Today`s enterprises spend a lot of time studying, optimising and managing many elements of their IT infrastructures, but unfortunately pay little attention to their imaging, printing and document environments.
The result is that after years of this very little attention and lack of management, the imaging and output infrastructure is tarnished with unnecessarily high operational and other costs.
According to IDC`s "ROI focus shifts to imaging and output infrastructure" report, most enterprises have no idea of what they are spending on their imaging and output environment. "These costs are significant and so are the missed savings opportunities," says the researcher.
The reality is that organisations are incurring excessive costs for supplies, maintenance and help-desk support because printers, copiers and fax machines aren`t properly managed.
Another major reason for high costs is that networked devices such as printer and scanners are typically maintained by IT organisations while standalone copiers and fax machines that may be located next to the networked devices are managed by a separate department.
This fragmented approach leads to inefficiency as no single department can ensure that hardcopy devices are optimally deployed in an organisation.
However, on a more positive note, there are already a number of organisations that are taking proactive steps towards optimising their infrastructures, all in an effort to improve ROI.
In recent years there have been major changes in the imaging and output environment that has enabled companies to more effectively, print, copy, fax, scan and distribute documents.
Printing and scanning continue to increase while copying and faxing decreases resulting in grossly under-utilised devices.
The reality is that organisations have been slow to deploy network-connected multifunction printers (MFPs), while stubbornly continuing to maintain under-utilised copiers and fax machines.
MFPs are the result of innovative thinking, new technologies and digital convergence. Because paper-based documents can be digitised and digital documents are frequently printed, it makes sense to consolidate these functionalities into one unit with strong networking capabilities.
Significantly, MFPs require fewer parts than the combined total of the parts found on traditional standalone printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines. This also translates into less downtime.
Fewer devices also mean improved asset management. MFPs reduce:
* Capital requirements;
* Inventories of supplies;
* Personnel required to manage multiple vendors contracts;
* Utility expenditure; and
* Floor space requirements by 40% to 50%.
Another important fact to keep in mind is despite digital technology`s prevalence, the number of printed pages is still growing dramatically. Interestingly, the number of copied pages is falling - suggesting that business is going through some change in how it generates information.
According to research organisation Dataquest, paper is 30% easier and faster to read than a computer screen, which gives us some valuable insight into why the much anticipated "paperless office" has failed to materialise.
So, it`s quite clear that optimising imaging and output environments has become a critical issue as paper is not going to go anywhere. Therefore, opt for devices such as MFPs that improve and simplify processes, while also making it more manageable and cost-effective.
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