Building business resilience with print is front-of-mind for management teams. This is especially true as they step down from crisis stations and find the headspace to plan for the future.
It’s a focus that’s already seeping into IT procurement decisions. Firms want to harness solutions that can offset the impact of future disruption following a year of overcoming challenges.
We spoke to Sara Diggle, Head of SMB print business unit at Brother UK. She told us what decision makers need on their checklists when searching for new print systems with the end-goal of building resilience.
Agility
Cloud and the internet of things enabled print technology is allowing systems to be more decentralised. This means maintenance and support needs to be available wherever a device may be.
Managed print services (MPS) can easily be rolled out across a businesses’ network of offices, or even among home workers. This should still allow for full oversight by IT managers. Solutions like Brother’s remote panel, offers quick diagnosis and problem solving without the need to send out an engineer.
Security
Modern print devices offer end-to-end encryption. Manufacturers like Brother provide regular firmware updates that help end-users to stay one step ahead of hackers.
But sensitive information printed by devices can also fall into the wrong hands. Brother’s Secure Print+ solution offers easy-to-manage card-based user authentication. This ensures documents are only printed when they’re ready to collect from the printer.
Reliability
Remote diagnostics available through MPS can spot issues for end-users before problems arise. This keeps device uptime high. Meanwhile, Brother’s Request Help solution helps to ensure any problems are resolved quickly. This means users can contact an engineer via a printer’s interface.
Predictability
Predicting costs is central to building resilience. Setting monthly fees for MPS programmes helps businesses forecast costs. This is easier than managing in-house costs with potential repair and breakdown costs to factor in. Supplies replenishment also ensures that end-users don’t have to order in inks and toners. This avoids waiting for them to arrive if they run out, causing downtime.
COVID-secure
While the vaccine rollout picks up pace, we’re likely to be living with COVID-19 for some time. This means IT decision makers need to ensure that shared devices can be used safely.
A decentralised approach to print can be a safer choice for businesses. This means using tailored devices located across an office, rather than having a central multifunction device where users have to queue for use.
Scalability
While additional devices can easily be added to an MPS programme, devices themselves can build scalability. Brother’s flagship devices can be equipped with additional print trays, mailbox trays and automatic stapling. This boosts capacity when needed for fast-growing offices.
Find out more
Get in touch to find out how Brother solutions can help you improve your business’s resilience.
