needs.
2. Cross-border e-Identity for all
eIDAS 2.0 also addresses the significant diversification and value of digital identities across EU member states that we face today. The project to create European Digital Identity wallets will sort this out and give the user more control over the solutions.
The coming time will not multiply new developments heavily. Rather, it will bring integrations that allow more flexible use of electronic identities. Such identity hubs, both government-operated and commercial, will significantly improve the convenience of electronic identification. They will also make it easier to implement procedures on the business side. While it is almost certain that the final form of the European project will not see the light of day in 2022, this step is inevitable.
Increasing globalization in the areas of business, social and cultural, forces us to think, plan and design technologies that will allow their use regardless of territorial boundaries. Technology that will be uniform, safe and universal. And for that, we need a cross-border identity.
3. Tailored trust services
Larger companies are becoming increasingly interested in dedicated implementations as simple platforms become insufficient for them. They expect at least minimal personalization. Every organization is different and has specific requirements for processes that involve people from both inside and outside. The easiest and most effective solution for them is to integrate trust services with internal systems. Especially since trust services are already running in the cloud.
This also applies to qualified certificates, which have the highest legal force. Solutions such as, SimplySign work successfully both on computers and mobile devices, giving you the flexibility you need so much when working remotely. An example of deeper personalization is the implementation of issuing qualified certificates only to sign a specific document in a specific workflow.
Specific business needs will not be solved by simple, free solutions… The same will probably happen with e-Deliveries, whose more comprehensive and internally integratable form will be provided only by professional commercial providers such as Asseco.
4. The need for digital competence
Digitalization has shown its usefulness not only in maintaining economic continuity, but also in improving the competitiveness of Polish companies in foreign markets. However, we will not be able to build a digital nation without the right competencies. The process of shaping them should be viewed through the lens of two areas:
- Providing the right number of experts to the market — in 2021 ICT graduates account for only 3.8% of all graduates in Poland
- Providing user-level knowledge of digital solutions — only 44% of 16- – 74-year-olds have at least basic digital skills (EU — 56%).
It is clear that Poland needs to raise the level of digital skills in the education system and beyond. Especially since the digitization of business and administrative processes also means a significant increase in cyber security threats, which we often do not notice and are not aware of their consequences. These will certainly intensify in the coming year. There is a particular need to develop mechanisms for public-private cooperation, local and regional authorities with ICT companies to accelerate digital education of Poles.
5. Paperless for ESG
Increasing adoption of digital solutions will also be influenced by environmental concerns. Less paper, less printing, less physical postage, less CO2 emissions — all resulting in large benefits for our climate.
In this context, not only customer attitudes and expectations count, but also the developing ESG (Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance) criteria. ESG refers to the integration of environmental, social, and corporate governance issues into an organization’s assessment of its impact on the environment.
The European Union is already implementing regulations for listed companies in this regard, which it will continue to develop. In turn, banks and investment funds are increasingly beginning to incorporate this factor into their funding decisions. Paperless solutions definitely fit in with ESG best practices, which will further motivate digital transformation at scale.
Ewelina Chudy
Asseco Data Systems