Provided is an information processing apparatus that efficiently executes a series of tasks related to reading a document. An information processing system includes an upstream server, image forming apparatuses and a regional server. An apparatus-information-acquiring unit of the upstream server acquires apparatus information from plural image forming apparatuses. A task-sharing unit shares the respective tasks of a series of tasks for document data that is read by a specified image forming apparatus, based on a storage unit that is an apparatus-information-storage unit that stores an ID, position information that indicates a position in a network, and performance information for that image forming apparatuses that is included in the apparatus information. The task-sharing unit, in accordance with the ID and performance information of plural image forming apparatuses, determines and shares tasks so as to be executed by image forming apparatuses that are at nearby positions in the network.