Data management automation and digital document workflows are gaining importance in Polish companies, especially those operating in a hybrid model. The available technological solutions offer a wide range of possibilities to streamline processes, but their effective implementation requires a balance between operational convenience and information protection.
The latest ‘Functioning of Polish Offices‘ survey, conducted by K+Research by Insight Lab on behalf of Canon Poland, confirms the growing interest in digital tools. At the same time, it indicates that full automation and trust in cloud solutions are still in a maturing stage.
The report, conducted in June 2025 among 200 medium and large enterprises, continues Canon’s cyclical analysis. Its aim is not only to capture the current state of digital transformation, but also to observe the direction organisations are taking in modernising their operations.
“We conduct research in such a way that we not only capture the current picture of office operations, but also observe the direction companies are taking in implementing digital processes. This allows us to see how interest in tools to support operational efficiency is growing year on year and how companies are approaching technological innovation,” explains Przemyslaw Huk, Research Manager at K+Research by Insight Lab.
Corporate data storage model
The latest report shows that Polish companies are most likely to use the cloud for email and database storage. On a five-point scale, where 1 means ‘only in the cloud’ and 5 means ‘only locally’, the average indications were 2.83 and 3.22 respectively. Cloud solutions are slightly more often chosen by large enterprises, regardless of the type of data.
The situation is different for HR documents – such as employee evaluations (3.75), contracts (3.77) or CVs of employees and candidates (3.74) – which are mostly stored locally. A similar trend was noted for invoices (mean 3.63), with medium-sized companies more likely to declare local storage of these documents (3.67) than large organisations (3.49).
By comparison, in 2023, companies using cloud services were most likely to move employee evaluations and email correspondence to them (2.93 and 2.98 respectively). Sensitive resources, such as contracts and financial data, then remained mainly on local servers (3.35 and 3.27).
“We know from our experience that the choice between storing information in the cloud or on a local server is not only a question of technology, but also of security and corporate strategy. The distance from the cloud for sensitive data emphasises the need for trust in digital systems and a well-defined access policy. In conversations with clients, the fear of losing control of resources often comes up, especially in the context of HR and financial documents, as well as hybrid working. The solution I advise is Therefore™ Online, for example, a cloud-based document management service available as a simple SaaS subscription. This software ensures a fast and efficient flow of information – thanks to secure access, storage and the ability to process data anywhere, anytime,” comments Dariusz Szwed, an expert in office equipment, security issues and digitalisation at Canon Polska.
Automation of document workflow using the example of invoices
The increasing digitalisation and migration of businesses to cloud-based document management systems mean that the automation of administrative processes is becoming increasingly important. Canon’s latest survey shows that it is primarily medium-sized companies that rely most often on automated workflow solutions, with 40% of them declaring this, compared to 29% of large organisations.
At the same time, large companies (over 250 employees) are more likely to indicate a partial implementation of automation – 44% against 37% in the medium-sized segment. This indicates a more phased approach, involving the integration of new modules into existing infrastructure.
With regard to invoices, respondents were asked about the degree of automation of the processes involved in their circulation and digital processing. The results indicate that:
- full invoice automation has been implemented by 35% of companies, with this more often the case for large organisations (42%) than medium-sized ones (33%),
- 50% of companies plan to have electronic invoice workflows in place by the end of 2025 – these intentions are more often declared by medium-sized companies (52%) than large companies (41%).
Automation in the finance and accounting area is therefore becoming one of the key directions for transformation, especially in terms of improving efficiency and relieving the burden on administrative teams.
“Modular systems for streamlining invoice workflows, such as Canon SMART Invoice, offer flexible deployment – a company can run the entire automation process or select only specific steps appropriate to its needs. The solution instantly recognises and extracts data from any document – whether it’s on paper or imported electronically from a network scanner, MFP or email. The software then passes the data to other internal tools, importing it into a digital archive on local servers or into a cloud-based application. Everything is the responsibility of the system, with full control on the part of the employee, who gains space for activities that require his or her attention more,’ Dariusz Szwed points out.
The survey results clearly show that digitisation in Polish companies is progressing, but in a prudent and phased manner. Companies are increasingly bold in reaching for cloud tools and automation, but are still cautious with the most sensitive data. Emails and operational databases are migrating to cloud environments, while HR documents, contracts or invoices still remain mainly on local servers. This caution is driven by the need to maintain control and ensure maximum information security. Significantly, it is medium-sized companies that are more inclined today to fully automate processes – especially financial ones – while large organisations prefer a hybrid approach, integrating new modules into their existing infrastructure. The automation of document workflows, especially invoices, has become one of the key directions of the transformation, as evidenced by the fact that one in three companies has already implemented full solutions in this area, and half are planning to do so in the near future. Digital transformation is therefore not taking the form of a violent revolution, but of a conscious compromise between innovation and security, with an increasingly pronounced shift towards hybrid models.
Source: Canon
