Print.IT Reseller - issue 50

01732 759725 4 BULLETIN Office Monster makes the shortlist Office Monster, the service-led, online office supplier, has been announced as just one of five companies to be shortlisted in the Fastest Growth category of the Yorkshire Business Masters awards. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds on April 26. Office Monster has gone from start-up to a business that reported a turnover of more than £1 million in just four years, employing seven full- time staff and investing no less than £100,000 in the last twelve months. www.officemonster.co.uk In brief UK councils missing out on efficiency gains Local councils are missing out on efficiency gains according to the findings of a new Freedom of Information request, which discovered that councils are only deploying productivity-boosting software in certain departments. Y Soft Corporation, which requested the information, sought to discover how councils are currently using technology to improve efficiencies, as well as what their future investment plans are. The FoI request found that whilst 71% of councils currently use workflow tools to digitise scanned documents in some capacity, these workflows are only being deployed in specific council departments and aren’t being used across the board. www.ysoft.com Office workers frustrated New research from M-Files has revealed that a third of office workers are frustrated when it comes to searching for information, which is driving many to circumvent the IT department and use their own file-sharing apps. 31% of employees find looking for documents across their company IT systems a ‘difficult’ or ‘frustrating’ experience, with 42% stating that it can take as long as fifteen minutes to locate a single document or file, leading to dissatisfaction in the workplace and poor levels of productivity. Because of these challenges, a significant proportion of respondents are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to document management. The research found that 40% of employees are turning to personal file-sharing solutions that are outside of the corporate firewall and beyond the IT department’s control, in order to do their jobs. www.m-files.com Cybersecurity, cloud and connectivity British businesses are prioritising investment in cybersecurity, cloud computing and connectivity in 2018 as they seek to build stronger and more resilient businesses, according to new research from Beaming, the business ISP. Improving cybersecurity is the biggest area of focus for IT investment in 2018, with almost half of businesses surveyed planning to spend more in this area during 2018. Medium and large companies will invest in cybersecurity at the greatest rate. 46% of British businesses plan to invest in cloud computing services this year. More than a third of respondents said they would invest in connectivity during 2018. www.beaming.co.uk Print Show 2018 The Print Show has announced details of a special open day on April 11 that will allow guests that include exhibitors current and prospective, as well as the trade press and industry bodies, to take in some of London’s most famous landmarks and find out more about what is in store at this year’s exhibition. The Print Show will set sail down London’s River Thames at a special event that will feature input from the organising team, as well as talks from financial experts on how to best prepare for Brexit. The organisers have announced a raft of new signings for this year’s event which takes place at the NEC, September 18 to 20. With a number of major brands already on board, including the likes of HP, Vivid Laminating, Hybrid Services (Mimaki), CMYUK, Renz and Premier Paper, the exhibitor list now features a number of new names. www.theprintshow.co.uk NEC complete acquisition NEC has announced the acquisition of S[quadrat], a leading provider of high end LED display systems, as the company looks to expand its display technology portfolio to include complete LED systems for indoor (fine pitch) and outdoor solutions, designed and engineered in Germany. The acquisition will enable NEC to integrate and further develop its LED solutions and continue to develop its professional services and additional support capabilities. By providing a total package of full-service offerings along with its premium display technology NEC can offer end-to-end visualisation services to its customers. www.nec-display-solutions.com ProcessFlows boosts portfolio ProcessFlows is strengthening its portfolio with the addition of two more of Nuance’s print management solutions, AutoStore and Output Manager. The solutions, whether combined or singular, have the potential to bring organisations in line with compliance regulations while also enabling departments to cut costs and increase efficiency. AutoStore does this via documents processing automation, while Output Manager is a secure print management solution. www.processflows.co.uk Office Monster: Steve Hanley & Ryan Ward