Three things that could help you save some trees, or other raw materials
The three technologies I’m about to discuss really have no relation to each other than the fact that they could all help reduce our dependence on paper in our everyday work lives. So I thought them worth a mention to spark some creative thinking.
1. The Accellion Secure File Transfer Virtual Appliance Shipped in early November, the software transmits large digital files within corporate accounts (or externally) securely. The technology starts at $2,000 per year, depending on the number of locations receiving or sending the files; LDAP integration and automation of file transfers are also possible.
Accellion reports that some of its customers are using the virtual appliance to transfer more than 2 terabytes of data per month. Accellion figure that one terabyte of data transferred with its technology is equivalent to 50,000 trees that were made into paper and printed, or 2,000 compact disks filled with data and shipped overnight. The company has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to offer an Accellion Green Award to the customers recording the highest file transfer usage. Accellion has already pledged to plant 10,000 trees in conjunction with the non-profit organization.
2. The second thing I wanted to mention is less of a technology and more of a hosted service for handling billing and invoicing electronically. The service from JPMorgan Xign currently handles invoicing for about 50 very large companies (like Verizon Wireless), representing about 55,000 trading partners, according to executives for the financial services firm. Executives for JPMorgan Xign figure that about 80 percent of all invoices are paper-based. The company offers a two-fold proposition to its customers: the chance to save some trees AND a very real reduction in invoice processing costs of about 60 percent, since invoices can be handled more quickly, they say.
3. Finally, if your company is in the business of content creation (magazines, newspapers, marketing materials, etc.) you might want to check out Olive Software. Its software is used for creating digital editions, like this version of Rolling Stone.