PRINTITRESELLER.UK 45 VOX POP One thing that’s certainly going to be interesting to observe is how channel acquisitions pan out in 2024. There’s been a strong increase in the ecosystem across Europe, and it shows no signs of slowing down implement an IT strategy that embraces positive environmental outcomes alongside other business goals like improving collaboration, security, and streamlining workflows. Organisations are looking for singlesource partners who can offer a unified suite of services – they want to work with partners who can demonstrate a firm commitment to corporate social responsibility and are making tangible progress towards their own sustainability targets. Managed service providers, like Kyocera Document Solutions UK, will lend their expertise to other businesses to assist in the adoption of new ways of working, to achieve cost savings through technology, and to provide business leaders peace of mind. Cyber-resilience remains a top priority for all. Spend on IT and security solutions is growing despite economic uncertainty and an apparent reluctance to invest in newer areas. Edge computing will also see a significant rise in investment in the next few years. Real-time analysis and data management advancements will lead to improvements in efficiency and productivity. The minimisation of network latency will also enable quicker responses. Another emerging tech trend is business process automation. Today’s AI advancements with machine learning will result in more adaptable and autonomous systems, facilitating increased growth in many sectors. Could we be about to witness a wide-ranging transformation of the workplace, with normal tasks simplified by AI and challenging projects becoming more achievable? www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk Steve Holmes, Head of Global Sales & Channels/EMEA GM, PaperCut: I think the print and IT sectors entered 2023 with quiet optimism. For sure, the first quarter was as challenging as expected economically – compounded by the slowdown across Silicon Valley and the tech sector which created ripples everywhere – but even allowing for that, the ‘green shoots of recovery’ did appear briefly, as reflected in a broader market turnaround in the second half of 2023. Meanwhile, in the year that PaperCut celebrated its 25th anniversary, we enjoyed strong positive growth as customers renewed and extended their MPS contracts, and we maintained our loyal partner base. We were also cheered by the news that PaperCut was named IDC market share leader for the third-year running. As we look toward 2024 though, there’s a sense of deja vu; we predicted 2023 would have an uncertain start to the year, but with the current geopolitical and economic situation, we think that uncertainty may also slip into the first half of 2024. However, we’re encouraged to see that the chip crisis is almost over. This means that the production of printers and MFPs is now meeting market demand, and what’s good for hardware demand often fuels demand for print software solutions. Additionally, we anticipate that the move to cloud-based print will continue as organisations of all sizes work to simplify their internal IT, services and applications; this will be positive for vendors offering cloud-based print solutions and services. One thing that’s certainly going to be interesting to observe is how channel acquisitions pan out in 2024. There’s been a strong increase in the ecosystem across Europe, and it shows no signs of slowing down. This has created some very large independent resellers who are bigger than some OEM operating companies themselves. This could lead us to speculate… is OEM consolidation on the cards next year? Meanwhile, it’s exciting to see that the transition to cloud continues to pick up pace. We’re now observing how yesterday’s ‘cloud first’ organisations are becoming ‘cloud only’ organisations, and we’re seeing customers who weren’t embracing cloud become ‘cloud first’. We’ll be watching closely to see if, as end-users move to cloud, whether they will kickstart a transition to subscription models in 2024. More broadly, I believe in 2024 we will continue to see a strong focus on security. This is likely to manifest itself in the adoption of modern authentication and MFA to get access to documents and systems, as well as how documents are transmitted and where and how they are stored; in fact, the ‘where’ will especially be important for government organisations. I think security will be even more sharply focused on the now normal hybrid work model as it requires robust security solutions, products and policies in order to mitigate risk as much as possible. As customer needs evolve and the transition to cloud gathers pace, naturally we’re working closer with our partners to help them deliver cloud-based solutions for their customers to make print easier and more secure, while delivering tangible value, ROI and sustainability benefits for today’s hybrid workforce. We’re more than prepared to be adaptable and flexible – yet consistent in our values – to respond effectively to the demands that we anticipate 2024 will place on all businesses globally. www.papercut.com Steve Holmes
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