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magazine
The needs of end users and the priorities
of those making office IT purchasing
decisions are out of kilter and could limit
the benefits of any investment in new
IT, RS Consulting warns in a new report,
Canon Office Insights 2013
.
The pan-European study based on a
survey of 1,671 end users/decision-makers
and 60 in-depth interviews also highlights
a disconnect between the priorities of end
users and the marketing focus of printer
vendors, particularly in relation to security.
Despite predictions about the decline
of printing, Canon’s survey shows that
printing remains essential to Europe’s
office workers, 77% of whom regularly use
a printer at work, 64% an MFP and 55%
a copier.
More than three quarters (78%) of
respondents say being able to print is very
important or essential; and two thirds use
their printer several times a day. Almost
one in three (30%) believes they would
not be able to do their job without access
to a printer or MFP.
These findings are reflected in the
amount of printing still being done in
European organisations. More than four
out of 10 respondents (42%) say they are
printing more often now than three years
ago: just 29% are printing less often. The
respective figures for copying are 36%
and 32%.
This suggests that printing frequency
is on the rise, albeit with the caveat that
the survey was carried out in 2012 and
respondents were asked to compare
current printing habits to those of 2009
when EU GDP fell by more than 4%.
The rise in scanning is even more
pronounced, with 58% scanning more often
than three years ago, compared to 17%
who say they scan less often. This reflects
an unmistakeable trend for electronic
workflows as organisations seek to reduce
their reliance on paper-based processes.
When asked to predict their level of
printer and MFP use three years from now
(i.e. printer, copier and/or scanner use),
half said they expected to use the devices
‘as much as’, 35% ‘more than’ and 15%
‘less than’ today.
Despite the continued importance of
printed output and the frequency with
which office workers print, there is clear
evidence that end users are not making
the most of their employers’ investment
in IT, with just one in four claiming to
understand the full capabilities of their
office equipment. This, says Canon, shows
that businesses need to devote more
attention to end user training.
Purchasing considerations
When it comes to choosing a printer,
cost (34%), reliability (20%) and output
quality (18%) are still the most important
considerations.
Despite the emphasis given to the
subject by print vendors, document
security is cited as the dominant factor
by just 4% of respondents. Underlining
its low priority, more than three quarters
(78%) of organisations that work with
confidential or sensitive documents print
them on devices accessible to others.
Mobile printing, the other great area
of focus for MFP vendors, is of more
interest to end users and decision-
makers alike, with 39% of respondents
valuing the ability to print directly from a
smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Two out of five might seem low, but
it still represents a large proportion of all
mobile device users: 51% of respondents
regularly use a laptop; 37% regularly use
a smartphone; and 16% regularly use a
tablet.
Clearly, mobile printing is desirable for
those whose role requires them to work
away from their desk at some point during
the working week. As more businesses
adopt flexible working policies, it is likely
to become ever more important.
Interestingly, respondents expressed
a clear preference for using tablets and
smartphones supplied by their employer
rather than bringing in their own mobile
devices (BYOD) to enable mobile and
flexible working.
MFPs
A state of flux
Are you giving your employees the print solutions they need to do their job properly?
Possibly not if the latest Canon Office Insights report is to be believed.
This was most pronounced amongst
laptop users, with 54% finding the idea of
using a personal laptop in the workplace
either not very or not at all attractive,
compared to 31% who think it very or
somewhat attractive. Respective figures
for tablets were 39% and 23%, and for
smartphones 46% and 26%.
Conclusion
Document processes in offices are in a
transitional phase. Businesses are clearly
implementing more electronic workflows,
reflected in a big increase in scanning on
MFPs. Yet, they still depend on hard copy
output, with the number of organisations
printing and even copying more often
than three years outnumbering those who
are printing/copying less often.
Canon Office Insights 2013
suggests
that decision-makers have been slow
to react to these changes. Purchasing
criteria have not evolved to take into
account the position of MFPs at the hub
of electronic and paper-based document
workflows, particularly in relation to
document security. Nor are businesses
providing employees with the training
that will enable them to make best use of
multifunction devices.
As flexible working practices and
mobile working take root, businesses
will need to assess their security policies
and equip users with the knowledge that
will enable them to work efficiently and
securely whether they are in the office or
at a remote location.
www.canon.co.uk
Canon’s
survey shows
that printing
remains
essential
to Europe’s
office
workers...