Canon reveals IT still a major issue for remote working

The research identifies this shift has not been easy for the IT department either, with over half of ITDMs stating that they are being asked to give remote support for devices (56%).

For employees, the top issues with hybrid working concern business processes. Two in five (42%) are facing difficulties with approval processes, signing documents digitally, and escalating admin, while 41 per cent are struggling to access physical or digital documents when working out of the office. As a result, 37 per cent of respondents report having to visit the office to print, pick up, or sign documents in person. 

Equipping new workspaces has also been a major challenge for IT teams. Accessibility, collaboration, and integration are among the biggest pain points when transitioning to a hybrid model, with 71 per cent of ITDMs claiming that solutions to support hybrid practices are incompatible with their legacy infrastructure. The research revealed that most regular help desk calls from remote workers are about issues accessing files remotely (43%) and having trouble sharing and collaborating with others (36%). On top of these software demands, IT teams are also experiencing high demand for remote hardware assistance, with over half (56%) receiving requests for printer/scanner support in the home and 33 per cent for personal devices. 

Responding to these issues, sourcing, and implementing the right technology for this new environment is proving to be difficult for IT teams. Just over three-quarters (76%) of IT teams say they have found sourcing technologies from multiple vendors challenging. In the event of an issue, 71 per cent must contact multiple vendors for a solution, which means problems can take significantly longer to resolve in a hybrid setting.

The appeal of a single-vendor solution for print and document management is significant for companies embracing hybrid working. The majority of ITDMs (81%) agree their organisation would benefit from technologies provided by a single vendor that are compatible with each other and open to integration.

Marc Bory, Workspace Planning, Marketing, and Innovation Senior Director, Canon Europe said, “employees continue to face challenges with everyday document-based workflows when outside of the office. Our research suggests that while companies may have the basics in place, they are some way from having a technological infrastructure that’s able to function seamlessly across hybrid working environments.

“As a result, there is a renewed interest in technologies that work seamlessly together and that can support an end user’s document management challenges, irrespective of their work location.  That’s why we offer a complete technology ecosystem that aims to integrate hybrid workspaces and optimise document workflows, ensuring our portfolio and related services are ready to meet the evolving demands of a hybrid environment.”