Digital Transformation During and Beyond COVID-19

COVID-19 has been a massive catalyst for digital transformation, but companies need to do more than implement short-term solutions that enable remote work. Businesses with an eye to fully automated workflows will enjoy benefits that far outlast the pandemic.

Offices Are Closed, But the Work Must Go On

Working from home isn’t exactly new, but the need to work from home is. When it became apparent that social distancing would be a key tactic to slow the spread of COVID-19, immediately closing office buildings was the natural response.

In fact, it is likely that companies’ familiarity with remote work — if only on an occasional basis — has smoothed the rapid transition and enabled ongoing operations.

However, this urgency has served as a sort of double-edged sword: While it is responsible for the rapid transition to remote work policies, it is also responsible for quick fixes that may do more to hinder than help workflows in the long run.

No one knew how long closures would last, and so many companies settled on easy solutions for what would surely be short-term needs — for example, digitizing paper-based information so that employees could access it, even if responding to and generally working with that information wasn’t convenient.

Fast-forward nearly a year and those short-term needs are still with us. What’s more, what seems to be a fundamental shift is society’s attitude toward remote work suggests workers need more permanent and far-reaching solutions.

Urgency Spurs Tech Adoption

Companies that embrace digital transformation are more successful than those that lag behind.

Digital companies typically have a superior customer experience, better employee engagement and retention, and increased business growth and profits, among other benefits. What’s more, manual processes can cause companies to miss opportunities, make ill-informed business decisions, and lose clients to competition.

In the midst of this global pandemic, these realities take on even greater importance: Digital transformation is no longer a question of “sinking or swimming” over an extended period of time, but of sinking or swimming now. Technology adoption has been one of the single biggest factors in ensuring business survival.

For instance, grocery stores have turned to online ordering and curbside pickup, restaurants have implemented QR code menus to minimize shared objects, and healthcare organizations have relied on telehealth platforms to provide virtual care.

For companies that have turned to remote work, tech adoption has meant using equipment such as document scanners, mobile devices, and multifunction printers (MFPs) as specific needs arise.

While this ad-hoc tech usage may be effective for immediate needs, the lack of a long-term strategy becomes a problem as the technology becomes more integrated into everyday remote work operations.

From Digitizing Paper Processes to Fully Integrated Workflows

Getting the right information to the right employees is challenging enough when everything is paper-based and everyone’s working remotely, but the issue is greater than that.

Enabling digital workflows isn’t just about scanning paper documents into electronic files so that the immediate task at hand can be completed, but about automating the processes themselves so that work can be carried out efficiently and effectively over the long term.

This automation requires taking a close look at business processes, reengineering them as needed, and investing in technology that goes beyond simple document capture.

For instance, when faced with these issues, Xenith Intelligent Workplace Solutions teamed up with Kodak Alaris to create a new Scan@Home Solution with preconfigured automatic workflows. Built on Kodak Alaris’ INfuse Smart Connected Scanning Solution, the offering enables workers to save information to the right place, send documents to the right person, and scan directly into line-of-business systems from home — all without a PC connection or local software.

Businesses that follow in Xenith’s footsteps will see greater productivity (with faster information onboarding and accelerated workflows), accuracy (with better information capture technology and thus fewer data processing errors), and profitability (with cost-saving efficiency that boosts the bottom line).

A Cultural Shift

Society’s perception of remote work — already inching toward greater acceptance in recent years — has undergone a significant shift.

While many statistics focus on job losses during what has certainly been a challenging economic time, the other side of the coin reveals that we have gained numerous new remote workers as a result of the pandemic — and almost two-thirds of those working from home during COVID-19 want to keep it that way.

Remote work seems to be here to stay, and digital transformation will continue to facilitate it. For companies that haven’t embraced it, now is the time to invest in the digital transformation strategies that enable remote work, and in the technologies that spur digital transformation.

Kodak Alaris is leading the way in this cultural shift with scanning solutions that will help companies not only survive COVID-19, but thrive in the years to come. Contact us for more information, or find a Kodak Alaris reseller near you.

Related solutions

Alaris E-1025 Desktop Scanner

E1025 Scanner

  • Up to 25 ppm color/b&w
  • Scan with ease, thanks to intuitive controls and simplified set-up
  • Fits nicely anywhere with approachable, compact design
  • One-button simplicity via Smart Touch technology
Alaris E-1035 Scanner

E1035 Scanner

  • Up to 35 ppm color/b&w
  • Power on and start scanning in less than 10 seconds
  • Scan more documents at once with largest feeder capacity in its class
  • One-button simplicity via Smart Touch technology
Kodak Alaris s2050/2070 Desktop Scanner

S2040 Scanner

  • High quality images at up to 40 ppm color/b&w
  • Excellent reliability handling business cards to A4/Letter size documents
  • One touch scanning to multiple applications
s2050 s2070 Scanner

S2050 Scanner

50ppm | 80 Sheet ADF
  • Intuitive and productive
  • Built-in Active Feeding System (AFS)
  • Dual Light Illumination (DLI)
  • 20 Quick Scan Jobs
s2060w s2080w Scanner

S2060w Scanner

60ppm | 80 Sheet ADF
  • Productive and shareable network scanning
  • Embedded image processing
  • Create up to 20 jobs per department
  • Dual Light Illumination (DLI)
s2050 s2070 Scanner

S2070 Scanner

70ppm | 80 Sheet ADF
  • Fast and powerful
  • Built-in Active Feeding System (AFS)
  • Embedded image processing
  • Dual Light Illumination (DLI)
s2060w s2080w Scanner

S2080w Scanner

80ppm | 80 Sheet ADF
  • Fast and shareable network scanning
  • Embedded image processing
  • Create up to 20 jobs per department
  • Dual Light Illumination (DLI)
s2085f Scanner

S2085f Scanner

85ppm | 300 Sheet ADF
  • Tough, high capacity A4 scanning
  • Surepath™ intelligent document feed technology
  • Integrated A4 flatbed
  • Dual Light Illumination (DLI)
SS700_office_375x250

Scan Station 710

  • Up to 70 ppm color/ bw
  • Network connected with capture done in the scanner
  • Voice annotation
SS700_office_375x250

Scan Station 730EX

  • Up to 70 ppm color/ bw
  • Network connected with output to KOFAX Front Office
  • Integrator options
ScanStation 730ex Plus

Scan Station 730EX Plus Scanner

70ppm | 75 Sheet ADF
  • Customizable Scanning Solution
  • PC Free Operation
  • Large & intuitive color touchscreen
  • Supports LDAP & Active Directory
i920 Right Open 365x268

SCANMATE i920 Scanner

Just push the button and organize your paperwork—easily.

i940 Scanner

SCANMATE i940 Scanner

20ppm | 20 Sheet ADF
  • Compact, on-the-go scanner
  • USB Powered
  • Robust media handling
  • 9 Quick Scan Jobs
Kodak SCANMATE i1120 with Smart Touch

SCANMATE i1120 Scanner

Just push the button and organize your paperwork—easily.

Product hero photography, hero, product photography, i1150 product hero, ScanMate i1150 hero photography

SCANMATE i1150 Scanner

  • Up to 30 ppm color/ bw or 40 ppm first 10 pages
  • Customizable control panel with scan profiles and color icons
i1150WN_Right.jpg

SCANMATE i1150WN Scanner

  • Up to 30 ppm color/ bw or 40 ppm first 10 pages
  • Compact, wireless network scanner with simple setup
SCANMATE i1180

SCANMATE i1180 Scanner

Capture documents and extract information quickly and efficiently

i1190 Scanner

i1190 Scanner

  • Up to 40 ppm color/ bw
  • Built-In barcode reading
  • Intelligent Document Protection listens for problems
i1190 Scanner

i1190E Scanner

  • Up to 40 ppm color/ bw
  • Embedded image processing
  • Built-in barcode reading
i1190 Scanner

i1190WN Scanner

  • Up 40 ppm color/ bw
  • Compact, wireless network scanner with simple setup
i2400 Scanner in medical office

i2400 Scanner

i2400 Scanner does 4000 Pages Per Day and 30 Pages Per Minute with a 7-Segment Display and 50-Sheet Auto Feeder.

 

2620 angle black.jpg

i2420 Scanner

  • Up to 40 ppm color/ bw
  • Stow-or-go design for storing
  • Scan instantly with always-ready LED light
Kodak i2600 Scanner (Office)

i2600 Scanner

i2600 Scanner does 6000 Pages Per Day and 50 Pages Per Minute with a 75-Sheet Auto Feeder.

i2x20 Scanner

i2620 Scanner

  • Up to 60 ppm color/ bw
  • Graphical LCD display
  • Scan instantly with always-ready LED light
Kodak i2800 Scanner (Office)

i2800 Scanner

No matter what size your business or department is, the reliable performance of the KODAK i2800 Scanner can enable collaboration right from your desktop.

i2x20 Scanner

i2820 Scanner

  • Up to 70 ppm color/ bw
  • Graphical LCD display
  • Scan instantly with always-ready LED light
Kodak i2900 Scanner (Office)

i2900 Scanner

  • Up to 60 ppm color/ bw
  • Book-edge flatbed scanner built-in
  • Customizable User Interface

Contact

To contact us, complete our information request form below and we will get in touch with you soon.

View Kodak Alaris' Privacy Policy