DIGITISATION IS OCCURRING IN ALMOST ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE AND NOW, COUNTRIES SUCH AS DENMARK ARE LOOKING TO COMPLETELY ERADICATE PHYSICAL MAIL. SHOULD AUSTRALIA FOLLOW DENMARK’S LEAD AND PUSH TOWARDS A PAPERLESS SOCIETY?
A digital post box is a secure browser-based mail delivery platform hosted in the cloud. Depending on the mailbox provider, they can also be accessible via smartphone and/or tablet applications. In Australia, there are two main providers, Australia Post and Digital Post. Both claim that their mailboxes are safe enough to store highly sensitive personal identification documents and both services also support bill payment options.
Advantages of digital post box over traditional paper-based mail:
Communications are encrypted
Access mail anywhere, anytime with an internet connection
Mail is stored securely online
Pay bills directly through the post box in one central location
Archiving documents securely in the cloud
Reduces paper wastage
Businesses will reduce costs through the elimination of postage costs
In this digital age, we are now moving into the domain of digital post boxes with the hope that physical mail will one day be completely eradicated. It is predicted that by 2015, digital mailbox providers will deliver two billion paperless transactional documents in the US alone. Denmark have introduced digital post boxes and have taken the extra step to mandate its use amongst public and private organisations. The Danish government claims that the Digital Post service is a considerably safer option than email as it has been secured through security measures such as encryption, single logins and digital signatures.
So should Australia follow Denmark’s lead? “Digital post boxes provide a more secure method for receiving mail than emails so it should definitely come into mainstream usage here as well. However, I don’t believe it needs to be mandated. If the government can educate businesses about its security advantages, it will become more widely used,” offered Kareem Tawansi, CEO of software development provider, Solentive Software.
Will the digitisation of mail completely eradicate physical mail? “Although it would be ideal to live in a world free of physical mail, I don’t believe that completely eradicating physical mail would be practical. Although most are, not everyone in today’s society is computer literate or has access to the internet,” commented Tawansi.
Digital post boxes may not completely eliminate paper-based mail but it will certainly help to reduce it, which will not only be a win for businesses but for the environment as well.