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Issue #7
ENABLING THE WORKSPACE, SUPPORTING YOUR AMBITION
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January 2023
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BULLETIN BOARD : The latest news and products from across the Channel – pages 6-10 PREVIEW 2023 : A range of leaders in the Channel make their predictions – page 20 UC&C : Audio visual and communications continue to converge – page 11 SD-WAN OPPORTUNITIES : Maturing technology with demand growing quickly – page 40 WORKSPACES : Business must change office spaces to maximise employees’ potential – page 50
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2023
COMMENT
Keep it safe The global threat from cybercrime has been highlighted again with a high-profile hack, reinforcing the need for all elements of tech, including print and document scanning and transfer, to be made as secure as possible.
If any reminder was needed about the threat cybercriminals pose to business – and it wasn’t – it came with news that companies including the BBC, British Airways and Boots had been affected by a mass hack through payroll service provider Zellis. The attack originated in the US at Progress Software, which runs the MOVEit Transfer tool. MOVEit is designed to move files securely around the world and has most of its customers in the US. Hackers found a way to break into MOVEit and extract the data held within. A security update has been issued, but employees at the companies affected by the hack have nonetheless been warned that some of their sensitive data may have been stolen. It is thought that the hack was by a Russian group, but that hadn’t been confirmed as Print in the Channel went to press. While this attack affected large companies, small- to medium-sized businesses are subject to just as many threats – and the consequences can be much worse as they don’t always have the resilience or funds to be able to rebound from an attack. As more businesses digitalise their operations and increasingly use the cloud to store and transfer documents around the world, the threats are only going to increase – as is the need for ensuring those documents are kept safe. Hybrid working only increases the threats to business, with people working from multiple locations. Resellers have a vital role to play to ensure that customers have the right security protection for their documents. Read more on p32. Security must be a priority for all those involved in the print and document scanning sector, as it is for the wider IT services market. But the line between managed print and
IT services is diminishing and some print providers are moving more into IT services, to help boost revenues but also to serve growing demand from customers for a single tech provider. Read more on p28. Security of another kind – authenticity and tracking – is an increasing priority for businesses in a multitude of sectors, and secure labelling is helping to ensure that. RFID technology is popular for helping goods to be tracked at every point in the journey, especially high value ones. This is a growing sector and one that resellers should look to get involved in as there are a wide variety of sectors to target for this. Read more on p36. It all shows that whatever sector, and whatever size of business, the threats are there – but so are the security solutions and resellers can bring them to customers. As always, this issue is packed with features, and I hope you enjoy the issue. I always like to hear feedback on what is – or isn’t – covered in the magazine, so please drop me a line at dan@printinthechannel.com – likewise if you want to get involved in editorial in the future.
Dan Parton
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00 03
CONTENTS
News You should know p6 New in the Channel Hot solutions p12 People Moves All change p16 PaperCut Profile Strong growth p18 Sustainable Ink Customer demand p24 Converging Managed Print & IT Services Single providers p28 Secure Document Transfer/Signing Under lock and key p32 MPS EKM: Step change p34 Secure Label Printing Read the label p36 Printers in Hospitality Tangible results p40 Profile: Workflo Solutions Pragmatism p42
PaperCut Profile – p18
Secure Label Printing – p36
Secure label printing is becoming prevalent in a wide variety of industries as the need for security and the ability to track goods at every step of their journey.
PaperCut has experienced strong growth in the past year as the channel has recovered from the ravages of the pandemic and supply chain issues. Now, the company is focused on growth and staying on top – and ahead of – the trends in the channel.
Converging Managed Print and IT Services – p28
As the pace of digitalisation increases and hybrid working models become the norm, businesses are looking increasingly to have one provider for their print and IT services.
Managed Print Services – p34
MPS for the legal Sector – p48
The legal sector relies on paper for its daily operations more than many other professions, which mean printing is a crucial aspect. With many under financial pressure, there is a focus from law firms on getting value for money.
EKM Insight is a revolutionary managed print service solution – the worldwide market leader that will increase your profitability and efficiency while delivering a step-change in your customer service.
MPS for the Legal Sector Printing money p48
04
CONTENTS
Printers in Hospitality – p40
Editorial Dan Parton 07941 979 845 dan@ printinthechannel.com Elliot Mulley- Goodbarne 07910 441 024 elliot@ printinthechannel.com Head of Sales Martin Jenner-Hall 07824 552 116 martin@ printinthechannel.com Publishing Director Justin Penn 07816 573 186 justin@ printinthechannel.com Written permission from the publisher is required before any part of Print in the Channel can be reproduced. © 2023 In the Channel Media Ltd.
Profile: Workflo Solutions – p42
Workflo Solutions has become an established managed service provider over the past 15 years across the UK – and its success is down to pragmatism, a willingness to continually evolve and the belief that service is king.
Jay Kim, managing director BIXOLON Europe GmbH, outlines five ways the hospitality industry can use intelligent printing solutions to address key operational challenges and deliver tangible return on investment.
Secure Document Transfer/Document Signing – p32
Secure document signing software along with the means to securely transfer it via the cloud has become more important for businesses.
As more businesses look to be sustainable, printing is coming under the microscope, with customers wanting more sustainable ink solutions – whether that be with cartridges and their re-use or disposal or packages that use less ink than standard solutions.
New in the Channel – p12
Published by: In the Channel Media Ltd Company registration number: 14363401 Registered office address 14-18 Heddon Street, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom, W1B 4DA In conjunction with:
• Konica Minolta unveils AccurioPress C14000e Series • Loftware launches NiceLabel Cloud Designer • Ricoh launches A3 multifunction printers made from 50% post-consumer recycled materials.
Sustainable Ink– p24
printinthechannel.co.uk
05
NEWS
Retailers planning to shore-up labelling systems, study finds
UK SME retailers are planning to invest in labelling technology to boost efficiency and minimise error, with 74% expecting to upgrade label systems in the next 12-months, according to research by Brother UK. The study of 250 SME retailers and 2,000 consumers, which explored the frequency of in-store pricing errors, revealed 38% of retailers admit to mis-labelling prices on products at least once a day and 28% said it happens multiple times per week, with only 7% saying they never mis-label prices. Only 51% of retailers said they currently use a label printer linked to smart devices. Handwritten labels being illegible was the top reason cited by retailers for pricing errors (31%), followed by the technology not printing labels in the correct format (29%), and staff unintentionally rolling out the wrong pricing by mistake (28%). The study found consumers are cashing in on retailer’s price label blunders, with 41% saving money on products that have been mis-labelled in-store or know family and friends that have saved. Customers saved an average of £38 on a mispriced item, with a lucky 5% saving as much as £500. Brother UK completed the study as it launched a new partnership with technology reseller and software developer BarcodeGenie. The pair’s label printers and cloud-based labelling system links directly with a retailers’ product file to ensure store staff always print the right pricing to
minimise mistakes. “Pricing errors happen in retail for a
multitude of reasons, from human error and miscommunication to technology not working efficiently,” said Simon Brennan, senior end user client manager, at Brother UK. “Lucky consumers have cashed in on such mistakes at a cost to retailers. But other shoppers are clashing with retailers over their refusal to honour pricing mistakes, or from clear price labelling errors forcing them to fetch store assistants for clarity. “Minimising error is a big part of why retailers are turning to labelling technology. But many are also looking to boost efficiency, to save employees time, to have more visibility over pricing rollouts and to be more reactive to margin opportunities. “Our new partnership with BarcodeGenie aims to make shelf-edge ticketing, reduce to clear, mark-downs and shipping label printing faster, simpler and more accurate for retailers.” Adam Corcoran, managing director at BarcodeGenie, added: “The cloud based LabelGenie system enables head office to digitally issue labels for use in multiple stores, ensuring campaigns are rolled out effectively and accurately. “Reporting tools also help managers to build accountability by understanding what’s being printed across multiple sites with greater visibility. This allows them to maximise revenue opportunities from price changes and sales discounting.”
Simon Brennan senior end user client manager
brother.co.uk
barcodegeie.co.uk
TD SYNNEX awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 2
TD SYNNEX has been awarded Disability Confident Employer Level 2 in recognition of the activities and processes it has in place to ensure that co-workers and job applicants with a disability are treated fairly and can access the resources they need. Disability Confident is a government initiative designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. The award follows the launch in March of TD SYNNEX’s Limitless business resource group (BRG), which has been formed to represent and
support people with physical or hidden disabilities or neurodivergence. Several other initiatives that make a difference for disabled people are already running at TD SYNNEX in the UK. These include a partnership with specialist consultancy Disability: IN aimed at improving hiring practices, enhancing the accessibility of vacancies and strengthening the company’s culture of inclusion. TD SYNNEX UK is also including disability topics on manager training courses to help build knowledge and understanding around barriers that people with disabilities
Jodie Carroll HR director, UK & I TD SYNNEX
06
NEWS
may face and is working with managers to develop their plans around enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in their teams. In addition, all managers receive unconscious bias training and have access to DEI training resources. “The Disability Confident Employer Level 2 certificate is a significant step in driving the TD SYNNEX DEI agenda in the UK and Ireland,” said Jodie Carroll, HR director, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX. “With the recent launch of the Limitless BRG alongside three other affinity groups already in place, the refurbishment of our Basingstoke and Bracknell locations, and other positive actions we’ve taken, we are making great strides towards making our business a really great and more inclusive place to work.”
Jackie Darling, vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion, TD SYNNEX, added: “Increasing employment and development opportunities for people with disabilities is a global DEI goal for TD SYNNEX, so to get this recognition in the UK&I is fantastic.”
uk.tdsynnex.com
Lexmark launches new printers and MFPs for mid- to large-size enterprise workgroups
Lexmark has launched nine new A4 colour and black and white printers and multifunction printers (MFPs). These devices offer enhanced security and sustainability features, as well as scalable solution support and exceptional performance. Designed for mid- to large-size workgroups with monthly print volumes of up to 10,000 pages (colour) or 20,000 pages (mono), these full-featured printers and MFPs can stand alone or be part of an enterprise printer fleet. Standard features include wireless connectivity, high input capacity and a front USB port for keyboarding and badge reader connection. The tablet-style buttonless touchscreen makes interaction simple and it is easy to sanitise. For enhanced security, these new devices include the Lexmark Trusted Platform Module, which includes on-board authentication, system integrity checks and cryptographic capabilities to create a unique digital system fingerprint. “These new 5- and 6-series devices are designed to be reliable, productive, secure and sustainable additions to business IT assets,” said Melanie Hudson, Lexmark senior vice president and chief commercial officer. “IT will appreciate the security, durability and serviceability of these devices, while users will appreciate the high-quality output, exceptional performance and easy-to-use touchscreen interface.”
These new A4 colour (CX635adwe, CX532adwe, CS632dwe, CS531dw) and black and white (MX632adwe, MX532adwe, MS632dwe, MS631dw and MS531dw) devices include improved features such as standard wireless, multiple tray options and an optional convenience stapler for MFPs. The models are built to last seven years or more, even in harsh, high-usage environments, with long-life components including steel frames. They also contain enhanced security features to protect data, devices and networks. In addition, IoT sensors continuously monitor hundreds of data points, making these devices easy to manage without burdening IT staff. Finally, they are also sustainable, with Energy Star, RoHS, and EPEAT Silver certifications, which meet the most stringent global environmental requirements. “Lexmark 5- and 6-series devices tend to be the workhorses of our enterprise customers’ print fleets,” Melanie said. “We look forward to sharing them with customers, highlighting the advanced technologies that fuel the quality, reliability and security our customers have come to expect from Lexmark.” Two new colour (XC2335 and C2335) and two new black-and-white (XM3350 and M3350) printers and MFPs specifically designed for the BSD are also now available through authorised providers.
Melanie Hudson senior vice president and chief commercial officer
lexmark.com
printinthechannel.co.uk
07
NEWS
BIXOLON launches SRP-330III 3-inch thermal point of sale printer series
BIXOLON Europe GmbH has launched its SRP-330III thermal point of sale printer series for ticketing and receipting operations in the retail, hospitality and transportation sectors. The new series, an enhancement of the previous SRP-330II, offers faster printing speeds of up to 250mm/sec. compared to the previous version’s 220mm/sec. For ease of use, the printer also provides optional printer resolutions (180dpi or 203dpi), various interface options, automatic media width detection and an optional one-time or repeated alarm function for order notification. The printer’s Paper Save Mode saves up to 25% of paper per roll, helping businesses to reduce costs as well as improve sustainability. For example, it achieves this by enabling businesses to fit printing onto less paper; offering three levels of reduction when printing, allowing them to print more onto a ticket or receipt. In addition, users can choose between a two- or three-inch receipt setting, with
simple drop-in paper loading. The printer also prioritises ease of set-up through the Unified POS Utility and integrates with the customer’s existing software. The printer series’ compact design, which can be standalone or wall-mounted, makes it a popular choice for users in the retail sector for point-of-sale and lottery ticket printing, hospitality for point-of-sale and concierge service and transportation for ticketing. “In a continually challenging economic environment, businesses need effective equipment to support them in working efficiently,” says Jay Kim, managing director of BIXOLON Europe GmbH. “Faster ticket and receipt printing enable businesses to attend to more clients, and reliable equipment means less maintenance and downtime. The new SRP-330III is a cost-effective, reliable printer that offers great value compared to other comparable printers on the market. It offers all the advantages of its predecessor with the added benefit of being significantly faster.”
Jay Kim managing director
bixoloneu.com
Canon extends Arizona flatbed printer family with Arizona 1300 Series
Canon has launched two new models in the Arizona 1300 flatbed printer series, the GTF and XTF, featuring FLOW technology, an innovative zone-free vacuum system that makes media handling easy. Extending the Arizona flatbed printer family, the Arizona 1300 series serves the growing mid-volume segment, enabling large format graphics printers and other print service providers to offer their customers an extensive range of applications for retail, signage, interior décor, packaging and industrial markets. Designed with productivity in mind, the new printers provide versatile, accurate and highly efficient multi-board and double-sided printing. With variable print speeds of up to 52.8m²/ hr, the Arizona 1300 series allows users to print pin-sharp, high-value print applications. Customers benefit from eye-catching prints on rigid or flexible media of any size up to 1.25 x 2.5 metres with the Arizona GTF or 2.5 x 3.08 metres on the Arizona XTF. Thanks to FLOW technology it is much quicker to
change media and board size, making it ideal for printing many short-run jobs spread throughout the day, allowing users to deliver commercial quality prints with higher levels of productivity. Since there are no vacuum zones, far less masking and taping is required, reducing effort, time and cost. The Arizona is designed to be low maintenance with automation enhancements that provide users with the capabilities to support industrial productivity standards and features to improve uptime. These include an updated, hands-free, printhead maintenance system that selectively restores nozzle function in seconds and a user interface updated with Advanced Image Layout Controls. The new, last-minute pre-print adjustment capabilities include trimming, multi-reference points flexibility and visualisation and modification of the print layer sequence. These controls also allow operators to make last-minute substrate choices needed to respond quickly to changes in board material
Matthew Faulkner EMEA director, marketing and innovation, Wide Format Printing Group
canon.co.uk
08
NEWS
availability, helping to use up leftovers and reduce waste while providing more flexibility, time savings and cost efficiencies. The series also includes an accounting interface, providing valuable data about ink consumption and production time, for example, for further processing in accounting packages. New print modes have been added too. These include Quality-Smooth, Production- Plus and Quality-Plus (available for 8-channel configurations), which provide exceptional print quality, print after print. The additional ‘Plus’ modes also allow users to achieve a larger colour gamut to create eye-catching applications with light cyan, light magenta and white inks in the higher-quality print modes for exceptional quality photo and fine-art applications. The new GTF and XTF models retain the third generation VariaDot printing technology, which delivers photorealistic image reproduction and an even more advanced use of different ink drop sizes in the various colours ensuring the biggest choice in quality and speed ratios. Print providers can now offer high-quality applications across an array of rigid and flexible media — as well as irregular-shaped substrates — more easily and more productively. The product lifecycle of the Arizona flatbed printer series, from design and manufacturing to use, reuse and recycling, has been developed to be sustainable. Blower boxes for creation of the FLOW and LED curing bring energy efficiencies, while it is designed to be repairable and easily disassembled –
enabling reuse and recycling of materials and supporting
the transition to a circular economy. In addition, 100% renewable electricity is used to produce the devices at the manufacturing site in Germany and VariaDot technology reduces ink consumption. GREENGUARD Gold
certified, the inks are safer for use in public environments and are free from hazardous air pollutants and volatile organic components. “With the added FLOW technology and automation enhancements, these new models deliver the proven Arizona quality and versatility, but make production quicker and easier than ever, boosting our customers’ competitiveness,” said Mathew Faulkner, EMEA director, marketing and innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon Europe. Also available with the Arizona 1300 series is the new PRISMAelevate XL software, enabling customers to design creative, high value applications with tactile elevation effects by creating textured surfaces, embossing, metallic accents and raised lettering up to 2mm. PRISMAelevate extends the PRISMA XL Suite and succeeds the Arizona Touchstone software – delivering twice the elevation at up to 20% higher speeds on the Arizona 1300 and 2300 flatbed series. The Arizona 1300 series with FLOW technology is available now via accredited partners as well as Canon’s direct sales organisations, while PRISMAelevate XL will be available for ordering and delivery from July.
Arizona 1300 Series
OKI Europe announces partnership with Graphtec Europe
OKI Europe Ltd has announced a key strategic partnership with Graphtec Europe B.V. to provide solutions that address the varying applications for creating ‘ready to use’ labels and packaging in the European market. “As a part of OKI’s continued expansion in the provision of solutions for printing labels in house, we are seeing an increased demand for specialist finishing requirements,” explained Rob Brown, EMEA head of business development, Pro Series. “Customers want to make the most of the media flexibility presented by the OKI Pro10xx range of roll to roll label printers or the OKI Pro9xx range of sheet fed package/ label printers and this means being able to run blank media, which provides the freedom
to create labels of constantly changing size, shape and durability. “The Graphtec range of cutting devices enable flexibility for customers to cut, perf, slit and rewind a variety of substrate types. “Being able to perform these functions on a separate device means customers can print the next job at full production speeds whilst finishing others at the same time; one minute you can print silver paper labels and at the same time you can be cutting synthetic white labels, so regardless of whether your business is beauty or beer, cosmetics or coffee, a joint print and finish solution from OKI and Graphtec gives your business a whole host more flexibility to print a huge range of labels in-house and on-demand.”
Rob Brown EMEA head of business development, Pro Series OKI Europe
oki.com
printinthechannel.co.uk
09
NEWS
Confidence in print security falls as cost of print-related data losses rises
IT decision makers are less confident in the security of their print network than they were a year ago, according to Quocirca’s Global Print Security Landscape Report 2023 . Only 19% are completely confident that their print infrastructure is protected from security breaches and data losses today, a drop from 23% in 2022. This is despite organisations becoming more mature in their approach to print security, with a greater proportion having implemented key protection and policy measures. “It is encouraging that organisations are adopting more print security measures and growing in maturity, although this is not fully translating to confidence,” said Louella Fernandes, research director, Quocirca. “With 70% of organisations remaining dependent on print and 68% expecting growth in office print volumes as employees return to the office, work is still needed to ensure that print security gets the right degree of attention. Print-related breach and data loss risk remains high, so businesses must continue working to address gaps. However, our research shows that progress may be impeded by differing perceptions of print security risk between CIOs and CISOs.” Quocirca’s report is based on the views of 507 IT decision makers in the US and Europe. Other findings include: l 42% of organisations report suffering a cybersecurity incident in the past year, rising to 55% in mid-market companies and 51% in the finance sector l 61% say they experienced a data loss related to unsecured printing, rising to 63% in the UK and 67% among retail businesses. Although some breaches involve malicious device compromise, many are attributed to human errors such as printouts left in output trays
l 39% say it is becoming harder to keep up with print security demands l The average cost of print-related data breaches has risen to £743,000 from £631,915 in 2022 l 79% expect to increase print security spending over the coming year, rising to 86% in the US, and 85% in professional services and retail organisations. But CIOs and CISOs have differing views on the level of challenge and risk associated with staying ahead of print security issues. CISOs are more positive – only 28% say it has become harder to keep up with print security challenges, compared to 50% of CIOs. Similarly, only 45% of CISOs are concerned about the risk of unsecured printers, compared to 72% of CIOs. These figures indicate that the two key influencers over security and data protection in the enterprise are not aligned in their perception of the risk residing in the print infrastructure. “Our research identified a significant disconnection between the views of CIOs and CISOs on print security, which may be preventing companies from determining the true level of risk,” added Louella. “Independent, in-depth risk assessments are a vital tool to give senior leaders objective evidence of print security gaps across devices and document workflows and enable consensus on the actions needed to protect the enterprise. “There is a clear opportunity here for MPS vendors to reduce breach risk by moving clients to a managed, single-vendor fleet. Interestingly, however, users of MPS were more likely to report security breaches than those with no MPS. This may be because MPS is more likely to uncover a data breach.” In fact, MPS users are generally happier with the security capabilities of their supplier than those not using MPS: 39% are very satisfied, compared with 23% of non-MPS users. “As more employees return to the office and the long-term shape of hybrid working unfolds, businesses need to work to improve confidence in print security,” Louella adds. “Now is an ideal time to draw on the expertise of suppliers and conduct comprehensive print security assessments, allowing organisations can gain the insight they need to address security gaps and move forward with greater certainty.”
Louella Fernandes director
quocirca.com
Our research identified a significant disconnection between the views of CIOs and CISOs on print security... “ ”
Quocirca Print Security Landscape 2023
10
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11
NEW IN THE CHANNEL
Konica Minolta unveils AccurioPress C14000e Series
Konica Minolta has unveiled its enhanced AccurioPress C14000e Series, with a range of features including new firmware and automated options. Launched globally in October 2019, Konica Minolta has sold more than 700 AccurioPress C14000/C12000 machines in Europe that have won several international awards and produced an estimated 8.4 billion A4 sheets in a three-year time span. The Konica Minolta AccurioPress C14000e prints at 140 pages per minute (ppm) in A4 and is 40% faster than any other toner-based device from Konica Minolta. Together with the AccurioPress C12000e, a second model in the series with a speed of 120ppm, the award-winning flagship production presses were Konica Minolta’s first foray into the high-volume toner printing segment, which has seen growth rates return to virtually pre- pandemic levels. The improvements to the top selling AccurioPress C14000/C12000 Series follow customer feedback as Konica Minolta continues to grow its position within high production printing markets for colour toner machines. New features of the AccurioPress C14000e/ C12000e presses include: l Colour and imaging, productivity, management, and connection upgrades through the EFI Fiery Controller Version 2.1 l Latest Firmware with dozens of software additions and improvements, ranging from
Konica Minolta’s IQ-501 AQA (auto quality adjustment), RIP, media sensor and PrintManager enhancements, plus expansion
of paper basis weights, banner paper support and general improved usability l A wide range of automated finishing options to create ready-made print products that save time. “The C14000e/C12000e presses represent another significant success story for Konica Minolta,” said Malcolm Smith, category manager – professional print at Konica Minolta. “The enhancements to the presses are helping customers to expand and streamline their businesses. This is achieved through advanced automation, fewer human touchpoints and higher productivity with tangible effects and less waste. Working closely in partnership, we are continuously helping our customers to rethink possibilities in a constantly evolving world, creating new and exciting opportunities.” In addition to the AccurioPress C14000e Series’ unparalleled efficiency in high-volume production, Konica Minolta provided the industry’s first automatic pre-print adjustment and print quality inspection functions; and media sensor that lets users know the optimal print settings. These innovations enable printing companies to not only minimise wasted time but also hire operators from diverse backgrounds without special skills.
AccurioPress C14000e
Malcolm Smith category manger - professional print
konicaminolta.co.uk
Loftware launches NiceLabel Cloud Designer
Loftware’s NiceLabel Cloud Designer, an easy-to-use cloud-based solution that gives customers the easiest out-of-the-box label printing experience, enables channel partners to deliver new value-added cloud- driven services and generates recurring revenue through an annual subscription is now generally available. NiceLabel Cloud Designer gives channel partners the opportunity to sell annually recurring subscriptions and do more for the end user by offering additional services. For example, partners could have access to a customer’s cloud to design professional labels on their behalf, or they could purchase the solution on behalf of the end user through Loftware’s e-commerce store. Partners can also create and customise their own label templates
with the help of an extensive library of barcode symbologies and other objects and make these labels available to all their end users through a dedicated ‘Partner templates’ section in the NiceLabel Cloud Designer platform. As part of this release, Loftware is launching the first phase of the Loftware Partner Digital Experience. This phase allows partners to easily order and supply new instances of NiceLabel Cloud Designer for their customers online, without the need for purchase orders or searching for part numbers. With just a few clicks, the order is placed and the new subscription is provisioned. The subsequent phases of the Loftware Partner Digital Experience will introduce new functions to make it even easier for partners to conduct business with Loftware.
Find out more >
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NEW IN THE CHANNEL
“NiceLabel Cloud Designer is the most exciting thing to happen in label printing for the channel in years,” said Paul Vogt, Loftware’s VP of channel and alliance strategies, said. “It truly is a game changer and another step forward for the NiceLabel product line. “Channel partners no longer need to worry about lost license keys, dongles or legacy software slowing operations down. Being able to log on and design professional labels from anywhere, print from any device, and keep software up-to-date automatically opens the door to new possibilities. With NiceLabel Cloud Designer, partners gain a seamless and cost- effective way to offer business transformation and help their customers become more streamlined and efficient in the process.” By selling NiceLabel Cloud Designer, channel partners can provide the benefits of cloud labelling to their customers, such as cost savings, efficiency gains, next-level security, and more. Seven important advantages for end-users: q It provides small businesses with an easy-to-use online label design tool that empowers them to design, store and print professional labels in minutes rather than hours w It offers greater collaboration within companies for label design, storage and printing. Its cloud-based platform enables users to operate their label and printing
operations from any computer and in any location without worrying about license keys, lost label templates or incorrect labels being printed e NiceLabel Cloud Designer is constantly available and always up to date, so users don’t need to manage manual upgrades r It is affordable for companies that operate with limited budgets, meaning these organisations won’t have to rely on legacy or inferior tools that do not meet the full spectrum of modern-day business demands t Users get access to a range of predefined label templates, including GS1, and can customise their own label design templates with the help of an extensive library of barcode symbologies and other objects y With the help of the NiceLabel Cloud Designer online wizard, users can easily link their product and customer data by connecting to Excel, Google Sheets and other data sources. This ensures consistency, accuracy and compliance with a broad set of regulatory demands, thereby solving the issue of rejected shipments because of low-quality or non- compliant labels u NiceLabel Cloud designer allows for a smooth and seamless transition to more comprehensive editions of NiceLabel Cloud as required.
loftware.com
Ricoh launches A3 multifunction printers made from 50% post-consumer recycled materials
Ricoh UK is helping customers achieve their sustainability goals with the introduction of the new IM C range of A3 colour multifunction printers (MFP). Made from at least 50% post-consumer recycled materials – 10 times better than the previous model – this new range of all-in-one office devices is Ricoh’s most sustainable to date. The upgrades also include a 45% reduction in panel power usage, enhanced image quality, an updated processor which doubles the speed of production and a 50% reduction in plastic packaging, resulting in nearly a 20% reduction in carbon footprint across the lifetime of the machine. “At Ricoh we have a long and proud history of innovation and are committed to putting sustainable and efficient work at the core of everything we do,” said Phil Keoghan, CEO of Ricoh Northern Europe.
“We recognise that our customers’ operating models and printing needs have evolved in recent years. There is an increased requirement for print operations to be more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. The new IM C range represents a seed
change for the industry. With the lowest energy consumption and energy costs available today, it is currently the most environmentally friendly and sustainable laser MFP on the market.” The new upgrades bring a host of additional benefits including increased performance and security along with a reduction in energy usage. All upgrades ensure the new MFPs can facilitate workflow automation and document management integration, helping customers on their journey to digital workspace transformation.
Phil Keoghan CEO, Ricoh Northern Europe
ricoh.co.uk
printinthechannel.co.uk
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COVER STORY
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COVER STORY
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PEOPLE MOVES
Brother UK makes two promotions to senior leadership team
Brother UK has made two promotions into its senior leadership team, as the firm establishes new distinct business lines to support its strategic growth plans. Greig Millar and Terry Caulfield have been appointed to new roles, reporting directly to managing director Phil Jones. The posts were created following the retirement of sales and marketing director Andy Forsyth, after 11 years with the business and a 40-year long career in business technology. Greig becomes chief revenue officer from serving as general manager for sales as part of a 20-year long career with Brother UK. He is responsible for leading Brother’s sales team and partner strategy – establishing deeper relationships with reseller partners to mutually drive managed print services (MPS) sales opportunities. Terry has been appointed chief commercial officer to lead the vendor’s category management, and specialist printing solutions division, having previously held the general manager position for products and solutions. Terry will focus on driving strategic growth
in Brother UK’s target verticals across retail, transport and logistics and hospitality. “The print sector is rapidly evolving, and the new structure of reporting lines will help us to respond to those changes faster and with greater precision,” said Phil. “We’re giving resellers the comprehensive backing they need to meet the growing demand for Print-as-a-Service with MPS and take advantage of the excellent opportunities in rapidly growing verticals, like transport and logistics, with our specialised high-speed labelling solutions. “It’s these priorities that Greig and Terry are focused on delivering. Both are highly experienced with decades of channel experience and we’re more determined than ever to grow and add value to our partners and end users.” Greig and Terry will sit alongside Louise Marshall (director of ESG & OD), Stuart Maclean (chief financial officer), Keith Howe (director of supply chain & service) and Mike Anderson (chief marketing officer) on the senior leadership team.
Greig Millar chief revenue officer
Terry Caufield chief commercial officer
brother.co.uk
TD SYNNEX appoints new director of services
TD SYNNEX UK and Ireland appointed Sophia Haywood-Atkinson as business unit director, services. Her appointment underlines the continued focus and investment TD SYNNEX is making to ensure partners can capitalise on the potential to grow their services business. TD SYNNEX offers a wide range of services that partners can offer to their customers on a partnership or white-label basis. They range from pre-shipment installation and testing to software, maintenance and support services, through to the company’s renowned Tech-as-a- Service and Trade-in offerings. In her new post, Sophia will be responsible for development and growth of these offerings and all other aspects of TD SYNNEX’s services business. “Services are an important element of every partner’s business today and this is an area in which there is significant potential for growth,” said James Reed, director, Endpoint Solutions, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX. “We are placing increased focus and making strong investments in developing our services capability and, with the experience she brings of working at both distributor and vendor level, Sophia brings a fresh perspective and insight to this key role.”
Sophia has re-joined the company after an 18-month spell during which she worked at a well-known vendor company. Prior to that she was head of Tech-as-a-Service B2C and trade-in services UK&I at TD SYNNEX. In her new role she will be responsible for the management of the services team and the further development and growth of the TD SYNNEX services portfolio. “TD SYNNEX UK&I has a wonderful services proposition that addresses every stage of the technology lifecycle and with the strong emphasis on sustainability in the market today, that’s going to become even more important and relevant for our partners,” said Sophia. “With Tech-as-a-Service, Trade-in and all the other services we offer, we have a great opportunity to help partners extend their own value and make technology solutions more accessible, sustainable and affordable for their customers. “I’m grateful to be coming to an organisation that takes such a positive approach to encouraging and elevating women and giving all its co-workers every opportunity to learn, develop and grow, to be themselves and to be the best they can be.”
Sophia Haywood- Atkinson business unit director, services
uk.tdsynnex.com
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printinthechannel.co.uk
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PAPERCUT PROFILE
A cut above PaperCut has experienced strong growth in the past year as the channel has started to recover from the ravages of the pandemic and supply chain issues. Now, the company is focused on growth, supporting its channel and staying on top – and ahead of – the trends in the market.
The word ‘unprecedented’ has been often used in the past three years – perhaps too often – to describe global events. It certainly has been a time of huge upheavals, many of which haven’t been seen in decades. Whether it is global events such as a pandemic, hostile invasion or supply chain issues, to more localised issues such as the return to the office (or not, as the case may be) businesses have had a lot to deal with that is out of their control. With so much uncertainty PaperCut has focused on what it can control. “In this world of unknowns, we wanted to double down our focus on the things that we could control somewhat and drive outcomes,” says Steve Holmes, PaperCut’s global head of sales and channel and the EMEA GM. “We focused our energies on supporting our channels, especially when it came down to winning that shift to cloud and critical areas like learning and certification, increasing lead generation and supporting our ecosystem. We also further advanced our own position in cloud by continually developing and evolving features. “This past year we have also made a large
investment in continuing to build upon our own existing expertise, with new teams and industry experts that can help us along that journey.” This approach appears to have paid off: “We’ve seen a really strong market demand across all of our verticals, which has been great not only for us as an organisation, but for our entire ecosystem,” he says. “Outside of the financials, we hit some great milestones such as surpassing 150 million users globally. We don’t only focus on the financial metrics, we’re also focused on the impact that we’re making, whether that’s environmental or solving problems for our customers. “We’re really pleased with the progress we’ve made this year. As a company we’re always looking to push the boundaries and drive greater impact for our customers and ecosystems, but broadly, it’s been a really good year; we’ve met and exceeded a number of expectations and are excited about building on all of this over the next year.” Building on trends Part of this will be building on the trends in the market currently, such as infrastructure removal. “That comes with the transition to cloud, be that private, reseller hosted or public cloud,” says Stuart Brookes, PaperCut’s head of channel sales and alliances for EMEA region. “There is a trend to infrastructure removal and that’s not just limited to print servers, it’s removing onsite active directories and moving to Azure ID or Google Cloud Identity, removing local area networks and even wide area networks. We are hearing about the transition to 4G or WiFi only offices where organisations are getting rid of all their infrastructure. The internet is reliable and fast these days and companies can work purely on that if they’ve transitioned to using cloud only products.” Stuart adds that there is also a growing trend for what he terms ‘print enablement’. “This is for organisations that want users to be
Steve Holmes global head of sales and channel
papercut.com
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PAPERCUT PROFILE
able to walk into the building, connect their laptop or smart device they’re using and click ‘file’ and ‘print’ if they need to print in a self- service manner,” he explains. “The emergence of hybrid working means many organisations have outsourced or removed/reduced their IT teams as they move to cloud, and they just now want users to be in a self-service world. “We’ve seen a significant growth in the uptake of our print deploy feature. That’s the ability to push out print queues and manage print queues for users based on their location.” Stuart adds there is also a trend towards digital transformation and increasing use of data analytics. “Again, hybrid working has grown the demand for it, with people needing to get access to data wherever they are,” he says. “Being able to put all your hard copy documents into soft copy is great, but then it’s about understanding how to extract the meaningful content from that data and information so that organisations can create value. “That can be the capture and extraction of hard copy data, but it’s also the use of analytics such as repeated document names or print profiles and print trends. We’re certainly seeing an uptick in the whole digital transformation and analytics piece. “People are realising that print management products like PaperCut MF hold a lot of useful data, such as departmental data and chronological data, and people can read a lot into that data and are starting to understand it. Things like common document names, or the most prevalent time of the day that the volume is done, and if there is a process that drives that. People are now starting to take that print management data and pick out business processes that they can then go and improve.” Sustainability Another growing trend is for sustainability, with many more companies looking at their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and bringing them into line with net zero carbon emissions goals, Steve adds. “Sustainability is now at the forefront of customer needs,” he says. “What historically may have been a more of a tick box exercise is now one of the lead conversations that we’re having with customers. There’s been a big growth in sustainability, possibly down to a lot of younger individuals coming into organisations who have a keen envrionmental
interest and its even resulted in new roles being created within our customers’ businesses. “It’s not unusual now to have conversations around opportunities that historically may have been led by a procurement person and a technical person and maybe parts of the IT team but now those conversations are being led by chief sustainability officers and sustainability managers. “While sustainability is linked to reducing costs, which our customers want to do, the big thing we’re seeing is that many are not leading with cost reduction but with that sustainability message; there has been a definite shift in the past three years and we’re trying to help our ecosystem along that journey as well. There has been a real change in all industries, and it’s growing, you can really feel the pace of it.” Sustainability is part of PaperCut’s DNA, and over its 22 years in business it has helped save billions of sheets of paper from being wasted across the globe, and the company proactively supports sustainability efforts through initiatives like PaperCut Grows. “This is where PaperCut plants trees on behalf of our customers based on their own print usage,” says Steve. “This is one of the many ways we’re trying to help and assist our ecosystem on that sustainable journey. We really want to enable the ecosystem to be able to lead with a Forest Positive message and a differentiated sustainability message as they go forward. Security Another growing trend in the sector has been security threats. “Unfortunately, the attention of bad actors is now being directed towards the print industry,” says Steve. “We’ve always worked hard to protect against any vulnerability in our software
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What historically may have been a more of a tick box exercise is now one of the lead conversations that we’re having with customers.
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CONTINUED
printinthechannel.co.uk
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