Perhaps now more than ever, a multifunction print (MFP) device is an essential product for companies and organisations of all sizes. A device once noted for print output has evolved in line with the digital economy and now plays an even more important role as one that helps organisations to capture print documents and convert them into the electronic documents that today’s digital businesses thrive on.
Helping organisations to further maximise their investment in an MFP or a fleet of them, is a Managed Print Service (MPS). This too has evolved in line with market needs and the changing way in which business is conducted. No longer is it the case that an MPS is simply a wrap that covers the reliable distribution of print supplies in a timely fashion. Customers want more, and MPS is starting to deliver more — from onsite print audits, the collection and disposal of old fleets and a single point of contact for every print requirement.
But MPS cannot stop there and that is why an evolution has been driven largely by significant progress in the fields of digital technology and the uptake in Bring Your Own Device. Applications including mobile print, a greater demand for increased document security and compliance have broadened the expectation for MPS beyond device and supplies deliveries. In short, it will combine the management of existing print assets with powerful and effective document routing and workflow software to simplify the way documents are managed, distributed, archived and retrieved.
One solution that complements an MPS is ConnectKey from Xerox. It helps users to share documents with others no matter where and how they are working or the systems they are using. For example, documents can be shared to cloud services such as email, SalesForce, Evernote, Paperpoint, Dropbox, Google Docs and Office 365, providing real flexibility. ConnectKey enabled multifunction printers adapt to the way users work — on the go, virtually and through the cloud — allowing users to focus on running their business.
IT professionals will find that managing ConnectKey-enabled multifunction is printers easy, while the common user interface across multiple devices makes them even simpler to use. It also utilises Xerox App Studio, enabling apps to be written to support the way users want documents to work across their business. Obviously, document security — whether physical or electronic — is a key concern for all organisations. Therefore, on multifunction printers enabled with ConnectKey, user data is secured and protected from malware with solutions from security experts McAfee.
Perhaps the most important challenge that ConnectKey and MPS address is the one that is always front of mind for many businesses. That, of course, is the one of cost. With ConnectKey, costs are controlled via user permissions, Xerox standard accounting and network accounting, which give visibility into volumes being printed on each device, even down to an individual. Controlling how a company prints and copies documents across the business, can have a major impact on the bottom line. When ConnectKey is combined with an MPS, print can result in profit.
Cliff Barnes is managing director of Xeretec Ireland.
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