FEATURE: DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
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Remember that large
plastic box that occupied
a huge space in the corner
of your office? All it did
was print documents and
nothing more. Now leading
vendors offer advanced
printing solutions that
incorporate state-of-the-
art features bringing high-
levels of functionality to
your fingertips.
A
t one time printers just
printed; that’s all they did.
Now in the age of the internet
connectivity and ubiquitous
cloud services they do much more. They are
nothing less than another powerful device
with a range of highly specialist functions,
that meet the expectations of customers
that have been transformed with the
development of digital technology. Printers
play a crucial role in the digital workplace
and nowadays they offer apps, true mobile
access and increased security.
We asked Pui-Chi Li, Head of Marketing,
Xerox MEA, about the latest developments in
the sector.
How is the role of printers
changing in today digital
environment?
While at first the printing industry may seem
to be at odds with the exponential growth
of digitisation, it is in fact an essential part
of the office ecosystem. Developments have
meant that we have not only embraced
this trend, we have looked at how we can
help our customers to face the challenge
of digitisation in their own business. Xerox
commissioned a study of 600 IT decision-
makers and influencers, the desire to
transform to a digital rather than paper-
based enterprise is clear and strong but, for
most, it is still out of reach. By implementing
ever-smarter tool sets on devices to help
streamline work processes, offering apps,
which allow truly mobile access, increased
security and analytics, optimised workflow;
printers continue to play a key role in the
digital environment.
Have printers moved away from
being devices to becoming
workplace assistants?
Yes they have, Xerox for example introduced
29 new ConnectKey®-enabled printers
and multifunction devices that transform
traditional printing devices into smart,
connected workplace assistants. The
ConnectKey printers and multifunction
devices are cloud ready with one-touch
access to the cloud services like Dropbox,
Google Drive or Office 365. They are also
mobile friendly, making the job of printing
from your mobile devices quick and easy.
How is the role of the
printer changing from
being just a machine to a
connected device?
How the humble
printer has become
your personal assistant
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INTELLIGENTCIO
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