PrintIT Reseller - issue 67

01732 759725 12 BULLETIN Solving societal issues A new report from Ricoh Europe found that workers are increasingly expecting their employers to contribute positively to societal issues. The Future of Work report, researched and produced by Arup, explores how technology will shape jobs, with collaboration and sustainability at the core. To employees, the onus is on employers to use the power of technology as a force for positive change at work and beyond. A supporting study of 3,000 European workers found that three quarters believe that as technology improves and automates tasks, employers must empower their staff to achieve better work-life balance. Additionally, 63% expect employers to harness profitability gains from automation technology to re-invest in its people and community. Two thirds (65%) of European workers expect their employers to be part of the solution for societal issues such as climate change and inequality. Additionally, 28% would be willing to take a 10% pay cut to work for an employer that was committed to helping solve societal issues. However, the majority of workers are sceptical of their employer’s intentions. Two thirds (65%) believe their employers will use automated technology to increase profits and cut jobs. www.ricoh.co.uk Konica Minolta strengthens data-driven services Konica Minolta has acquired Nextagenda, a specialist in data-driven services within business intelligence (BI) and customer relationship management (CRM). The Denmark-based company has built an impressive portfolio of services that complement the offerings of Konica Minolta in Northern Europe. Konica Minolta is on a targeted journey towards becoming a 360-degree partner in all types of data-driven services. Especially in Northern Europe, this has resulted in significant growth and an influx of customers in completely new market segments. The acquisition is a natural continuation of the strategic focus on data-driven solutions that add value to the customers’ digital transformation. www.konicaminolta.co.uk Healthy demand for laser MFPs According to the latest distribution data published by CONTEXT, the start of Q3 2019 saw healthy demand for consumer and business laser multifunction printers (MFPs). Business laser MFPs, which account for 73% of sales and 89% of revenue, registered a small year-on-year volume growth of +2.9% in July 2019, leading to an increase in revenue of +9.3% and reversing the negative trend the market saw in 2018 and 2019. The UK registered strong year-on-year growth in sales of laser MFPs in July 2019, in terms of both units (+12%) and revenues (+11%), driven by the business segment (+9.2%) which accounts for 87% of laser MFP sales (96.4% in terms of revenue) in the country. Consumer laser MFPs registered outstanding growth (sales up by +33% and revenue +31%) but they only account for 13% of sales and 3.6% of revenue. www.contextworld.com Solid growth ahead for security products and services According to IDC, worldwide spending on security products and services will enjoy solid growth over the next five years as organisations continue to invest in solutions to meet a wide range of security threats and requirements. Services will receive the largest share of security spending in 2019 with more than $47 billion going toward managed security services, integration services, consulting services, and IT education and training. Services will also have the fastest spending growth with a five-year CAGR of 11.2%. Software will be the second largest area of spending in 2019 with nearly $38 billion being allocated to a range of products, including endpoint security software, identity and digital trust software, and security analytics, intelligence, response and orchestration software. Hardware spending will be more than $21 billion this year with much of that total going to network security products. www.idc.com Europe outsourcing falls in Q3 The latest report from Information Services Group (ISG) shows that the annual value of Europe's managed services contracts dropped by more than € 900 million sequentially in the third quarter amid recession fears that tempered spending on technology services. The EMEA ISG Index which measures commercial outsourcing contracts with annual contract value (ACV) of € 4.5 million (£3.9 million) or more, found the ACV of the region's managed services contracts in the third quarter declined 31%, or € 910 million (£792 million), quarter over quarter, to € 2 billion (£1.8 billion). Compared with the 2018 third quarter, managed services ACV was down 17%. At the same time, demand for cloud-based as-a-service solutions rose 10% year over year, to a record € 1.6 billion (£1.4 billion). www.isg-one.com Global print community joins ‘2Gether’ International Print Day celebrated its sixth year on October 23. Each year print enthusiasts come together on social media to network, exchange knowledge and information, and proclaim their love for print and the people that make it possible. This year print fans were encouraged to follow and share using the hashtag #IPD19 and #Print2Gether, which celebrates partnerships within the industry and all the relationships from idea to execution that enhance the creativity, quality, and vitality of print. www.internationalprintday.org