Print.IT Reseller - issue 75

PRINTITRESELLER.UK 37 VOX POP During the COVID-19 restrictions we have inevitably seen business printing reduce and it is likely that the long-term numbers will drop (perhaps by 10-20%) infrastructure and managed IT services are two key areas, along with our range of document management solutions. Document management solutions are key in a world of decreasing reliance on printed materials. We have a portfolio of solutions which help our customers access documents from a remote environment whilst maintaining secure control of their dissemination. “During the COVID-19 restrictions we have inevitably seen business printing reduce and it is likely that the long-term numbers will drop (perhaps by 10-20 per cent). Undoubtedly though, printed documents are still important and practical for a considerable percentage of business users who are likely to continue using this. Vitally, a document management solution ensures that a lot of more mundane printing is no longer necessary, as documentation is available wherever the person is. “Printing will continue to be vital for many applications where there is no suitable alternative, such as label printing for example. We have conducted our own research that has shown that in terms of linear meters printed on the Konica Minolta AccurioLabel presses across Europe, page volumes jumped by 150 per cent in March 2020 – at the peak of the lockdown – compared to the previous month and then went back on the stable level. “We expect to see further market polarisation, with high end and specialised printing numbers likely to grow in place of more general and lower quality printing. Konica Minolta still ardently supports print as an excellent medium, we also have a firm focus on cloud infrastructure and cloud services to enable the digitisation of customers. Since the COVID-19 restrictions we have seen an increased interest in the wider services we offer as businesses adapt to the new normal. Easy and simple document management and sharing has come to the fore in an age of social distancing.” Clive Hamilton, Managing Director, Pinnacle Group: We have been very lucky that in the past four to five years, we have been trying to lead the DX (digital transformation) part of the business, by working with customers and vendors in communicating the various solutions both on-premise and in the cloud that can support business transformation and digital transformation. We believe that we can offer all our customers a high level of cloud services from print management, desk management, contactless visitor book, staff clock in/out management and various workflow solutions that would benefit most businesses.” Simon Warnes, Head of Corporate, Sharp UK: “Firstly, we understand the challenges that our customers are facing as we have faced many of them ourselves over the past few months. For one, the sales process can be challenging when working solely online, rather than face-to-face, so we are learning how to become more agile in the digital and virtual sales space. We realise the need to be relevant, different and more memorable when using Skype and Teams – as it’s harder to read people and gauge their interest through a computer screen, so it’s really important to get the persona of the presentation right. “Secondly and despite its challenges, we believe that COVID-19 has provided a catalyst for businesses to look to migrate to cloud-based solutions as part of their own digital transformation journey. We are also finding that more organisations can drive winning business decisions. According to recent IDC research an astonishing one in three businesses report losing data stored in cloud-based applications. Kyocera Protect is a simple, cost-effective yet secure, automatic back- up service offering secure and robust storage and data retention. “Our service value proposition ranges from initial consultation, proposal by senior solutions architects, seamless deployment and integration, 24/7/365 helpdesk and a customer excellence team constantly monitoring how the technology is used by our customers, leading to ongoing communications on how to improve efficiency and effectiveness.” Alpesh Unalkat, CEO, Aura: “Aura was launched on March 18 2020 through the simultaneous acquisition of Karlson and Intevi in a deal led by an ex-FTSE team. Our business strapline is about ‘reimagining workspace futures’ through cloud technologies and accelerated digital transformation in a vision that was defined during 2019, long before COVID-19. “We believe that the integration of workspace experiences, bringing together managed print, workflow automation, collaboration and digital media, is a must for leading organisations looking to drive further improvements in productivity and efficiency whilst maintaining competitive advantage. All Aura solutions are cloud- based and where this pandemic has led to 10 years of change in 10 weeks, this has accelerated the adoption of our proposition, which mainly focuses on medium to large global clients.” Phillip John, Product Marketing Manager – Solutions, Konica Minolta: “We recognise that some parts of the print market are declining, but we have a long-term strategy of diversifying our offering in the marketplace. Cloud continued... Clive Hamilton Joe Doyle Alpesh Unalkat