Companies Are Making the Shift to Digital Content

A clear majority of companies are increasing their investments in electronic (non-PDF) forms of content for customers, according to a recent survey from Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL) and the Center for Information Development Management (CIDM). In responding to customers who said they want information presented in new ways, most tech businesses will likely produce more than half their content electronically, if not nearly all of it, the study found. In doing so, they're hoping to use advanced solutions to extend search capabilities and the mobile-friendliness of their content, among other improvements. "That there's industry movement toward more sophisticated XML tools … bodes well for more feature-rich content," said Mark Gross, CEO at DCL, a data conversion specialist. "The demand for digital formats will only continue to increase, and professionals should be looking at longer-range strategies for enriching existing content … and delivering all of it in … ways that customers will be demanding." Barriers, however, include a lack of available staffing and budget to make a digital conversion. More than 300 professionals, mostly from the IT industry, took part in the research.