November 6 is World Paper Free Day, according to the Association of Information and Image Management. By pledging to use less paper, companies can run more efficiently, collaborate more effectively and save money.

According to Reduce.org, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year. Multiply that by the number of employees and the costs of using so much paper becomes quite significant. Furthermore, relying on physical files can cost productivity from employees. The right business management software can help your office use less paper and reap the benefits. 

Document organization
By keeping electronic documents, your important information is easily organized and searchable across all departments. This centralizes data, so there is no duplicate information and employees can easily verify its accuracy. 

Backup and security
What happens if someone loses an important file, or if the office has a fire? Electronic documents can be automatically backed up in the event of an emergency. Data stored digitally can be protected through multiple layers of security, and monitored to show who accesses or edits files. 

Collaborate in real-time
When going paperless, there is no  more time wasted waiting for faxes, mail or interoffice delivery. That idle time can slow work down and affect workflow. Cloud systems such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV allow team members to access and edit data simultaneously, whether they're in the office or on the road. 

Cutting down on printing and storage
Printers and ink are expensive. As companies grow, documents take up more and more space, and often times they need to buy or rent extra space just to dump old files. Many times physical files have to be stored off site, which makes it a huge burden to retrieve them. Digital storage is far less costly than physical storage, and information stored in the cloud is always readily available.

Going totally paperless may not be a possibility for some businesses. However, cutting down even slightly can yield benefits. Accent Software's business management software solutions can help growing businesses adopt an ERP system that retains and tracks your documents more effectively than paper files.