eseller
.co.uk
Print.IT Reseller 37
review
Year in
continued...
We expect 2014 to be characterised
by the evolution of two of 2013’s
key themes. First, there will be
increased demand for a cost-effective
and secure MPS that reduces
print volumes by identifying and
eliminating non-essential printing.
There will also be pressure to deliver
continuous improvement and cost-
saving throughout the term of MPS
agreements that are already in place.
Customers are looking for innovation
throughout the whole contract term, from
mobile printing to document capture and
business processes. MPS suppliers need to
migrate to Managed Document Services and
spend time during the audit phase gaining
an understanding of how documents flow
through an organisation, rather than merely
assessing hardware and print volumes.
As customers demand more, suppliers
will need to demonstrate their capabilities
to current customers, if contracts are to
be renewed; and be able to reference
customers in order to win new contracts.
Most organisations will already have a
form of ‘MPS’ in place and will already
have rationalised their printer/MFP fleet
and implemented basic cost-saving
measures. The supplier who can show
additional savings on top of the incumbent
MPS will win through.
The second trend is further acceptance
of BYOD with end users and organisations
that increasingly operate in what can best
be described as a hybrid environment –
with both mobile technologies and cloud-
based solutions changing the way we work
with documents and business information.
We believe that in 2014 we will see
greater demand for easy-to-use and secure
mobile print solutions.
Mobile, document capture, desktop
PDF and workflow solutions will be key
technologies in 2014. As important as their
individual functionality is their compatibility
with each other when embedded on
the MFP. We will see more demand for
solutions that address the issue of non-
essential printing. The fix here needs to be
based around an effective and regularly
updated print policy and an intelligent
print management solution that enforces
print rules designed to reduce print-related
costs, volumes and energy use.
On top of cost-cutting, customers
are increasingly asking how they can
get greater utilisation from existing
print and imaging investments. From
an IT perspective, they have acquired
applications such as DMS and accounting
systems to run their organisations; from a
hardware side, they have acquired MFPs,
PCs, laptops and tablets. They are looking
for suppliers to understand their IT estate
and demonstrate how they can optimise
integration between devices and services
to maximise value.
Tatsuo Murakami,
MD,
Riso
Inkjet to benefit from
changes in how we print
There is definitely a noticeable
upward trend in the economy,
and a positive feel to many
sectors. But, it’s also a changed
market, with a different way
of thinking. Companies and
organisations still have to keep
an eye on reducing costs, more
so now than ever.
Hand-in-hand with economic
growth is a need to acquire new
equipment to fulfil new contracts, but
the days of large capital investments
are gone and people are looking for
alternatives. They are looking to add
more colour to their printing, and due
to budgetary pressures they have to
be focused on a solution that is cost
effective.
Because we offer that alternative
and because we offer the ability to print
in colour at high speed and low cost,
we are seeing more and more people
reassess how they print. That’s why we
at Riso have recorded a 20% increase in
turnover. We’re very positive about the
state of the printing industry and the
part that inkjet is playing in its future.
Shaun Wilkinson,
MD
, UTAX
Data security still a major concern
The key trend impacting the
print industry in 2013 hasn’t, in
my opinion, been fully realised
yet – although it was rarely
out of the papers. Consider
the following possibilities
proposed by Gartner and other
gurus.
n
By 2015, 80% of all handsets
will be smartphones and they will all be capable of being
integrated into an enterprise’s decision-making process.
n
Cloud-based services are destined to become more
important as more and more devices become capable
of connecting to the cloud and apps can sync across
all platforms. The actual devices become increasingly
unimportant.
n
The Internet of Things (500 billion+ by 2015) will become
more important. NFCs, embedded sensors (even biological
implants), image recognition and many other ‘things’ will all
be connected to the Internet and all will be transmitting data,
be it personal, social, medical or commercial.
n
The rapid merging of the principal and richest areas of Big
Data will drive the development of faster chips, chip arrays
and AI and, with it, Quantum Computers. The architecture
and infrastructure of computer technology will alter radically
over the next five years.
If all that is true, then we should be very concerned
indeed. Because none of those predictions make any mention
of security and, as Mr Edward Snowden has so ably reminded
us this year, you don’t need to be very clever to steal
information – you just need to be trusted with access.
Many companies are concerned about the security of
their cloud-connected data streams and the people or
organisations who might be seeing that data. Thanks to
various whistle blowers or cyber-terrorists (depending on
your point of view), we already have a fair idea of who they
are, and we cannot be so naive as to believe that there is no
government in the world that would not be interested, for
example, in the latest oil and gas reports from XYZ Plc.
My prediction for 2014, therefore, is that our partners will
see a significant growth in enquiries regarding the protection
of data, images and print in storage or in transmission.
Fortunately – and this may not surprise you – UTAX
does have a range of software solutions that can help. The
UTAX Data Security Kits (available for all A3 MFPs and laser
printers), allied with the in-built security features of many
of our machines, mean that we can at least help our
partners to help their clients prevent a leak.
Simon Hill,
sales director UK & Ireland,
Nuance
Audit document processes not just hardware
