Site Logo

Annodata expect surge in mobile printing

New research from IDC highlights how smartphones and tablets are changing the way users print, scan and manage documents

A survey carried out by the International Data Corporation (IDC) suggests that in spite of the business value that can be derived from mobile printing, support for it amongst businesses remains low. For managed service provider Annodata, businesses must pay closer attention to the ways their employees prefer to work and build their printer estates accordingly, if they are to improve productivity.

The research, which covered six countries, revealed that in spite of the business value that can be derived from mobile printing, a significant proportion of smartphone and tablet users are unable to print from their devices; roughly a third of smartphone users (35 per cent) and tablet users (34 per cent) want to be able to print from these devices but are unable to. In addition, 75 per cent of mobile users said the business value of mobile printing was similar to PC printing, and a further 15 per cent said that it was greater.

The top four benefits of mobile printing mentioned by respondents were the speed of reviewing documents, customer satisfaction, the number of transactions processed and the number of new customers brought on board.

Grant Howard, Professional Services Technical Manager at Annodata commented: "The landscape for printing, scanning and document management is undergoing an important change. Enterprises of all sizes should recognise the increasing use of and taste for mobile printing – and the decreasing tolerance to its failure – and introduce user-friendly applications to reflect this obvious trend.

"This is ultimately about ensuring that print systems can keep up with other changes that are happening in the working environment. Staff are finally starting to break free from their desktop computers with the help of smartphones and tablets, but too many find themselves having to go back to their computers to print documents. Devices no longer need to be physically attached by cables to printers and this is transforming access to print from multiple devices in multiple locations. The irony is that the switch to mobile-enabled printing is a relatively simple one, and is something that can be easily facilitated by a managed print provider.

"In our experience many businesses are fearful of the security implications of connecting mobile devices to their printer estates, or that by doing so they will also need to approve of BYOD in the workforce. The answer is not to ignore the opportunity, but to work out a way to do it securely and efficiently. It's about time companies proactively improved their service to be inclusive of users' changing behaviours to reflect the potential of technologies," Grant concluded.

 

More News
1 month ago
How to prepare for the new changes to employment laws
Employment laws are due an overhaul in April, with changes to flexible working, request amends, and protection for new parents and carer's leave, among other changes. Vivek Dodd, CEO of Skillcast, warns that failure to comply could result in serious consequences.
1 month ago
British Safety Council Keep Thriving workshop to take place in Cardiff
As part of its charitable work, British Safety Council is offering SMEs and micro-sized organisations in Cardiff the chance to attend a 3-hour workshop, delivered by its Being Well Together experts, completely free of charge to explore how to develop a well-being strategy.
1 month ago
Mitel appoints new SVP and Head of International Region
Mitel, experts in business communications, has announced the appointment of Simon Skellon as SVP and Head of International Region.
1 month ago
VIPRE Security Group appoints new General Manager of Business Security Division
VIPRE Security Group, a cybersecurity solutions provider, has appointed Usman Choudhary as General Manager of its Business Security Division, encompassing VIPRE EDR and Advanced Threat Protection for Email, SafeSend for Email, and Inspired eLearning security awareness training.
1 month ago
Ascentae unveils smart workplace experience centre
Ascentae, a UK-based workplace solution and value-added distributor, has announced the opening of a new Experience Centre in the heart of Clerkenwell, London.
1 month ago
IT at forefront of sustainability efforts, but lacks proper tools and expertise
A report commissioned by OpenText has found that IT departments are playing a major role in achieving corporate sustainability objectives and cited the lack of innovative tools and expertise as the primary challenges they face in meeting those goals.
1 month ago
Harrison provides bespoke manufacturing services to B&Q stores
B&Q set out to find a partner that could provide a range of display components, including a new-look dump bin. While the products had already been designed by B&Q, Harrison was invited to tender for the project at a later date.
1 month ago
Leyard Europe LED supports new educational exhibition
A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), Europe’s flagship laboratory for research into life sciences.
1 month ago
Crawley Town Centre BID invests in AI visitor behaviour platform
Crawley BID has invested in Place Informatics Visitor Behaviour Platform to help understand, manage, and improve town centre services and events.
1 month ago
Viking re-establishes presence in Ireland
Office supplies reseller Viking is re-establishing its presence in Ireland with the opening of a distribution centre in Dublin, the development of a local sales team, and the creation of a local customer service centre.

Login / Sign up