Print.IT Reseller - issue 83

VOX POP 01732 759725 46 ...continued Data shows 74 per cent of home workers print either equal, or greater, volumes while working from home compared to working in the office Neil Sawyer, Director of Channel & Partner Alliances, HP Inc. “The shift to hybrid working has certainly been accelerated by the pandemic. Studies show that office workers around the world, particularly those in the UK, are reluctant to go back to the traditional office, with a recent YouGov Study finding 57 per cent of British workers want to continue working from home after the coronavirus pandemic. It’s important we understand that the experience of our teams and customers has fundamentally changed, and the increased desire for hybrid work is something all companies need to consider. “We can expect a hybrid world of work to likely continue the freedom to be flexible as the most important factor – a blend between distributed workforce and collaboration spaces. The future office needs to be agile, and facilitated by high-spec and fluid technologies to empower collaboration and creativity. It’s becoming increasingly relevant for companies to prioritise managing print security, with data showing 74 per cent of home workers print either equal, or greater, volumes while working from home compared to working in the office. The Quocirca Home Printing Trends 2021 study outlined key recommendations for businesses to consider, including the utilisation of tools such as cloud MPS to securely manage devices, and the importance of businesses having access to integrated analytics to manage and examine the usage across a distributed printer fleet, between home and office environments. The shift in the way we work means that businesses and customers should ensure they manage their print fleet in a way that supports the hybrid workplace.” www.hp.com Dan Wogan, Product Manager, Market Development, Epson “Epson has been catering to the home, the home office and the office for decades and while we saw a noticeable spike in consumer printer sales during the lockdown, there is a resurging demand for workplace office equipment. However, in view of the agile working environment, businesses are keen to have more control of their costs and this is particularly true when it comes to printing. “Print has always been a workplace attribute that employees have relied on therefore printers that enjoy low energy consumption, low intervention rates, and high ink yields are a great vehicle for minimising hassle and maintaining productivity as we migrate back to a more agile work environment. As many desktop printers are equally suited for the home office as they are the workplace and can also be operated as part of a managed print service, companies are able to control their costs and productivity to employees whether they’re at home or in the office. “Recent research from Epson reveals that three out of four employees want more focus on environmental and social issues post-COVID. And despite the UK’s ‘world leading’ climate target of reducing carbon emissions 78 per cent by 2035, it is a change of mind-set rather than political credibility that will help drive the UK in implementing change. This starts with addressing sustainability into the decisions empowered by both businesses and consumers, and the good news is it’s not rocket science. CEOs are right to adapt their business model around what works best for their employees, but they’re better doing this while making it work for the environment as well.” www.epson.co.uk adopt a multi-layered approach to online security combining VPNs, a zero- trust architecture, updated antivirus, and tracking software – to ensure they remain secure with a distributed workforce. “To encourage high-quality remote working, companies will need to adopt the right technologies to empower their workforces to collaborate safely and securely. Poorly managed systems, slow VPN access and insufficient IT support can all affect employee efficiency. Having an inadequate home office can also hinder worker morale and impact the bottom line. “Print can be forgotten in the hybrid world. Yet, a study, which surveyed 2,000 British office workers, found that 38 per cent of people missed a printer the most whilst working from home. And printers are critical for many industries such as education, professional services and finance to name but three – all of which have seen a significant uptake of agile working. To flourish in a hybrid environment, businesses must look for devices that have cloud-ready, digital workflow solutions and are able to offer security solutions that match the office environment. A solution should also allow print to office from home, from home to home and print to/from anywhere, as these features are also essential for a truly agile ‘new way of working’.” www.canon.co.uk Neil Sawyer Dan Wogan