Johannesburg, 03 Mar 2015
The multifunctional device (MFD) landscape is changing, both in terms of what the market is demanding from these devices, as well as how organisations are managing their documents using software.
So says Marc Pillay, managing director of DEVELOP South Africa, a division of the Bidvest Group, who believes that businesses and organisations are constantly looking to save time and lower their costs. Today, the right hardware is no longer enough.
Filing cabinets, desks and other handy storage boxes speak of the power that paper still has in an organisation. However, paper, per se, is not the problem; the real issues are manageability, integration, accountability and cost control. And this is where solutions come in.
Increase in digital imaging (scanning)
People are no longer copying documents; they are scanning, meaning that today's documents are digital rather than physical. This increase in digital imaging (scanning) has been a trend for a while, and it continues to grow. To this end, it is important for document imaging companies to offer a scanning solution that integrates with the client's existing document management solution; or where there is not one, to digitise the client's entire filing system.
Growing demand for document management and workflow
In the past, office automation solution suppliers would audit the print environment, looking at print expenditure, the volume of prints and copies, the number of devices, and so on. Today, the office automation solution supplier must examine how much documentation a business currently has and how much it generates, so a document management system can be put in place to classify and archive it. This automated classification of data is set to be a huge trend going forward, as is FICA compliance and the upcoming Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. An effective document management system can increase business value, streamline workflow and simplify regulatory compliance.
More smart devices = more mobile printing
The next major shift will be the "rise of the smart mobile devices", including smartphones, tablets, laptops and so on. Connectivity to smart mobile devices will be ubiquitous, and in most cases, will be the only way users will use technology in their work environment and personal lives. In fact, Cisco predicts smart devices will drive about 94% of mobile traffic in five years, with most users able to do so wherever they are - at their desk, at home, and even while on a trip. This trend will, in turn, drive the demand for mobile printing.
The bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon will also loom large in this arena. What is important here is personal and corporate data should be separated on the device. In a sense, data must be "sandboxed" into corporate layers. In the event that it's required, a company can then remotely erase only the sandboxed corporate data and leave personal data untouched.
Document distribution through mobile
With the rise in mobile printing, the increase in document distribution through mobile devices is bound to follow. This trend will be particularly pertinent in medium to large-sized corporations, where most of a company's information is distributed via e-mail and intranet. In these organisations, a smart device will be what employees use to access the intranet and receive internal company information, such as memos and payslips. Given this trend, office automation solution providers must ensure that where there is a physical copy of a document, they have the solution available to scan, archive and print it accordingly, which brings us full circle, back to a document management solution.
Cloud solutions
In 2010, the use of the cloud and software as a service (SaaS) products moved into the mainstream, but did not yet dominate. Today, most products and solutions are becoming SaaS-enabled and cloud-hosted. Within the next five years, on-premises software products will be mostly a thing of the past. Cloud printing and cloud solutions will need to react accordingly.
Concludes Pillay: a single MFD can help reduce costs and improve productivity due to its versatile nature. Alongside this upward trend in MFDs is the increase in solution software sales, which, when coupled with the device itself, can truly streamline office work. With the constant drive to increase office efficiency, it is no surprise that these solutions have experienced an increase in sales and popularity, and will continue to do so.
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