Despite expectations of its demise, our affinity with the printed page means that it continues to fight its corner in today's rapidly evolving mobile workplace. However, the future of office printing relies on keeping pace with the digital world. Tomorrow's "less-paper" office will remain a hybrid paper and digital workplace. The most effective organisations in 2014 will be those that automate paper intensive processes, integrate paper with digital workflows and completely eliminate wasteful printing.
So what trends will shape the printing landscape in 2014?
- Managed Print Services (MPS) grow up. 2014 will see stronger competition with each vendor looking to capture bigger slices of the MPS pie. MPS has reached maturity in the enterprise, and businesses will look to gain greater business value from MPS engagements. Intelligent print management will become a key enabler for MPS as next generation contracts look to address broader document security, sustainability and information management needs. As software plays a stronger role in MPS contracts, enterprises will evaluate cloud infrastructure capabilities. MPS providers that lack a strong cloud MPS play within their software portfolio will be at a disadvantage given the broader acceptance of cloud services amongst enterprises of all sizes.
- Cloud document workflow through Smart MFPs (multifunction peripherals) catches on. The growing acceptance of cloud services such as Box, DropBox, SkyDrive Pro and Sharepoint will create new opportunities for the new breed of cloud-enabled MFPs. These devices will enable businesses to scan and store documents in the cloud, promising to reinvent the MFP as a true cloud document collaboration and workflow tool. When leveraged within MPS contracts, smart MFPs can play a vital role in the transition from paper to digital workflows. 2014 will see more devices released with scan-to-cloud capabilities, which will pave the way for broader adoption of MFP document capture and storage in the cloud.