MFP Copier Blog

SCAN 2 EMAIL IS DYING ALONG WITH SCAN TO FOLDER! 

Your customers want more options. 

“Gartner expects 33% of all office system users to use cloud by 2017.”

Microsoft reckons it has seen a 150 per cent increase in the number of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) adopting Office 365 in the last year. Consequently, old ‘scan to email’ functionalities will have to be updated, providing a unique chance for you to sell additional services. Uptake of other cloud solutions is also large. Research from Gartner concludes that only 11% of large enterprises have no plans at all to deploy cloud solutions in 2014.

This means that demand for solutions that connect scanners to the cloud will continue to rise in the next years. More and more users wonder why you need a server to upload a scan to the cloud.

Do you have the solution?

Everything changes....more and more I'm seeing SMB accounts that want Scan OPTIONS other than Scan2email and Scan2folder.  For most of my SMB accounts, the likes of NSI and Ecopy is not an option.  It's just too much work on their end if they want to scan to MS 365 or SharePoint, plus it's a lot of work on my end also.

I agree, with larger accounts, and especially those with IT departments that NSI and Ecopy are viable options. But, what about those "down the street" accounts that have 5-25 employees?  Are they willing to pay for Professional Services, IT Block Time, software and then go through the grind of gathering all of the information that is required for just developing a quote?

Most of you know that I'm a BIG fan of Udocx.  Why, because it offers an inexpensive solution that can differentiate me and you from the competition. It can help you win the deal. Plus, it not expensive.

Fenestrae is actively seeking dealers of their Udocx solution. It's great opportunity for all dealers and especially dealers that aren't selling Ecopy or NSI.

With Fenestrae Udocx you:

• Add value/generate revenue from scanning
• Differentiate yourself from your competitors
• Avoid vendor lock-in

Udocx is:

• Perfect for multi-fleet environments
• 100% cloud based
• Future proof and quickly developing

As partner you get:

• Free cloud solutions sales training
• Free NFR/demo version
• Attractive margin
• Active sales support from dedicated partner manager

Those that are interested in a demonstration and/or further details can register on http://www.udocx.com/become-partner

The IT security community has faced a challenging, uphill battle when it comes to modern data and communications protection, especially as hackers become more diverse and complex in their tactics. Regardless of industry or region, virtually every organization is at risk of experiencing some form of security incident, data exposure, theft or fraud, as cybercriminals have stopped discriminating and started targeting all types of information.

While one might think that the IT professionals working in the average organization are well aware of threats and are following the best practices to avoid them, studies indicate that a relatively apathy remains among various employees and decision-makers. The first step is to recognize the importance of strong security, then begin to implement the necessary tools to manage risk proactively, such as email encryption and advanced data center protection solutions.

Lack of encryption is widespread
IT Pro Portal reported that a survey taken at the recent Infosecurity Europe conference revealed that a high volume of technology workers are failing to consistently encrypt data and emails before sending them to various parties. Although the security landscape is highly complex and the discussion of best practices can yield a variety of arguments, most experts agree that encryption is a critical aspect of protection.

According to the news provider, more than one-third of the 200 IT professionals who participated in the survey stated that they do not encrypt emails or data that is traveling through other channels, meaning that the sensitive information contained therein is at even greater risk of exposure, theft and loss. Encryption can help to ensure that, even when a hacker gets his or her hands on a sensitive file, he or she will not be able to access the information.

The source cited the comments of analyst Bob Tarzey of research firm Quocirca, who stated that most professionals likely understand the importance of encryption, but do not follow through.

Encryption made easy
Some decision-makers might be thinking that encryption is simply outside of their area of expertise, and that their organizations are not technologically advanced or savvy enough to implement these tools. However, encryption software has become exceedingly intuitive in the past few years, allowing companies with even the least amount of technological prowess to swiftly deploy and use the tools for all types of communications, file transfers and data storage purposes.

David Bailey is Senior Vice President at Protected Trust. 

Protected Trust is a sponsor of the Print4Pay Hotel. I urge members and readers to visit their site to see their full line of products and services.  More and more we need to provide well rounded strategic solutions for our customers. Protected Trust offers some unique solutions that can help us in our day to day efforts. Check them out here.

-=Good Selling=-

I'm excited to re-post this blog from Larry Levine.  Larry and I met about three years or was it four years ago at a National Ricoh event.  Larry has been a Print4Pay Hotel member for 7 years!  When I think about who I want to emulate in this industry, it is Larry!  Enjoy his blog and I hope he has many more to come.

I never thought after 26 years in the crazy world sales I would be in a position to share my thoughts via social media. Oh how times have changed. The most important thing I have learned through my success and failures in sales is this...... "People buy from people".

Think about this for a moment and let it sink in.

It has always been my goal to center my complete attention around my prospective client. When salespeople make it about themselves the game is over. The more you know about your prospect the more likely you will find areas to help improve their situation.

Successes come from having pure business conversations. Lets take all the sales fluff, sales jargon and industry buzzwords out of conversations and focus on understanding what keeps our prospective client up at night.

Intelligent conversation goes a long way in getting to know someone. The more you know the more you can show how you can help. This is fairly simple. We operate in a warp-speed, instant gratification environment. It takes patience to slow down the sales process and get to know someone.

Slowing down the sales process, taking the time and effort to formulate a solid plan goes a long way to more wins than losses.

In my opinion this is what separates a true sales professional from an average salesperson.

Simple ideas to incorporate. Good luck and good selling.

About Larry Levine, I like to incorporate influential strategies to gain visibility and control of documents which leads to cost control and improved security. You can follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

So, not much in the news for this week back in 2004.  In the threads below, there is a reference to the Connectivity CafÉ.  This was a Ricoh web tool that would allow to configure the MFPs.  It was fantastic and we used it all of the time to stop configuration mistakes.  I think in 08 or 09 Ricoh abandoned it and we were left to reading all of the foot notes to configure our devices.  Boy, did I make a lot of config errors.  Just a few months ago, Ricoh finally intro'd a new configuration for the MFP's.  I glad they did. NO more mistakes!!

Xerox M20i

          7/15/04 4:58 PM

 

          Topic by Deanw

          Anyone know about this machine. We are proposing Savin 4018d & 3515MF vs. it. Xerox selling for $2450. Dirt cheap for the features but looks an awfull lot like a samsung to me. Any input would be great!

 

Ricoh 470W vs The Competition

          7/16/04 5:03 PM

 

          Topic by Guest

          See the uploaded Excel SpreadsheetArt

 

Sharp Adds Unique Advanced Finishing

          7/19/04 6:37 PM

 

          Topic by Guest

Sharp Adds Unique Advanced Finishing To Workgroup MFP Models New AR-F14 Saddle-Stitch Finisher Complements Sharp's Highly Successful AR-M237 and AR-M277 Digital Imagers MAHWAH, N.J., July 19, 2004 - Sharp Document Solutions Company of America introduced

 

Canon's Three New Scanners

          7/19/04 6:38 PM

 

          Topic by Guest

          result of continued research of existing and potential customers," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. "With features including the Z-Lid(TM

 

Øystein De Lumeau

p4p newbie

 

RE: 4035e & 4045e finisher & 1 bin

          7/20/04 9:31 PM

 

          Reply by Guest

          if you go to ricoh's website there is whats called connectivity cafe which will show all available configurations for all models

 

RE: 2045e and mailbox cs360

          7/21/04 6:08 AM

 

          Reply by Anders And

          waiting by the machine. You can order a kit from RICOH for the CS360 that modifies connections, firmware, etc. It works ok, except for some small details, like the color; AF350/450 brown-greyish (

 

New imageRUNNER 1630/1670F

          7/14/04 8:18 PM

 

          Topic by Guest

          )--July 14, 2004--Canon U.S.A. Inc., the nation's market share brand leader in black-and-white and color laser copier/printer solutions(1), today launched the imageRUNNER(TM) 1630/1670F line of multifunctional products (MFPs). The new imageRUNNER

 

Aficio 240W Scantool

          7/19/04 1:57 PM

 

          Topic by Wallin Team

          quality.  I think Ricoh has finally got it right!

 

Democrats, Republicans Agree:

          7/20/04 8:18 AM

 

          Topic by Guest

          Democrats, Republicans Agree: Xerox is Top Choice for Document Technology, Services Tuesday July 20, 8:00 am ET ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 2004--Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX - News) has been selected to produce and manage more than

 

Susumu "Sam" Ichioka

          7/22/04 9:04 AM

 

          Topic by Guest

          At its recent shareholdersmeeting in Tokyo, Japan, Ricoh Company Ltd., the parent company of Ricoh Corporation, announced that Susumu "Sam" Ichioka has been appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ricoh Corporation. Mr. Ichioka has served asvice

 

Saxon Business Systems, Miami Lakes, Fla.,

          7/22/04 9:05 AM

 

          Topic by Guest

          , Ricoh is pleased to present Florio with the third annual Renaissance award," said Tom Salierno, president of Ricoh U.S., a division of Ricoh Corp. "Mr. Abbate and Saxon Business Systems have impressed everyone at Ricoh with their achievements in every

 

RE: 470W PM schedule

          7/16/04 3:29 PM

 

          Reply by bandit41076

          if you need the B010 tech manual, let me know at shea.vara-heck@ricoh-usa.com, or I can hard copy fax you the PM pages.

 

RE: Leads in California

          7/21/04 7:43 AM

 

          Reply by Boston Mike

          potential opportunity to provide - products and services to support increased sales activities - services to support increased business development activities PARTNERS none stated PEOPLE Patrick Franklin President and Chief Executive Officer Robert C

 

RE: What the deal withthe new faxes?

          7/22/04 4:16 PM

 

          Reply by Guest

          It is a little strange. Ricoh has 2 new faxes, the 1170L and the 2210L. They dont show anything at all on their web site about them, no photos no nothing. Gestetner on the other hand has 2 new faxes on their site, the F250 and F270. And they dont look

 

 

-=Good Selling=-

 

 

There is no denying that the average health care organization is becoming far more digitally centric with the passing of each year, driven by the rapid proliferation of new tools and trends that set the bar higher for each competitor in the field. Although one could argue that cloud computing and mobility are the two most challenging, yet advantageous trends and technologies entering into the modern hospital, leaving big data out of this discussion would be impossible.

Cloud computing has enabled medical organizations to deploy a wider range of technologies than ever before and at a far lower cost, improving the flexibility and interoperability of systems in a rapidly shifting market. Mobility has had significantly positive impacts on the average health care provider as well, helping to bolster the efficiency of operations, boost engagement among staff members and ensure optimal patient care.

Big data, though, is working at a far higher scale, as officials in medical-related agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stressed the importance of using these tools to improve population health management. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has already begun using big data tools as well for similar purposes, and this is helping to streamline the average employee's experience over time.

With all three of these innovative and breakthrough trends, the implication related to security and regulatory compliance are significant, and studies have indicated that the average medical organization is still somewhat behind the curve when it comes to safeguarding these investments. Cloud and mobility can be difficult to secure, but big data - because of its sheer size, speed and novelty - might be the hardest to protect without the right knowledge and solutions.

The experts' take
International Data Corporation, one of the leading research and industry-watching firms in the world, recently released a report from its Health Insights division meant to highlight some of the challenges of big data and analytics in the medical industry and how to best overcome them. The result of the project was the creation of an information management framework that can be highly useful for any health care organization to reference when developing big data strategies.

First, IDC Health Insights explained that the use of big data technologies is currently one of the best ways to overcome some of the complexities that are facing the medical sector, specifically those related to resource shortfalls, chronic diseases, an older population and continued stringency in regulations. However, it is clear that big data comes with significant challenges by way of privacy protection and security.

After all, while this report specifically targeted European health care providers, those in the United States must maintain compliance with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. Because the average big data strategy will pull information from a wide range of channels, everything from HIPAA email to general encryption practices and data center management must be considered from the outset of the initiative.
According to IDC, the framework its analysts have created break down into three critical branches of management - business strategy, information governance and enterprise information architecture - each of which will need to be tight to ensure security and positive outcomes from big data programs.

"Healthcare providers can overcome the business and technology challenges to effectively share patient information in an integrated care paradigm only with a consistent strategy and a thorough implementation approach," Silvia Piai, EMEA research manager, IDC Health Insights, affirmed. "In this sense, leveraging the BDA opportunity will require healthcare executives to plan for an end-to-end information management strategy that takes into consideration overall business objectives, new process technology, and organization aspects described in this methodology."
Parties who are interested in learning more about the smaller, yet similarly important aspects that go into big data analytics programs in health care can reference IDC's main website for more information.

Baby steps
Big data might not be the best next investment for a health care provider that has already started to struggle with information governance, regulatory compliance and security, as it can quickly strain the systems in place to manage files and records. Decision-makers in this sector should first work to ensure that all of their policies, procedures and technologies are at the highest level of security and efficiency, then begin to evaluate whether big data can be accurately, safely and affordably implemented.

At the end of the day, health care providers should never completely balk at big data, but should instead become a bit more progressive and aggressive in their strategies to get these projects underway quickly and securely. By using data center, email encryption and other security services provided by a reliable vendor that is well-versed in compliance, analytics programs can be launched more quickly.

David Bailey is Senior Vice President at Protected Trust. 

Protected Trust is a sponsor of the Print4Pay Hotel. I urge members and readers to visit their site to see their full line of products and services.  More and more we need to provide well rounded strategic solutions for our customers. Protected Trust offers some unique solutions that can help us in our day to day efforts. Check them out here.

-=Good Selling=-

Tick Tock went the commission clock.

No paperwork to be omitted at all.

Tick Tock went the commission clock.

Telling the sales time left for all.

Tick Tock went the commission clock.

It’s time for that last deal to be sold.

Tick tock went the commission clock.

A complete order is a sight to behold.

Tick tock went the commission clock.

Will my last order hit the deadline in time?

Tick tock went the commission clock.

If it doesn’t, then it outta be a crime!

Tick tock went the commission clock.

Maybe last deal won’t count for the checkered flag.

Tick tock went the commission clock.

Maybe the time is right to consider doing the sand bag.

Tick tock, tick tock went the commission clock.

-=Good Selling=-

Well, it's new for those of us that sell the Ricoh product line. We had heard rumors on the Print4Pay Hotel forums for a few months that Ricoh was going to launch and envelope printer.  Rumor had it, that the print engine was going to be the same that is used in the Xante Impressia. I had reported many months ago that the Ricoh SP C831dn printer is awesome for producing full color envelopes. 

I placed two of these systems into a print4pay environment and had about 7 or 8 demonstrations in total.  The major drawbacks was that the SP C831dn did not have a Pre Press Workflow, and there is no option for an envelope feeder and conveyor exit.  Thus, we had to work within the existing postscript print driver and jury rig #10 envelopes so they can print from the paper trays.  The by-pass tray was not a problem to configure, but a little tough tell someone they could only stack 30 or so envelopes at a time.

On Monday, a fellow Print4Pay Hotel member posted that he was on the Aficio League (Infocenter) and the documentation was posting with the pricing and the brochure.  Of course, I was on the site in a flash!!

I'm extremely excited about having this product available to sell.  Personally, I believe that having this type of system presents endless opportunities to grow the production print side of the business.

Over the years, I've seen more local type print shops disappear from my territory.  The weaker shops have disappeared, and the stronger shops are making investments to upgrade their technology to all digital shops.  The Ricoh Color Envelope Printer allows us to place an entry level device that may lead to larger color and black production systems.

Thus, if you have access to the Ricoh infocenter, the information is there for pricing, along with the brochure. If you want to download the brochure you can go here.  I'll have many more questions about this product, however, I'll wait for the official launch.  Once you've downloaded the brochure, I'm sure you'll have your fair share of questions also.  Please post the questions here so our community can give their thoughts!

-=Good Selling=-

Data breaches have become some of the more dangerous and frequent threats to corporate continuity in the past few years, as many organizations have struggled to either avoid or recovery from major instances of information loss and exposure. In many cases, the biggest problem is a complete lack of focus and motivation among leaders to modernize their IT security frameworks and deter the more common causes of security incidents.

What's more, hackers and cybercriminals seem to become more sophisticated and broad-reaching with the passing of each year, putting virtually every industry at risk of these attacks. While all sectors have to take steps to ensure the integrity of their systems, data and general security integrity, the health care and financial services industries are under specifically stringent regulations with respect to privacy protection and fraud prevention.

As such, organizations in these industries must become a bit more proactive and comprehensive in their planning and management of IT security, incorporating everything from email encryption solutions to general database protection before a threat ever strikes. When looking for a good example of an industry that is scrambling to boost data security while also swiftly deploying new digitally driven strategies, retail is a good place to start.

The retail dilemma
Retailers are under similar compliance requirements to companies in the financial services sector, notably the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, which cover all entities that manage bank information. Retailers have also been some of the worst performers in the protection of their own information and consumer data, as evidenced by the Target breach and countless others that have struck in the past year.

CIO Magazine recently affirmed that wholly online retailers might be going about security investments and deployments in the wrong way altogether, and this has actually emerged as a trending conversation among experts and analysts. Studies indicate that retailers, much like other businesses, have increased their spending in IT security and actually pushed the majority of their technology expenditures toward protection.

However, more breaches continue to strike the American private sector, indicating that these investments are simply not getting the job done. According to the news provider, whereas traditional controls are taking up much of the new budget allocations, experts from the Ponemon Institute conducted a study that revealed how costly SQL injection attacks have become.

As a note, SQL injections are essentially characterized by the attack of data storage applications through malicious code, while this is believed to have been the cause of the Target breach. The source explained that the researchers believe retailers must increase their abilities to monitor networks and systems at all times to avoid these types of attacks, or at least contain them once they strike.

With that said, perhaps the biggest problem is a one-dimensional approach to security on behalf of companies in this industry. Rather than putting all the chips on one color, the most effective strategy is often to spread around the spending and make sure all vulnerabilities are covered.

When the breach strikes
First, it is important to remember that the best defense in the IT security arena is a strong offense, and that companies will face much more complex issues when a breach occurs compared to the challenges of avoiding the incidents entirely. However, it is impossible to be completely outside of the risk pool, and having contingencies in place to swiftly respond to an incident is a key components of the overall plan.

Businesses should always follow compliance requirements and keep up with the evolving notification standards that are in place to minimize damages in the event of a breach.

David Bailey is Senior Vice President at Protected Trust.  Protected Trust is a sponsor of the Print4Pay Hotel. I urge members and readers to visit their site to see their full line of products and services.  More and more we need to provide well rounded strategic solutions for our customers. Protected Trust offers some unique solutions that can help us in our day to day efforts. Check them out here.

-=Good Selling=-

I posted this a few years ago and thought it would be a good read for those of us in the trenches every day. Enjoy!!

I'm watching the Met game tonight and I'm hearing that a pitcher for the Tigers is about to throw another perfect game, that would be #3 this year!

You just don't hear of that many being thrown let alone being at a game where one is thrown. My son and I was able to see David Wells perfect game at Yankee Stadium many years ago,  it was the thrill of a life time for the two of us.

I tuned into  ESPN to see if they've got the game covered, I watching.... and the last batter grounds out to the first baseman he flips to the pitcher covering the bag and he's out, no wait he's safe!!1 The umpire clearly blew the call! My first thought is that this kid will probably never ever come that close again in his career. What a shame, a blown call takes away a perfect game.

It just goes to show you that nothing is given, even if it's earned. Many years ago I had demo'd a duplicator at a print shop in Trenton, NJ. The duplicator performed everything that it needed to do. I had the lease prepared for the buyer, handed him the pen, the prospect was just ready to put the ink on paper and then my boss (who was with me), asked the buyer a question, the buyer obliged and answered the question.

What happened next you might ask, well my boss blew the order! We were never able to get back to that closing point and the print shop never did buy the duplicator. From that day forward, I never ever let him go with me on any future closing calls of demos.

Like I said, sometimes even if you EARN the order, you still might have it stripped away from you because of something that's out of your control.

Armando, I feel for you!

-=Good Selling=-