Canon Partner ASL helps education provider accelerate digital transformation

With nine sites across England, managed-office service supplier ASL is also a nominated reseller on the NEPA Framework, with almost 40 per cent of its business sitting within the education sector.

Comprising 21 primary and secondary schools, St Thomas Aquinas CMAT approached ASL to see how new technology solutions could ease the pressure on its IT environment. With a wealth of unmanaged and aging devices installed across its schools, multiple IT tickets were being raised by both staff and students. The organisation was also aware that significant productivity losses were taking place due to printer downtime and that no software was in place to track usage, ensure security and help save on costs.

Matthew Taylor, Trust IT Manager, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust said, “the service we’ve received from Canon and ASL Group has been outstanding – we’ve seen a full commitment to finding the right solution for our organisation. After using the new uniFLOW Online technology, it’s clear that nothing comes close. It has helped us to relieve pressure on our IT department and provide a strong digital foundation for the future.”

St Thomas Aquinas CMAT purchased uniFLOW Online, Canon’s cloud-based software which helps to avoid data breaches and enables print costs to be tracked to deliver immediate productivity gains. It also purchased 27 devices from Canon’s imageRUNNER ADVANCE portfolio which allows print from anywhere functionality as well as full document security and controlled print management through uniFLOW Online.

Mark Asbridge, Solutions Sales Manager, ASL said, “We’re delighted we’ve been able to support St Thomas Aquinas CMAT on its digital transformation journey, and help the business acquire Canon products that uniquely fit its business needs. We pride ourselves on our consultative approach, and hope that the new devices and software will help to support the organisation in the future.”

Three months prior to ASL’s support, St Thomas Aquinas CMAT’s IT department had over 116 tickets raised. Now, thanks to the new Canon solutions, this has been reduced to just 16. The new technology has also allowed for all printing, copying, and scanning costs to be assessed, tracked, and charged accordingly. This enhancement in print process optimisation has helped St Thomas Aquinas CMAT to reduce overall printing costs and decrease paper waste.

Tony Wills, Workspace & Partner Sales and Marketing Director, Digital Printing & Solutions, Canon UK & Ireland added, “the future of education is digital, and it’s important that schools integrate the right services into their systems to ease day to day pressures. We’ve worked with ASL Group for six years and are delighted to support them in welcoming St Thomas Aquinas CMAT to our customer base. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with this partner, helping offer innovative solutions and products to both new and existing clients.”