Solutions for Documents Blog

How to Protect Internal Office Security

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 12:30:00 GMT

It’s a new world for business. An ever-evolving world where BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), work-at-home policies, cloud technology and increasingly advanced mobile technology are making running a company more flexible, more productive, more efficient--and more profitable.

But along with all this exciting new freedom and mobility come new threats to your security.

Protecting your workplace from data security threats is critical

If you’re a CIO or small business owner then you are probably already well protected from the online threats of yesterday. Most IT departments have learned how to keep a company safe from the data threats that come with a desktop computing environment. But have you thought through the new threats that come with today’s cloud and mobile technology?

What about threats that come with today’s new multifunction printers?

Think about it. There are more than 30 million multifunction printer devices at work in companies across the U.S. and Europe and they are all connected to some computing network. This makes printers just as likely to be breached by online threats as a desktop computer. Hackers and malware don’t discriminate, and any device that is part of a computer network poses a threat.

To make the problem worse, most of your employees or coworkers probably are not even aware that your printers are part of the same computer network as your desktop devices. Many workers claim to have improperly used a company’s scanners and printers and even to have knowledge of scanning critical and private company information. Most IT departments haven’t recognized or thought through these threats or put proper safeguards and policies in place, either.

Awareness of online threats is vital

One place to start improving your workplace security is by being aware and sharing that awareness with all of the workers in your organization. This means putting new security policies in place and ensuring everyone bides by them. Security policies need to be communicated frequently and with multiple touch points within the company. Emails, posters, signs on printers, etc. Proper security training can make everyone in your company part of the solution.

There are good software solutions that can keep your multifunction printers safe by integrating with your work place and implementing a variety of advanced security measures. There are other steps that any IT department can take to help with the hidden security threats that printers impose to your company’s network.

These steps include:

Controlling who has access to your multifunction printers and when and how they are able to use them.
Ensuring that your critical data stays protected during all stages of workflow, including from computers or tablets to the network to the multifunction printers themselves.
Including all of your printers and multifunction devices in your security policies at all times.

Again there are good cloud-based software solutions like and others that can do this for you, too. These solutions allow things like “whitelisting” to happen so that only proven-safe documents and data can be run through your network to your printers. Certain software can also alert you whenever there is a detected threat and track that threat back to its origin.

Be ready for the exciting new world

There is no stopping the explosion of new business technologies, social media platforms and personal mobile devices, so companies large and small are going to have to continue to adapt to the changing landscape. These advances are good for business in the long run, but getting there safely and securely has to be top of mind.

Click here to find out how you can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days:

How Big Data Can Make Your Office More Environmentally Friendly

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:30:00 GMT

Between the trend towards social and environmental responsibility and the desire to be continually connected, big data is beginning to make a big mark in the business world. The dream of becoming a paperless society may seem like a realistic goal for the future, but the fact is that paper may always play a role, albeit a smaller one, in most businesses. When it comes to big paper vs. big data it seems that there may be room for both.

The Value of Paper

Each day, in offices across the nation, millions of pieces of paper are being utilized in the form of invoices, documentation, record keeping, communication and more. Whether printing, receiving, mailing or faxing, paper has made a claim as part of the working environment. While certain elements of business such as forms and correspondence have successfully transitioned to digital versions, others may remain paper based.

This dependence on paper has proven to be inefficient and costly in a time when many businesses are looking for a way to trim their budgets. Managed Print Services (MPS) are one way to regain control over print costs, by determining the total cost of ownership (TCO) and finding ways to streamline business processes, inventory and implementing a system of print rules to cut down on paper usage.

The Growth of Big Data

Big data is defined as a massive volume of data that is too large to handle in a conventional sense. In reference to its less organized collection of social media including blogs, videos and social networking, the volume is staggering.

In an effort to control the growth and management of big data, there needs to be a movement towards the consolidation and integration of data and print, marrying paper based documentation with its digital counterparts.

Document Capture Solutions

The digitization of documentation through document capture is a necessary step towards reducing paper usage and lowering print costs, while remaining compliant to such bodies as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley and the Data Protection Act.

Through the implementation of MPS, documents may be digitally captured at the source of origin, by scanning and extracting vital information prior to storing and sharing. This not only increases accessibility, but also makes it easier to search, capture and distribute vital information. The result is an increase in employee productivity, a reduction in print costs and an improved level of security.

The MPS Connection

The connection between Managed Print Services and big data is becoming clearer; multi-function printers (MFP’s) used in conjunction with MPS have been proven to be an effective solution to managing both big data and paper based documentation.

By moving towards a more automated workflow, with solutions such as electronic invoicing or records management, businesses can reap the benefits and extract the value from both paper and digital documents in an effort to increase productivity and their bottom line.

Managed Print Services are the key to seamless workflows, striking a perfect balance between big paper and big data. MPS have evolved over time, providing businesses with a simple solution to effortlessly manage and transition paper-based information to suit an increasingly digital world.

Click here for your free e-book on how to make your office more environmentally friendly:

What to Look for in a Multifunction Printer

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:30:00 GMT

If you are considering adding a multifunction printer or two to your company’s arsenal of business tools, rest assured they will pay for themselves many times over by increasing your productivity and decreasing your cost. These “all-in-one” printing solutions scan, fax and copy quickly to help you get more done faster than ever, with less people, resources and cost. Now just imagine adding photo printing and Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities to these great devices—multifunction barely begins to describe the capabilities you will add to your print environment.

The Advantages Of Multifunction Printers Are Many

Multifunction printers that can also link to your company’s Wi-Fi networks offer the most value, giving you a super efficient way to increase your productivity and improve your bottom line at the same time. Let’s take a look at a few of the latest features and technology that are currently being integrated into the latest models of multifunction printers:

Cloud connectivity – Today’s multifunction printers harness the power of the cloud to allow your employees to print documents from anywhere, at any time and from most devices. This includes images and any documents that are stored on a remote server.
Double-hinged scanning – Most of the latest models also feature handy double-hinged scanning capability that makes scanning cumbersome jobs like journals, book pages and magazine spreads easier than ever.
Multiple picture scanning – Imagine the time you will save with the ability to scan multiple images at the same time. Today’s multifunction printers quickly scan several images at once while saving them as unique and individual files. Talk about a time saver and productivity booster.
Touchscreens – Forget buttons. In this age of tablets, who wants to fiddle with them? To make printing, scanning or copying quick and easier, today’s best printers have replaced buttons with touchscreens for smooth fingertip operation.
All the best of the standard features, too —You can rest assured that today’s versatile multifunction printers have added all this new technology while keeping the features you expect, including memory card slots, memory stick capability and improved USB 2.0 for connecting cameras directly to the printer.

Advice On Color Printing And Photo Printing Needs

It is important to think about your printing needs before choosing the model of printer you want to invest in. For example, if your company prints a lot of color and photography, it is smart to research the cost of color toner for multifunction printers before making a large investment. Choosing the wrong printer can be expensive if the toner becomes overly expensive (or if you don’t have the volume to justify the cost.)

You might decide to go “monochrome” for the smartest return on investment. Many companies choose a monochrome printer to keep their production costs low while still getting quality output from their printer. If your company doesn’t print much color or imagery, this might be an option to consider. For example, a monochrome printer is small, but still offers powerful output that might meet the needs of a home office or startup.

In conclusion

Today’s advanced multifunction printers offer the standard fax, copying and scanning capabilities, and many models offer even more. For the best satisfaction, look for the latest multifunction models that also offer:

Wi-Fi connectivity
Automatic duplex printing for efficiency
Faster speed (28-50ppm)
Free warranty (up to three years)
Internal memory (32-64mb RAM)
Large-sheet capacity (250-500 capacity paper tray)
PIN-protected security, and more

In short, today’s innovative multifunction printers are a smart investment that can really boost your productivity and efficiency while using fewer resources. It’s a smart consideration for any company.

To find out how your business can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days, click here:

How to Keep Your Office Documents Secure

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

In today’s rapidly (and constantly) evolving high tech workplace, the way important business gets done is constantly becoming more efficient, more streamlined--and sometimes more at risk. That’s why a new software solution by Xerox is something to rave about. You may have heard about this innovative software ecosystem that enables you to leverage your printing environment to make your office faster, smarter, more efficient and more eco-friendly. But the one of the best things about ConnectKey is the ways it does it all with the above with the highest level of security.

After all, multifunction printers are potential points of entry for malicious activities. And what good is a faster, easier workplace if it’s not safe too?

Your business is important. Security matters.

In addition to the way ConnectKey opens up your multi-function printers for easier, more streamlined use, it also offers a wide range of innovative features that keeps your data safe and secure, including:

McAfee Security
Access Protection
High Compliance
User Tracking
Safe Scanning Ability
Cisco Protections

Let’s look at each a bit closer.

McAfee Security--new and exclusive to Xerox

With ConnectKey, each of your Multi Function Printers integrates with McAfee® technology, which makes for the first lineup of printers that can actually protect themselves from online dangers. McAfee offers a special “whitelist” technology that will ensure that only pre-approved and non-threatening files are able to print, scan or email from your devices. This greatly reduces your need to constantly update your software levels against security attacks and dangers. ConnectKey printers also easily integrate with the Xerox MPS toolset and the McAfee e-policy for easier ability to track and monitor.

Control who uses your printers

ConnectKey also offers a great feature that allows you to control who uses the devices in your print environment. You can apply access codes to your printers as well as provide access cards so that only approved people are printing, scanning and viewing your critical business data. This is a great cost-saver too, as unauthorized people won’t be able to print out personal items, too.

High compliance features keep all required standards met

The ConnectKey solution maintains the highest levels of security by ensuring all of your devices are SSL encrypted and compliant with the latest Software Verification Criteria from the legal industry, Department of Defense and more. ConnectKey also keeps your printing environment compliant with HIPAA, Hitech Act, Sarbanes Oxley and others. Hard disk override ensures that compliance is met.

User tracking (for posterity)

ConnectKey software allows you to track user activity to keep a history of what and when devices are used. But to ensure security of data, it doesn’t allow for the tracking of content of the data being handled. This tracking is useful, but for posterity purposes only.

Safe scanning ability is yours

With ConnectKey, you can also scan easily and safely to Gmail and Yahoo, even if your devices aren’t connected to corporate email. This improves your productivity along with your security, and makes you greener too!

Cisco protections are icing on the cake

ConnectKey also automatically integrates with Cisco® TrustSec Identity Services Engine to provide comprehensive visibility of all of your printer’s endpoints. TrustSec guards the path to your devices and will help you enforce policies and compliance easier than ever before.

As you can see, ConnectKey may be one of the most advanced and secure solutions for streamlining and improving your print environment. And it’s ready to go—safely—right out of the box. It's the safe; secure software you have been waiting for.

Click here for your free e-book on how make your office environmentally friendly:

How to Achieve a Productive Workplace

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

“A penny saved is a penny earned” is a famous quote from Benjamin Franklin. Today we may not hold the penny in high regard, but business leaders will probably say the same for time – a second saved is a second earned.

Productivity is so valuable with business that the majority of tasks are increasingly measured based on the time it takes to accomplish. Xerox understands the importance of productivity in business and has launched the ConnectKey series of solutions specifically to help in saving time, improving quality, and increasing productivity.

ConnectKey is an intelligent business solution that transforms typical office equipment such as printers, scanners and copiers into sophisticated productivity tools. The equipment series from Xerox that utilizes ConnectKey is like no other piece of typical office equipment.

Some of the productivity boosting features from ConnectKey include:

Control and manage printing from your desktop or laptop computer using the Universal Remote Control Panel – this means you can track your jobs and your department’s print jobs without getting up from your desk.

Repair and support printers remotely with an interface designed for IT and tech support staff – this greatly helps your IT support staff to address problems quickly.

All print devices including other brands can be managed using the Centreware print manager – no need for separate print manager packages when you can simply access one centralized print management solution.

Equipment is designed with simple CRU’s – “customer replaceable units” for easy maintenance and reduced service calls. Your staff will not have to wait for the service repair person to arrive and can get back to work quickly.

With one unified address book all devices have the ability to store key contacts and use for email notifications for workflow and routing.

Double sided printing and scanning is available with Scan-to-PC capabilities so no additional paper is wasted.

Instant notification can be enabled for users to receive an email when their particular print job is completed.

With all of the features from the Xerox ConnectKey solutions your business can reduce the amount of foot traffic from the printer to the copier to the scanner and back. Less travel time means higher productivity for your personnel. With the easy print management features along with streamlined workflow configurations your routine office tasks can easily move from one person to the next or one department to the next without a complicated business process software package to install.

If you are looking to save seconds, minutes, or hours out of your workday, the Xerox ConnectKey series is worth your time.

To find out how much your business is currently spending on print, click here for your free print assessment:

How Your Law Firm Can Benefit from Managed Print Services

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

There are few industries, which rely more heavily on paper documents than the legal industry. Experts estimate that somewhere between one and three percent of annual revenues are spent on printing, with only 30 percent of that number going towards maintenance and toner.

The fact is many small business owners are unaware of the total cost of operation (TCO) of their printing infrastructure. Partly to blame is the piecemeal approach to the acquisition of equipment and supplies, often purchased by a number of employees in a variety of departments. Add to that the difference in operating costs between manufacturer’s and it’s easy to see how hard it is to come up with an exact figure.

Enter Managed Print Services. MPS are an effective solution to controlling print costs in the legal industry, and improving document workflow and printing processes; here’s how.

Assessment and Consolidation

MPS begins with an assessment and inventory of all equipment, supplies and vendors, to bring order from chaos. Once the inventory is established, changes can begin to be implemented, which may include the replacement of a multitude of devices, in one neat little package. Multifunction printers (MFP’s) are all-in-one devices that can fax, scan, copy and print, and can help to streamline document workflow in the legal environment.

Printer Placement

Many firms make use of one or more copy rooms or stations, which may not be in a convenient location for all employees. In addition, waiting to use a machine, which is currently copying large volumes of paper, costs time and money.

MPS can relieve this problem with clever design solutions to place printing equipment in alternate areas to provide easy access for those who need it, and free resources in high traffic areas.

Challenges and Solutions

There are many industry specific challenges that law offices face today, including:

How to maximize billable hours
Budgeting
Disaster planning and recovery
Faster access to key documents
Regulatory accountability to:

Sarbanes-Oxley
Gramm-Leach Bliley
Security Exchange Act of 1934
Anti Money Laundering Act

Managed Print Services has the solution to many of these issues. Rather than wasting valuable time searching for paper documents, MPS can provide the means to convert paper documents to digital files, increasing search capabilities, saving time and improving security.

Regulatory compliance is enhanced by additional security features and practices, such as passkey authentication, and secure audit trail.

The Benefits of MPS

Increased productivity. Through the digitization and automation of time consuming manual tasks, users spend less time at the printer and more time on what really matters. Documents may be scanned directly to the network or court, and automatically converted to the desired format.
Enhanced security. Each document that passes through your printer is recorded on the hard drive, accessible to hackers. MPS can help to protect your sensitive information with security protocols that lessen the risk.
Streamlined document workflow. By reducing the number of steps needed to process paper documentation and legal briefs, digital capabilities, and mobile print solutions, peak efficiency is achieved.
Cost savings. Consolidating printing equipment and taking advantage of all in one unit, reduces supplies and repair costs. IT resources are freed to concentrate on more vital issues, rather than troubleshooting print issues, as service and maintenance issues are dealt with by your MPS provider. Paper usage can be greatly reduced through such initiatives as double sided printing and user-based rules.

The legal industry is one that can benefit greatly from MPS. Enhanced security, increased productivity and a reduction in costs are just some of the many benefits that can be realized; MPS can take your mind off your printing and back on your business.

To find out how your law office could save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days, click here:

The Key to Managing a Sustainable Office

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:30:00 GMT

If you are looking to improve your office-printing environment and you care about the world’s environment too, there is a sustainable solution that does both. New ConnectKey cloud-based solutions by Xerox can make your printing more efficient, more cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly. It has sustainability built right in.

ConnectKey is just another example of how Xerox has made sustainability part of their company identity as they continue to work toward products and solutions that have less impact on the environment and save energy, too. ConnectKey has several key features that make it a great “green” solution:

Monitors your energy consumption
Provides “Earth Smart” printing rules
Uses Solid Ink for less waste
Features LED printing which uses less power
Energy Star compliant
Takes part in the Xerox recycling program

Monitors your energy use to save cost

ConnectKey solutions are compatible with energy saving solutions like Cisco EnergyWise that can monitor how much energy your devices are using so you can better manage your company’s overall energy consumption and align you goals with ones that benefit a better environment.

A side benefit of reducing the amount of power your printing consumes not only helps you be more sustainable, it helps you be more profitable too.

Provides “Earth Smart” printing rules

Another great feature of ConnectKey is that it gives you the ability to implement printing rules across your printing environment that help save your company resources too. These Earth Smart Printing rules include the ability to keep users from printing on just single sides of paper or printing large, resource-consuming jobs like banners, etc. These printing rules save you on paper, toner, and power—and help your bottom line along the way.

To keep you in line, ConnectKey also provides you with a “green” meter to let you know when you are meeting your goals and shows you just when and where you are being environmentally friendly. It’s nice to have a meter to help give you the green light on sustainability.

Solid inks mean solid savings

ConnectKey solutions use ColorQube™ solid ink technology to help you produce less waste in several ways. Solid inks are much easier to handle, and they don’t require nearly as much packaging. Overall, they produce 90 percent less waste than traditional color toner. That’s a lot of green.

LED Printing and Energy Star compliance

ConnectKey solutions also rely on energy efficient LED printing, which has been shown to use up to one third of the power than using the more traditional Xenon lamps. As a charter partner of the international ENERGY STAR® program, each Plus, like many of the new Xerox products, ConnectKey solutions help you reduce your footprint by partnering with the international Energy Star program.

Xerox Recycling program

The final way that ConnectKey solutions can help you create a more sustainable printing environment is by taking part in the Xerox recycling program to be sure every resource that is recyclable it recycled.

In conclusion

Overall ConnectKey is a great way to go green, while giving you more control over your devices and your printing rules. In the end, you will paper consumption, produce less waste, save time and energy and improve your company’s bottom line. It’s a smart thing to look into.

To find out how much your business currently spends on print, click here for your free print assessment:

How ConnectKey is Transforming the Way You Work

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:30:00 GMT

ConnectKey is an innovative new software technology platform from Xerox that is changing the face of MFPs in the office today. The advantages afforded to small and medium sized businesses allow you to focus on your business, rather than printing, read on to find out more.

Introducing ConnectKey

From a business perspective, it’s easy to get caught up in the multitude of printing and communication programs now available. However, when you factor in the steep learning curve and complicated interfaces, many software programs can raise more issues than they solve.

Enter ConnectKey. Multifunction printers embedded with ConnectKey technology allow you to work smarter, not harder, with intuitive behind the scenes solutions that let you focus on your job rather than on your MFP. The intelligence behind this software simplifies document workflow in a way no other software can, connecting people and information in fewer steps in or out of the office.

Security

With increased accessibility comes increased risk. Mobile technology has revolutionized the business world, but without effective security measures, information is at risk.

Protecting office PC’s from viruses, hackers and malware has been a long-standing practice, but they are no longer the only point of vulnerability. Multifunction printers are also at risk. However, thanks to cutting edge technology and features built in the ConnectKey software your company’s confidential information remains secure.

New, exclusive to Xerox, McAfee software protection
Access code and card printing
Sarbanes Oxley, HIPAA, HITECH act compliant
Image overwrite
Legal Industry and Department of Defense compliant
Network authentication
SSL
Common Criteria Certified
Cisco TrustSec provides:

256 bit hard drive encryption with image overwrite.
Secure print featuring time deletion.
Data transfer encryption between external email servers and MFPs.

Sustainability

Environmental sustainability and waste reduction are on everyone’s minds. Solutions offered by ConnectKey technology dramatically reduce paper usage and waste as well as power consumption.

EnergyStar compliant thanks to a reduction in energy usage.
Cisco EnergyWise offers solutions such as:

The ability to measure and fine-tune power consumption.
Timeout settings including sleep and low power modes.

Xerox Earth Smart print drivers allow printing rules such as:

Default to two-sided print
No banner printing
2-up printing
Earth Smart also provides a visual meter allowing you to see where you’re saving.

LED printing cuts power consumption by 33 percent compared to traditional print methods.
ColorQube solid ink uses less packaging, and produces 90 percent less waste than conventional toner.

Convenience

With mobile technology, your office can be anywhere you are. ConnectKey technology allows you to be fully connected from your smartphone, laptop or tablet, and thanks to wireless technology MFPs can be allocated to less traditional locations providing increased accessibility. Fully integrated cloud, scanning and mobile solutions offer the utmost in convenience.

The Mobile Express Driver automatically detects the nearest printer.
Apple AirPrint allows you to print from your iPad, iPhone or iPod.
SharePoint allows you to scan directly to Microsoft SharePoint as well as other Windows folders.

Cost Control

In today’s competitive market your best chance at success is to reduce costs while increasing productivity. ConnectKey can help you achieve your business goals by allowing you to take control over printing costs and processes while reducing waste.

Application defaults such as multi-page printing save ink and toner and use less paper.
User permissions control printing according to time of day, groups, and application.
Route faxes to email to save on paper.
Network accounting solutions integrate with many third-party accounting programs.

Printing, and the costs and challenges that come with it, are part of the price of doing business. With today’s ever-changing technology and drive towards more efficient, environmentally sustainable solutions, ConnectKey is an idea whose time has come.

To find out how much your company is currently spending on print, click here for your free print assessment:

Stay Productive Anywhere with Mobile Printing

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:30:00 GMT

The mobile device revolution is in full swing and an explosion of technology has bombarded the market to help business people as well as consumers stay mobile while remaining connected.

Businesses can enjoy many benefits of mobility for their employees including better communications, increased availability and improved productivity. It is no wonder that businesses are encouraging mobility options for their employees.

One trend is BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). This concept allows employees to utilize their own devices to perform work related tasks. This gives employees flexibility in that they can use their device of preference. BYOD provides cost savings for employers and reduces some of the IT support requirements. Employees must adhere to certain security and operational rules, but generally accept BYOD policies eagerly.

An exciting new technology added to the mobile industry is printing. Until recently, printing tasks still had most users chained to an office or hard wired to a printer from a desktop or laptop. Now users can use virtually any mobile device including iPads, iPhones, Smartphones or tablets to handle their printing requirements.

Mobile printing does not necessarily need any special apps loaded. Instead the printer is the recipient of the intelligence. A multi-function printer (MFP) is enabled to receive print requests via email.

The process is quite simple. The mobile document is sent to the printer’s email address. A response is returned to the user with a secured print confirmation code. The user then simply goes to the printer, enters the confirmation code and selects the documents to print.

Output settings can be chosen at the time of print as well. These can be regular default printing based on the business rules configured in the printer, duplex printing, collate, stapling or sorting and more. All of this is enabled through the MFP’s existing capabilities.

The advantages to mobile printing are just being realized with businesses. Consider field technicians who will need to print work orders or receipts after repair work has been completed at remote locations. No longer will a substantial queue of work pile up back at the office that will consume a valuable technician’s time. Instead the print queue is all that is at the office and can be kicked off whenever it is convenient.

Your business should carefully consider mobile printing as part of your overall mobile business solutions strategy. With the intelligence of multi-function printers combined with BYOD use your business can stay on the road and increase productivity without being chained to an office printer.

To find out how you can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days, click here:

Managed Print in the Healthcare Industry

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:30:00 GMT

On the front lines of the healthcare industry, namely clinics, hospitals, and technician’s offices, medical professionals may soon be able to say goodbye to one of their most frustrating office experiences: the printer.

The nature of medicine and healthcare is that the office always will, to some degree, be paper-reliant. While this may not be the ideal situation there are ways to streamline and improve the printing technology to have less of an impact on the environment, more performance efficiency for the staff and drastically reduced costs.

This method is known as MPS: Managed Print Services.

Managed Print Services are a movement towards switching your office practices from being paper-reliant to mostly paper-free. While some documents will absolutely need to be printed the majority of them can be better used as digital files.

To first implement an MPS strategy it is important to be assessed by a professional MPS company who will establish a printing-plan and analyze what areas need more attention than others. An MPS assessment will also include a discussion with the office to establish sustainability goals and see where staff is having the most trouble with the existing office machinery. This assessment is essential to having a successful MPS system because it gives the office a benchmark from which to measure things such as cost, paper use, volume and repair efficiency.

An MPS strategy works especially well with a Multi Function Printer (MFP). While it is not absolutely necessary that your office buy an MFP it is likely that the results will be more noticeable and much faster. What makes an MFP unique is that it is a one-machine wizard of functions: printing, faxing, scanning, digitizing, and storing files in a safe and secure manner.

MFPs require security features such as user names and password, preauthorization for access, and edit locks on files; all of which mean that only the office – and certain people in the office at that – are able to access particular levels of files. The MFP hard drives are wiped clean every night so unless you have specially marked a document for storage, all print and digitization jobs that weren’t collected will be erased and stay secure.

MFPs are managed by an MPS service, which greatly reduces the cost of having to hire in-house IT support who try to manage many machines rather than a synchronized fleet. The cost of switching to a MPS/MFP system is offset in the long run by the amount of money saved in maintenance.

It has been reported that in the United States, “Over the past three years, about 21 million patients have had their medical records exposed in data security breaches that were big enough to require they be reported to the federal government.”

It is easy to keep your office from becoming a casualty of this figure. Rather than having your nurses and medical staff distracted from their real patient by giving CPR-like treatment to printer blockages, power failures, and ink cartridge hemorrhages it is much more efficient to bring in an MPS team to handle the MFP.

MPS, apart from security and more paper friendly methods of documenting healthcare, also allows for more organized practices, which minimizes the risk of human error. Loose sheets of paper mean lost data files and then a world of headaches and damage control follows.

The full roster of benefits includes:

End-user behavior tracking and behavior modification
Ensured compliance with legal frameworks like HIPAA
Security redundancy and secure printing
Abolition of Rx in secure draws
Anytime-anywhere forms
Print output tracking with a focus on page volume reduction
Mobile device imaging
Patient alternatives

An MFP has even more functions than the ones listed here and can be discovered through personally tailoring the features and updating the functions as the office gets more and more comfortable with the machine.

Investing in and MFP can feel like it may be hurting your chequebook a bit. Take the edge off of the financial commitment and look into leasing options or lease with a possible buy out at the end of the contract if you aren’t willing to buy outright. This will give you the opportunity to do a proper shop around for the right MFP to suit your office and find an MPS that will work with the machine and your company.

In the end though, whichever way you decide to get to an implemented MPS (and possibly MFP) strategy the results will still be the same: getting to refocus 100% on patients and serving the community in the best way possible.

To find out how you can save up to 30% on print costs in 30 days, click here:

Why Your Company Can't Afford to Miss Out on the Cloud

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Cloud computing is the next step in the evolution of the internet and is best defined as the delivery of computing services over a remote network. This encompasses both hardware and software, and the remote server is responsible for the storage, management and processing of the user’s data and delivering it on demand. With more of an eye on their bottom line, many businesses today are looking to save through IT outsourcing citing cloud computing as the best avenue to do so, but how does this relate to MPS (Managed Print Services)? Read on to find out how MPS and the cloud can help your business to succeed.

The 2013 Cloud Forecast

With more and more businesses turning to the cloud to simplify their workflow and save money, let’s take a look at where this trend may lead in the coming year:

Employment Opportunities – There is a steady rise in jobs in the cloud computing industry, and while you don’t necessarily need previous cloud experience to enter the scene, those that possess the skill to showcase this service as a saleable commodity and deliver client solutions on time and on budget are the best candidates.
Client specific services – Industries such as hospitality and retail are two huge as of yet untapped markets for cloud services. By tailoring services to the needs of target industries, specific solutions can be developed that can help profit margins to increase substantially.
Data Analytics - Businesses operating on a national or global level can benefit from MPS and the cloud by allowing them to better manage and understand the vast amounts of operational information and customer data.

Document Management

The demand for cloud based managed print services are increasing as customers are realizing its full potential. In relation to document management, as part of a MPS program, the cloud affords users the luxury of the storage, easy access, security and retrieval of all digital documents, while freeing up internal resources.

Mobile Printing

This is the area where MPS and the cloud come together in perfect harmony. By using the cloud for the submission, encryption and delivery of documents to be printed, users are able to print from virtually anywhere, and from any internet enabled device. With the recent trend towards BYOD (bring your own device) in the workplace, this is an idea whose time has come.

Through the use of a laptop, smartphone or tablet users send the order via email, to the SaaS (software as a service), which sits on the cloud server until you need to use it. A secure code is then issued to the user, which they will use to key in to the cloud-enabled printer of their choice.

Managed print services help to streamline your printing budget while increasing productivity and profits. When used in conjunction with the cloud, there are even greater results. The ability to extend the usability of MPS to mobile devices, allows for greater integration into the customer environment including print servers, helping to lead your company down to the path to greater success.

To find out how your company can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days, click here:

The End of the Lease: Not a Time for Surprises

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:30:00 GMT

In the excitement of taking delivery of a new multifunction printer (MFP) or copier at the beginning of a lease contract, it’s easy to forget that one day you’ll be facing the end of the lease. And what then?

If you do the same homework investigating the lease end as you did in deciding what kind of device is best for your office, you should be in a good position to get the most benefit right up to the end of the contract.

The basics
Leasing a Multifunction Printer, like leasing a car, offers you some distinct advantages:

The chance to put a higher-end copier to use at a smaller upfront price;
A customizable payment plan with trade-in or purchase opportunities; and
The residual value of the equipment at the end of the lease, which may exceed that of copiers purchased outright.

But leasing also carries some financial risk, most notably in that you may be subject to early-termination fees if you need to replace the equipment earlier than the contract stipulates.

The end game
As the lease cycle ends, you may be looking at “hidden” fees and surcharges. So when negotiating the lease with your equipment dealer, ask about these traditional add-ons:

Removal fee: What’s the cost to deliver a system to another location of the vendor’s choice?
Auto renewal: Is it mandatory? If so, when does it kick in? And if not, what is the procedure that must be followed to avoid having the lease automatically renew.
Transportation: Are there packing fees/shipping fees/ insurance fees tied to the removal of the equipment?

Then there is the relatively new fee of the system overhaul. Ask your rep what it would cost to retrofit, upgrade or overhaul the MFP to a previous benchmark performance level.

Getting more from your lease
An ideal lease should include the same maintenance and service coverage a purchased device would, including a warranty for applicable parts, ongoing toll-free technical support, and, in the case of a digital printer, the option of remote diagnostics that assesses, monitors and manages the equipment so that small issues don’t turn into large problems.

Know your options
A lease can put a high-end, high-quality printer or copier to work for you right away. But before you sign the contract, ask your provider what your options are and the kind of financial impact they may have on your business. That low lease cost can contain hidden fees that you may actually mitigate if you address them early in the lease negotiations.

When you know your options, costs like removal fees and system overhauls may not be such a nasty surprise a few years down the road.

To find out how your company can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days, click here:

Eliminate Security Risks with Document Management Software

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Hard-to-track revisions, lengthy client approvals and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. If you run or own a business, then you are all too familiar with these hassles and other headaches that are involved in managing your business documents effectively.

You have no doubt been longing for the day when document management systems and processes could be as streamlined and automated as every other facet of modern business life.

Well, thankfully, that day has arrived. Document management has gone digital.

Today, there are many great document management software solutions like Xerox DocuShare and others that can vastly improve the way companies like yours share, store, collaborate on and approve documents; faster and more efficient than ever.

These digital document management solutions not only enhance content management with better versioning control, but they help to improve collaboration between teams with faster sharing and approvals. In fact, you’ll wonder how you ever managed the traditional way once you experience all the many benefits, including:

• Time savings

• Easier collaboration between departments

• Reduced operating costs

• More environmentally friendly

• Reduced risk and more

Let’s take a closer look at these specific ways that the latest doc management solutions can help your business thrive:

Time Savings

Many companies that use an automated document management system rave about the time it saves them. The amount of time that employees spend trying to locate information is dramatically reduced because documents can be retrieved from any computer in seconds. Can you imagine speeding your document processing time from days to mere minutes? DocuShare makes it possible by offering fast indexing of documents, emails and other files for easy search and retrieval when you need them. You simply upload your documents digitally, and the routing, versioning, sharing and collaboration of that document can happen automatically.

Easier Collaboration

Your various teams will be able to provide their input easier than ever with these new document management solutions. Web interfaces can allow your workforce and your customers to gain access to shared information at any time, from any browser—all in an easy-to-manage and intuitive environment. Content can be quickly routed to all the right stakeholders, and version tracking happens automatically. Notification and alerts can inform everyone involved when changes to a document are made or requested, or when something is approved. Everyone involved in a project stays in the know. And content rules can be applied to ensure that everything works with your current process and workflow.

Reduced Cost of Operations

Time is money. So with all the time you save your employees you are improving your efficiency and your bottom line. And just think of the additional savings you can enjoy with an automated digital document management system by simply using less paper, energy and shipping.

Having an automated way to manage documents has been proven to save businesses like yours up to 50 percent in operating costs.

More Environmentally Friendly

Everyone wants to be greener, right? Well a document management system like Docushare can increase your environmental friendliness even as it deceases your costs. Your companies carbon footprint will get smaller and smaller as you use less paper, energy, and shipping.

Reduced Risk

These improved document management systems all boast solid security, too, with multiple security levels including password protection and SSL encryption. Features like audit and event logging increase the accountability of anyone who touches a document.

In short, if you are sick of the overwhelming burdens involved with traditional document management, you owe it to yourself to investigate the latest solutions that can decrease your expenses, increase your efficiency and boost your bottom line.

To find out how much your company currently spends on print, click here for your free print assessment:

Solutions for Documents is an Authorized Xerox retailer in the Toledo, Ohio Area

Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying an Inkjet Printer

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Would it surprise you to know that printer ink is one of the most expensive materials you will ever buy?

Here is some context to situate ink in a list of expenses: Ink (used in an ink jet printer) costs $62 per ounce. An ounce of Chanel No. 5 perfume costs $23; Human Blood costs $11.83 per ounce. A sip of Dom Perignon champagne will cost you $4.76 per ounce, while Milk cashes in at $0.02 per ounce and finally Crude Oil runs at roughly $0.019 per ounce depending on the state of international trade and relations.

With these figures in mind it should not come as a surprise that printer ink is known as “black gold” and that often times buying replacement ink for your ink jet printer can cost you more than the machine itself.

The average printed page is 30 per cent covered by ink. If you are printing out over 100 pages per day for a month; at that rate you could probably go swimming in a pool of Dom and spend less than you would be on ink.

So why do people keep investing in something that is so cost inefficient?

Ink jet printers are an impractical investment and an inefficient way to spend money that could be redistributed and better spent in other areas if only a little time were taken to explore other options.

The lure of Ink Jet printers comes from the fact that the machine is so inexpensive. For $99 you are able to purchase a decent quality printer that is easy to set up, compact, and conveniently located on the corner of your desk.

Really though, that convenient little print machine is burning a hole through your wallet. Consider what many experts say: buying ink is an office operating expense that rivals utilities and your corporate mobile phone bill.

For personal use at home ink jet printers are an acceptable purchase. They will satisfy your needs for an occasional print job, a scan, or small-scale digitization of photos or files. In an office they become black holes for money and fall far short of the company needs.

Perhaps it is worth exploring some other options to find a better print for your penny by conducting an Managed Print Services assessment to find out what products are better suited to your printing needs and how to make the switch in a seamless way.

An MPS assessment is a simple way to establish the who, what, where, when and why of your office printing needs, put into place some important printing guidelines, and generally streamline office machinery. Investing in an MPS means that you will be able to consolidate many, many machines into one or two that are more environmentally friendly, more efficient, and better quality than any regular ink jet printer.

Ink printers are a massive cost with shockingly low yield rates. Putting some time and effort into exploring multiple printing options with machines that allow you to digitize, email, store and scan files as well as print them will probably be a greater asset to your company and a nice break for your checkbook.

To find out how much your business spends on print, click here for your free print assessment:

Understanding Office Equipment Warranties

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:30:00 GMT

Warranties are often simply a passing thought for busy corporate managers when purchasing office equipment. After all, warranties are all basically the same, right?

Actually, warranties can vary greatly, and can have a significant impact on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of your equipment. Before signing a purchase or lease agreement on a copier, printer or a multi-function printer (MFP) carefully review these warranty related factors:

Is the warranty for the equipment provided by the manufacturer or by a third party? Resellers or dealers will often provide their own warranty instead of the manufacturer warranty, which could have very different coverage than the manufacturer.
What criteria determine if a system must be replaced? Does the warranty specify what should happen to require system replacement? Can the customer make this request or will the supplier have to make the determination? Ask the supplier if there are some examples where a replacement system was installed for other customers, how long it took, and what happened to provoke the replacement.
Does the warranty appear in the purchase or lease agreement? While a salesperson may imply verbally that a warranty covers certain items, you must make sure that the warranty terms you expect are included in your actual contract agreement with the supplier.
Is the manufacturer warranty typical? Most manufacturer to dealer warranties are for 90 days. This warranty should be extended to the customer but you must confirm to be sure.
Will installation and maintenance be covered as well? Some providers will also include warranties for installation quality and maintenance for a period of time as part of the purchase or lease agreement. Often this can be negotiated to offset any price issues.
How many different warranties will you have to manage? If you have a variety of different models and manufacturers for printers, copiers and MFP’s at your business, it can be difficult to keep track of all the different warranties and coverage options. Instead, try to stay consistent with a particular manufacturer so that you do not have to renegotiate or review each and every warranty. Also consider reducing the overall number of devices in general, and convert as many copiers and printers as possible to MFP’s. This will save you time and money on overall print expenses as well as warranty coverage.

Warranty for office equipment may not be that important at first glance, but when these devices fail or need repair the warranty can be the determining factor for additional costs or complete replacement. Consider carefully your warranty options and perform research before making your final purchase or lease decision.

To find out how you can save up to 30% in 30 days on print costs, click here:

Solutions for Documents is an Authorized Xerox retailer in the Toledo, Ohio Area

Cut Print Costs with Smart Toner Budgeting

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:30:00 GMT

The cost of inkjet printing technology has made it a very attractive option for most small businesses. Companies are investing in inkjet technology due to the low cost, but the cost of entry shouldn’t be your only consideration. Your print environment is most likely one of the last un-audited areas of your business. A closer look at your actual costs can be an eye opening experience.

While the cost of inkjet technology looks like a great bargain on paper, many business owners are shocked to learn that replacing the toner can cost as much as the printer itself! Most toner cartridges will give you a page yield count. This is the number of pages that a cartridge will print before it needs replacing, and it’s based on some interesting assumptions. The actual page yield can be much less than you might think.

Toner Coverage Specifications

The typical OEM standard cost per page and page yield is based on a five-percent coverage. What does five-percent look like? It’s approximately two paragraphs on a standard 8 1/2 X 11 inch sheet of paper, in black text, not bolded. That doesn’t seem very typical in today’s office.

The best way to think about it is to compare toner coverage specs to gas mileage in your car. If you look at the typical MPG rating on most cars it is usually an optimistic number compared to your actual mileage. Start and stop city driving uses more gas and will usually fall far short of the MPG rating. This is pretty much the same as toner coverage. The more coverage the shorter your printer cartridge life will be and the higher your print cost.

What Many Companies Don’t Think About

Most business owners are too busy running their company to think about toner coverage, but it can be a major expense. If you are interested in controlling your print environment costs, here are a few points to consider:

• What type of documents do you produce in your office? Power Point with charts and PDF’s with pictures and images are ink hogs. Is most of your printing in color or black and white?

• Is there a lot of text on your pages? More than a paragraph or two?

• Most documents average closer to 30% coverage. If you are in the legal or graphic arts industries that number can be significantly higher.

Higher toner coverage means shorter cartridge life and higher print costs. If this all seems a bit overwhelming, it might be time to consider an MPS assessment to look at your print environment.

Managed Print Services (MPS)

An MPS company will come in and look at all of these areas to assess your actual print costs. If you can’t answer a few simple questions, it might be time to consider hiring a professional.

• Does your business have a rules based approach to printing?

• Do you know how much toner your business consumes in a year?

• By scanning office documents and evaluating your toner use can you begin to see how this is an area where you can cut costs?

A well-run Managed Print program can help you to first assess these costs, and then put in place systems to control them. By implementing office printing protocols, monitoring print use, and even re-routing jobs with higher coverage to more cost effective print devices, you can begin to control your print environment costs. In today’s challenging business climate, cost control is more important that ever. Your print environment is a great place to start saving money!

To find out how much your organization is currently spending on print, click here for your free print assessment:

The 3 C's to Choosing the Right Managed Print Provider

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:30:00 GMT

When managed print services (MPS) was introduced about a decade ago, one big draw was (and continues to be) the potential for significant cost savings in an organization. From consolidating print services to providing a central source of IT support, MPS has proven its value in countless businesses’ bottom lines – savings of up to 30% of the cost of document output, according to research released by the Gartner Group.

For the best outcomes, you should come away with a clear picture of the total cost of ownership of your print and IT resource infrastructure – measurable results that you can use as a baseline to realize year-over-year improvements.

But you have other advantages to consider when deciding on an MPS solution to foster better productivity and growth.

The Three “C”s (beyond Cost)

Consultation. You can find a “print vendor” anywhere. But a true MPS consultant takes an active interest in your enterprise and proactively suggests innovations that could help you grow your business. At the same time, the provider should realize the boundaries of budget and usage, and tailor their suggestions to ones that are feasible. The rise of mobile communications, for example, is an opportunity for your provider to assess your current IT infrastructure and outline the mobile technology that can enhance productivity while realizing cost savings.

Commitment. Managed print services is no “flavor of the month.” Instead, it’s a long-term commitment, which means the provider you choose must be ready to serve your organization today and well into the future. For your company, this translates to implementing change management programs, and training and supporting employees on new or existing equipment and work processes. Web portals, ongoing learning and an onsite print center staffed with print experts also demonstrate long-term commitment.

Carbon footprint. Proactivity is the watchword across enterprises committed to environmental sustainability. The amount of waste – in paper and ink – generated by duplication or overprinting, poorly formatted documents and lack of a centralized print workstation all contribute to the carbon footprint. Your MPS provider should have “green” best practices in place to mitigate waste: recycling programs, life cycle management and Energy Star-certified products. You can foster better habits by emphasizing simple tips like using the “m” (multiple) setting when printing slide presentations, and e-faxing instead of paper faxing whenever possible.

Cost savings and much more
An established, proven MPS company provides the technology, training and support to improve your printer fleet and ensure your employees have access to the right device – whether stationary or mobile – when they need it.

To find out how you can permanently cut your print costs by up to 30% in 30 days, click here:

Boost Organization With Print Rules

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:35:00 GMT

Time and time again, businesses have found that by having a structured and regimented process in place they are able to increase their productivity while lowering their operating costs. From manufacturer assembly lines to legal practices to retail operations there should be well defined process steps along with business rules that are established to help the company achieve its sales and profit objectives.

Surprisingly, a great deal of businesses overlook a very common business function as part of their defined processes and business rules: printing. Printing occurs in virtually every business in one form or another. The costs associated with printing can be quite astonishing. When there are no clearly defined print rules in place it is very easy for print costs to get dramatically out of control, which will diminish a company's bottom line profitability.

Some of the factors to consider relating to printing costs include:

Types of paper used
Consumables such as cartridges and toner
Number of printers, faxes, copiers and scanners including desktop devices
Age of print devices - older units are less energy efficient and require higher maintenance
Color printing, which can be as much as three times more expensive than black and white
Energy consumption
Maintenance and repair fees
Cost of downtime when a device is inoperable

Defined print rules will help your business to get more control over printing expenses while also improving overall efficiency in your office. Some examples of well executed print rules include:

Take inventory of all print devices including desktop printers, copiers, faxes, and scanners
Downsize the number of devices by consolidating into more efficient and higher quality multi-function printers (MFP's)
Review your existing print maintenance agreements and determine if it is time to revise
Set defaults on printers to use draft print quality and dual-sided printing
Authorize only selected persons to have the ability to print in color
Establish monitoring of printing with a print management policy
Review your process flow for common documents and determine if there are better ways to accomplish the task that reduce the amount of printing

By working with trained print management experts, you can identify key areas of your business where you can reduce printing costs as well as improve efficiency. For example, many MFP's can work as an electronic workflow tool where a document can be scanned and sent to the next department instead of making a copy and sending paper through interoffice mail.

Print rules are an often overlooked but a much needed part of any office optimization project. Like all business rules, they are unique to your company but can be integral in saving money while also improving productivity.

To find out how much your business spends on print, click here for your free print assessment:

Which Print Device is Right For Your Organization?

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:30:00 GMT

How many balls can your printers juggle? The very act of “juggling” will let you know whether your printer is capable of multifunction or multitasking. Every office can have peak times for printing tasks. While many printers are called “MFP” or multifunction printers, there is a relatively new breed of devices that take MFP to a new level.

Consider a busy time in your office. Someone needs to make copies while others have various types of printing tasks sent to the same device. How will your MFP handle this?

A multifunction printer will typically build up a queue and provide a “first come first serve” delivery of each task. The person making copies may have to wait until the print job completes, or if there is a paper outage the print jobs will wait even if they do not require that particular size or type of paper.

A multitask printer can allow print jobs to continue even if there is a non-required paper outage and can allow copies to be made as well. There is a great deal more intelligence built into a multitask printer so that multiple types of jobs can occur simultaneously.

To boost productivity a multitask printer is very useful when several people or departments share the same devices and have various purposes for their printers.

When deciding what type of printer will work the best for your environment consider the following criteria:

What volume of printing is expected on an average day and how much printing would take place during a peak time period?
Do you have a greater need for a copier or a printer? Note that it is typically best to acquire devices based on printer technology, even if you will be doing a lot of copying – simply because printer technology allows more flexibility and is more efficient and reliable.
The engine behind your printer can make a big difference in operating costs and overall efficiency. Drum copiers/printers can be expensive to maintain and repair, while cartridge devices are easier and less costly to maintain.

Every business is different, and determining your need for a multifunction or multitasking printer will vary based on your specific requirements. In many situations a less expensive multifunction printer may work for your office. For higher performance and more flexibility a multitasking printer could be better suited. In either situation it is best to compare your requirements to your printer before committing to any purchase or lease agreement.

To find out how your organization can cut print costs by up to 30% in 30 days, click here:

Solutions for Documents is an Authorized Xerox retailer in the Toledo, Ohio Area

Improve Office Productivity with Scan to PC Software

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:18:00 GMT

It seemed like an innocent idea. Someone in the office suggested that the company begins a green program like recycling. That prompted a discussion about paper, which then led to talks about printing and how to reduce the amount of printing in the office.

That is where the scan to PC solution began.

Offices across the country utilize printing for a variety of purposes:

Legal offices print numerous documents on behalf of clients that need to be measured for rebilling purposes
Healthcare offices print patient and employee information that must be transferred to EHR and comply with HIPAA
Real estate offices print profiles of homes to share with potential buyers as well as offers, to be shared with cooperating brokerages swiftly
Finance and accounting departments print numerous invoices, checks, purchase orders and budgets that must be properly managed and efficiently routed

All of the print purposes are valid business processes – but if you step back a moment, perhaps there is a different way to handle that will reduce paper consumption, improve printer life spans, and cut printing expenses altogether.

Scan to PC solutions take a new, fresh look at the way we use paper and present some very worthwhile alternatives that are just as secure and reliable as a paper document – in some cases even more so.

Documents that require a higher level of security such as HIPAA healthcare compliance documents or legal agreements can use scan to PC and with the right rules in place only persons with authorization can open or review the documents.
Numerous copies can be reduced to just one or two with scan to PC solutions – instead of distributing a paper copy, send the copy via email or store it on a shared network drive for easy reference.
With the advent of digital signatures, agreements and other documents requiring a signature can be signed and stored digitally, saving significant space from file cabinets.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software is enhanced so that documents can use scan to PC then deciphered and stored in many formats including PDF, Word, and Excel. This gives even greater flexibility and convenience with reduced paper storage requirements.
Multifunction printers (MFPs) are leveraged with scan to PC to improve workflows and streamline processes. Instead of printing out a document that is routed to several people for sign off, the document can instead be sent through a standard workflow system such as Microsoft Sharepoint.

Scan to PC is a great way to reduce your paper consumption, improve your office productivity, and create less wear and tear on your printers. Going green is great – but when you include reducing costs and increasing efficiency it makes even more business sense.

To find out how your business can save up to 30% in 30 days on printing, click here:

8 Tips to Consider When Buying or Leasing a New Multifunction Printer

Marvin Hamons — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:54:00 GMT

What is a Multifunction Printer?

A Multifunction Printer, often referred to as an MFP, is a device that consolidates the functionality of a printer, copier, scanner and/or fax into one machine. Multifunction Printers are becoming a common choice for budget-minded businesses that want to consolidate assets, reduce costs, and improve workflow. If also considering scanners, take a look at our list of MFPs, specifically recommended for scanning documents.

Multifunction Evaluation Considerations

To make an informed decision about what multifunction printer is right for you, you need to ask the right questions. Here are the eight things you must know before you buy a multifunction printer.

1. Know your requirements
Understand what you need the multifunction printer to do for you and your end users. Beyond printing and copying, how do you want to use the MFP to help manage documents, reduce paper, simplify workflow, manage forms, etc? How many copy, print, fax, scan, and email jobs will you run each day? How many users will share the device? Will you need it to be color capable? There are a number of requirements to consider. Our Multifunction Buyer's Guide (PDF) can help you further define your requirements.

2. Know the Total Cost of Operation (TCO) and Cost/Value benefits
When evaluating a multifunction printer, beware of looking only at the cost of the initial hardware. There are a number of other factors to consider, including the cost of supplies. Once ink costs are taken into consideration, inkjet multifunction printers, initially perceived as being low cost, often turn out to have an equivalent or higher TCO than the higher performing laser and solid ink multifunction printers. TCO can also increase significantly for devices that are hard to use and maintain, unreliable, or lack the features and capability to efficiently and effectively produce the results you need.

Your multifunction printer can become a useful asset in managing and controlling costs for printing and imaging, and can also add new capabilities to your organization if you choose wisely. Consider how MFPs can address total cost of ownership for printing and imaging assets, better consolidate and improve management of resources across the organization, and improve business process efficiency.

3. Know how easy it is to connect to an existing network
Consider how easily the system will integrate with your existing network. Is it easy to deploy? Does it require minimal start-up training? Does it come with software or wizards to guide you through installation, troubleshooting, and upgrading?

4. Know its multitasking abilities
Look for a multifunction printer that can truly multi-task. Can users access each function they need, even if other functions are already in use? Be aware that some products, such as All-in-Ones (AiOs), offer multiple functions all in one device, but can't multi-task, so they cannot deliver all the functions of a multifunction printer concurrently so you may risk downtime due to bottlenecks at the device.

5. Know its bi-directional communication capabilities
A failure to communicate timely and accurate information to users and IT administrators on the status of jobs, queues, and devices will result in more intervention by you and your staff to solve, prevent or anticipate problems. Solid bi-directional communication, both at the device and across the network is essential to keeping a product running consistently. Look for print job and device status capabilities from the desktop and the ability to view all job queues at the device and across the network.

6. Know the available device management, remote intelligence, and support
Consider the vendor's commitment to providing robust device and fleet management tools and utilities. This is something you may want now or in the future. Look for device relationship management software that optimizes the device's availability and uptime. Does the vendor provide superior response time and provide consistent quality of service? You want to trust your multifunction printer will stay up and running to ensure you have an efficient and productive office.

7. Know whether it provides the level of security and confidentiality you need
Does the device offer the appropriate level of security for your business? Is it scaleable to provide more security if your needs change? Does the system come equipped with full system security built in as a standard option or is the security only available for single system components that are sold as options?

8. Know what software and solutions are available
Understand what compatible software and solutions are available from the vendor, as well as their solution partners.

Multifunction printers can help you streamline duplicate and cumbersome document processes and electronically organize, edit and archive your paper documents. With an MFP and a simple software application you can turn paper documents into an electronic format and send to multiple destinations - email, document repositories, network folders, mobile printing, even remote printers - with a single scan. An MFP that can multi-task effectively can enhance your document workflow and help reduce print costs.

Learn more about Xerox Multifunction Products

Xerox WorkCentre multifunction products offer you the perfect balance of functionality and value if you need to copy, print, scan, and fax. And with color enabled models, you can inexpensively copy, print, and scan color documents.

Click here to find out how much your business spends on print with our free print assessment