New York, NY – As anyone in business can attest, these economic times have presented some tough decisions when it comes to both employment and equipment. As our country begins a slow, deliberate, upward climb out of this recession and the economy gets better, previously cast aside IT projects are coming back to the table. In a blog entry by Chris Iburg of Xerox on the CIO website, he explains how investing in MPS (managed print services) and MFPs (multifunction printers) to improve your printing infrastructure can be a smart move.
Iburg points to research done by Gartner, Inc. that estimate roughly $3.3 trillion will be spent on technology in 2010. Gartner also indicates that a company that goes with a MPS provide can save up to 30% annually on their printing costs. Iburg says, “MPS partners help assess digital and paper document volume, related work processes and the technology that supports printing. They use this knowledge to develop a plan that achieves the right formula to incorporate existing employee work habits, daily print volume and organizational readiness for implementing MPS.”
Often times, an MPS solution will involve consolidation of resources as much as possible to cut costs. For instance, does every employee really need their own personal printer, or could they be replaced by network-ready printers that could be shared by several people? MFP printers are one area where a company could improve its workflow. They are capable of an ever-increasing array that goes beyond merely creating a digital copy of something. They can handle both incoming and outgoing documents, indexing of the documents, and even sending them to electronic document management systems or servers. With document activities reported to take up to 15% of a company’s annual revenue, which could be reduced with the right MPS solution.
Today’s MFPs are advanced enough to be customizable down to the software applications which can be loaded to improve the workflow and efficiency.
Some models will even offer companies the ability to customize icons on a touch screen that will be used more than others for easy access. According to Iburg, “Open development platforms are at the heart of what enables businesses to do more with their MFPs. These software platforms let customers adapt their office devices to operate in a way that best fits their needs.”
Making smart decisions when it comes to your printer infrastructure allows a company to see where money is being wasted and where it could be repurposed. Thus, these companies are able to refocus their efforts on growing their business.
