Keeping Today’s On-the-Go Business Moving Forward

As college and university administrators find themselves spending less time tethered to their desks—and consequently, to their desktop or laptop computers—they are increasingly relying upon mobile devices like iPads and iPhones to stay connected and ensure their work is moving forward. Consider:

• In addition to his laptop, Randy Helm, president of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., always travels with his iPad and iPhone. “Using the combination of devices, I can be pretty productive wherever I am,” says Helm, who notices that more and more administrators are relying on mobile devices, as are the college’s trustees.

• John Cook, director of sustainability for the University of California, Riverside, (UCR) says iPads are part of a comprehensive effort to make UCR’s business practices more sustainable. “Almost everything I do can be done on the iPad from anywhere on campus,” says Cook, whose office is paperless. “I can store and pull files. I can download documents, read them, sign them and pass them along for other signatures.” Cook handed out about 15 iPads as part of UCR’s Green Office Program (and in the process, took away the recipients’ printers).

• Rod Tosten, vice president of IT at Gettysburg College (Pa.), conducted an iPad pilot about a year ago, putting out a call for ideas from administrators, faculty, and staff about how these devices could improve processes, such as accessing materials, organization and communication. As a result, the school has implemented a paperless system using iPads for its trustees and is looking at a paperless system for admissions and financial aid that will incorporate iPads.

With their larger screens, iPads are the primary mobile tool of choice, although the iPhone—which all three administrators use—comes in handy when there’s no wi-fi access or when circumstances call for a more discrete, or easier-to-carry device. Still, in spite of their enthusiasm, they’re only using iPads 30 to 50 percent of the time. For example, in some cases, their iPads can’t fully access their network file or document management systems, or they can't do so without raising network and document security concerns. But the Laserfiche Mobile apps for iPad and iPhone eliminate these and other concerns.

Laserfiche offers these apps as part of its enterprise content management (ECM) system. This ECM system enables users to capture, manage, and securely store all manner of business materials, everything from scanned paper documents, to Web forms, audio files, e-mails and more, while automating document-driven business processes.

Through Laserfiche Mobile for iPad and for iPhone, users have access to end-to-end, fully integrated solutions that extend governance, risk and compliance standards all the way to these mobile devices. The app affords secure, anywhere access to documents, metadata and audio-visual files, allowing staff to create and upload new content from anywhere, and to track and audit all mobile activity occurring in Laserfiche.

But perhaps most importantly, in combination with Laserfiche’s ECM system, these apps keep business moving forward, preventing bottlenecks and delays, allowing folks to participate no matter where they are in the world. 

Laserfiche Mobile, which includes a built-in demonstration, is available for free download from the Apple App Store.