Canon has cut the ribbon on two new business centres based in Crawley, West Sussex, and Munster, Ireland, which will provide print and document management expertise in collaboration with local Platinum Partners.

The new hubs, which operate under the names Canon Business Centre Munster (CBC Munster) and Canon Business Centre SOS (CBC SOS), follow in the footsteps of the firm’s successful Newcastle-based Canon Business Centre North East, which opened back in 2020.

The first in their respective regions, Canon says both CBCs will provide local businesses with advice and technology solutions that are tailored to their individual needs.

To do this, the pair will combine its portfolio with the expertise of a local reseller and Platinum Partner in each region – SOS Systems in Crawley, and Cantec Group, based in Waterford, Ireland.

“Cantec and SOS are two trusted partners we have been working alongside for many years and share many of the same values, including an ambition to deliver the best customer service and innovation to our customers,” said Stuart Miller, director of B2B indirect sales at Canon UK&I.

“By partnering together to create these two new CBCs, we hope to deliver even stronger support to local businesses, offering award-winning solutions which will help them to grow in these challenging times.”

Established in 1985, long-standing Canon collaborator SOS Systems boasts a customer base that stretches across the South of England across multiple sectors.

With a focus on customer service, flexibility, and innovation expertise, the company provides print, document, and information management solutions, as well as guidance on wider business initiatives such as digital transformation.

“We’re delighted to be collaborating with Canon on this exciting project – which marks a huge step in our 32 years of working together,” said Chris Sills, managing director at SOS Systems.

“Today more than ever before, local businesses are seeking out ways to save costs, boost profits and optimise processes – our new CBC SOS supports this ambition and we’re looking forward to helping local businesses grow and succeed.”

Fellow Canon Platinum Partner Cantec specialises in delivering integrated hardware and software solutions. The firm was founded in 1994 as a photocopier dealership and has since grown to become a prominent name in the provision of technology solutions, opening offices in Limerick, Mullingar, Dublin, and Cork.

“After 28 years of partnership with Canon, we’re excited to be opening the first CBC in Ireland – offering us the opportunity to support local businesses and find new ways to help them enhance their processes,” said Greg Tuohy, CEO at Cantec .

Canon UK&I said will continue to work alongside other partners in the regions and across the UK.

Xerox has announced the acquisition of Uxbridge-based hardware and managed print services provider Advanced UK in a move designed to bolster its regional service offering.

Already a long-standing Xerox Platinum partner, Advanced UK specialises in providing print and document solutions to businesses across Europe, ranging from SMBs to large enterprises. The firm’s 1,000+ clients span a wide range of fields - including transportation, health, manufacturing, retail, finance, and construction.

Post-acquisition, the business will operate as ‘Advanced, powered by Xerox’ and will remain at its Uxbridge headquarters.

“We are thrilled to join the Xerox team and expand our client offering through Xerox’s print and IT services,” said Joe Gallagher, sales director at Advanced UK. “As a long-standing Xerox Platinum partner, we knew that Xerox was the perfect fit to take the business forward and drive differentiated growth opportunities.”

Current managing director Phil Tucker is leaving Advanced, it was confirmed, but the company will continue under its current leadership team, fronted by Richard Nevard. Commenting on the takeover, Tucker praised the longstanding collaborative relationship between the companies.

“Advanced has enjoyed a very strong business relationship with Xerox for over 32 years and this new union will give the business far greater reach in our market, offering additional services and solutions to our existing and new customers,” he said.

“Advanced will benefit from the additional resources that a global corporation will provide but still retain the agility and flexibility an SME can deliver, the best of both worlds.”

The acquisition is the latest move from Xerox to bolster its digital services portfolio. Back in July 2022, the firm snapped up Leicester-based digital marketing service provider Go Inspire in a move designed to improve the transformation of Xerox’s transactions and direct mail services into multi-channel communications.

Now, with the addition of Advanced UK, Xerox said it is further strengthening its UK presence, as well as providing Advanced customers with access to a wider product range.

“With its impressive capabilities and heritage in production print, Advanced UK already has a strong local client base,” said Kevin Paterson, head of Xerox Business Solutions and Small and Medium Businesses at Xerox UK. “We look forward to bringing the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of services to an exciting new set of Xerox customers.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Canon UK has announced a new strategic partnership with managed services provider AdEPT Technology, which will see the pair provide a host of IT channel services for UK businesses.

The collaboration will combine Canon’s portfolio of print, imaging, and software solutions with AdEPT’s managed IT services and technical knowledge, as well as give customers access to expertise around digital strategy, unified communications, as well as IT infrastructure management.

Announcing the move, Craig Leverington, Canon Business Services Director at Canon UK & Ireland, highlighted the increasing need to support the entire customer journey.

“With cloud adoption and digitisation now commonplace across almost every organisation and sector, it’s vital our customers are fully supported on their digital journey,” he said. “With many years’ experience working with large organisations to optimise IT infrastructure, we’re excited to have formed a partnership with AdEPT on this new venture.”

The offering will be delivered directly through this new alliance with AdEPT, a company that has grown to become one of the most prominent providers of managed IT services in the UK. Founded in 2003, the company now provides managed services and telecommunications solutions to more than 12,000 organisations across the UK.

The Tunbridge Wells-headquartered firm also tackles cloud, unified communications, connectivity, and voice solutions, working across a range of sectors.

In a company LinkedIn post, AdEPT said internet connectivity has “blurred the boundaries of technology” and companies are now looking to “unite their IT world under one umbrella MSP”.

“Technology systems have so many moving parts, and many organisations are seeking out counsel on how to rationalise, optimise and reduce complexity, and in turn reduce cost,” said Phil Race, CEO of AdEPT. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Canon to offer its customers expert support, and the best technology solutions to drive success for the future.”

Canon IT Services, powered by AdEPT are available now for select Canon customers, with availability set to expand to the company’s wider customer base in the coming months.

Sharp has announced a new partnership with business finance platform FundOnion through its Connect Partner Program, which will extend its range of IT products and services for UK SMBs.

Based in London, FundOnion helps businesses access funding solutions by providing a finance brokering service that matches them to lenders. The platform helps SMBs across a number of sectors, including retail, ecommerce, professional services, and engineering.

The partnership means FundOnion’s customers will now have access to Sharp’s range of B2B solutions, which include managed print, IT services and audio-visual capabilities.

Sharp said the collaboration will ultimately help streamline customer’s internal operations.

“Our partnership with FundOnion will enable SMEs to access Sharp’s award-winning range of B2B technology products and services alongside lending solutions from one of the UK’s leading business finance platforms,” said Simon Warnes, Partnership director at Sharp.

“This Connect partnership highlights Sharp’s ongoing commitment to delivering the future of work to as many SMEs as possible.”

Sharp’s Connect Partner Program was introduced back in 2018 to widen the company’s support with businesses that complement its portfolio. Today, the company has more than 15 Connect Partners across a wide variety of areas and services, including Managed Print, IT, Document Processing, Office Products, and Consultancy.

By partnering with FundOnion, Sharp is now expanding client funding options across the diverse corporate, commercial, and public sector markets, it said.

“It’s a great pleasure to be partnering with Sharp – one of the world’s leading brands with a long and eminent history supporting both the commercial and corporate sectors,” commented James Robson, FundOnion CEO.

“We are enthusiastic to find more ways for our brands to work together to let SMEs know that our organisations are there looking to fight to help them grow during these uncertain times.”

Printers have been at the heart of the office, and home office, for many years now, and they've evolved significantly in that time. In previous years, you'd need to ensure multiple cables were connected before you could print: one to the power source, a cable to the computer itself, or for an older network-powered printer, an ethernet cable directly into the router. Thankfully, the advent of wireless printing has streamlined things significantly since then.

The question of how a wireless printer works can be answered in a multitude of ways because there are so many different technologies that facilitate wireless printing. Indeed, the wireless technology shift brought printers with it too, and being able to send files, photos, and other documents across the network to the printer itself made the task much easier for pretty much everyone who has ever needed to print anything.

No two configurations are the same, though, and the wireless technologies that allow users to print documents wherever there is a network can differ depending on the manufacturers of the printer and device from which you want to print. Some technologies like Apple’s AirPrint are only available on certain models of printer, so it’s worthwhile understanding your printing needs and wants before making the final decision to purchase the best wireless printer for your business.

What is a wireless printer?

Wireless printers are somewhat self-explanatory, in that they are printers that allow users to print documents without actually having to physically link a computer to the printer itself. These are sometimes known as Wi-Fi printers because it’s common, especially in corporate offices, to use Wi-Fi as the wireless technology through which documents are sent to the printer.

Many offices, libraries, schools, and other shared workspaces will often have one or two printers on each floor of the building. No matter where a user is in the building, they will be able to select their nearest printer and send the documents they need to it, as long as they are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the printer.

It’s a highly convenient way of allowing large groups of people to print from the same device. It also means workers in a busy office won’t have to fight over USB cables, awkwardly holding a laptop, for example, within the cable’s reaching distance while waiting for the documents to print.

The best printers, often found in industrial offices, often come equipped with touchscreen user interfaces (UIs) and ship with technology that prevents employees from printing others’ work. They can be accessed by wireless keycards with a tap, other kinds of access fobs, or sometimes just a normal password.

How do wireless printers work?

How each wireless printer works will, of course, vary between models and manufacturers, but the underlying principles remain largely the same across the board. Typically, a wireless printer will need to be paired to the target Wi-Fi network. This is the most common technology used to print wirelessly, although there are others.

Many offices use multiple wireless networks and reserve some networks for certain functions, so it’s important to connect printers to the network that the staff use day-to-day - that includes being on the same network frequency, too. Setup may also require users to install drivers or software on their individual machines, but this is relatively easy and quick to do; the manufacturer should provide instructions on how to do this, if necessary.

From there (and if installed correctly), the printer should appear in every printing window a user brings up. For example, pressing Ctrl + P on Windows, or CMD + P on macOS, are the usual keyboard shortcuts to print from whatever application a user is running. Among the numerous options that appear in the resulting window, the printer may appear in a dropdown list marked Destination or similar. In other cases, printers may appear as different icons in a graphical user interface (GUI), like how folders can be viewed as small, medium, and large icons in Windows File Explorer, for example.

After the correct printer is selected and all other settings are tailored to the printing project at hand, then all that’s left to do is click Print and the documents should be sent over the Wi-Fi network and received by the printer. The wireless printer may print the documents immediately, or send them to a queue.

Printing queues are common in offices and prevent unauthorised staff from viewing certain documents. It also prevents people from accidentally taking printed work that isn’t theirs away from the printer. In these cases, the company should set the users up with a way of accessing the printing queue, usually done via a password or wireless keycard. From there, the user selects their print job and ‘releases’ it from the queue, starting the actual printing process.

If using Wi-Fi in a large building, ensure the printer is placed in a convenient location for all users, and most importantly, placed in a location that allows it to receive a strong Wi-Fi signal because, without one, there will be no wireless printing.

Other types of wireless printing

Wi-Fi is the most common wireless standard over which wireless printing is carried out, but other technologies exist that may be even fast and more convenient for any given user or business.

Bluetooth printers exist and can be used by a multitude of devices to print documents, much like how Wi-Fi-enabled devices can. The downside to Bluetooth is that the maximum range is likely to be considerably shorter than Wi-Fi, making it a sub-optimal choice and potentially an entirely unworkable one for large offices.

Near-field communication (NFC) can also be used to connect a device to a printer directly, requiring just a tap between the two devices. The process should be familiar as it’s the same technology that’s used in modern smartphones to accomplish phone-based payments. This can be convenient in some use cases but in most professional settings it will be difficult and laborious to haul a laptop over to a printer, somewhat eliminating the wireless benefit of printing.

Cloud printing is also a fast-growing possibility and if the user or business takes the time to link compatible services with compatible printers, it can be a big time-saver. Some large tech and cloud companies now have dedicated print services so instead of printing over a direct Wi-Fi connection to the wireless printer, the user can send a printing job to a cloud printing service - usually linked to an account with whatever company is offering the service - which then sends it to the wireless printer. This can be useful in some use cases, but Wi-Fi is most likely the best choice for most.

Original review: Since its release two years ago, the Brother MFC-J1010DW hasn't exactly won any awards. Everything from its name to its design is clunky and unglamorous, and it doesn't offer much quality at any particular speed. However, it does do a fairly decent job for those that have minor print needs.

And this isn't your average MFP; it can fax as well as print, scan, and copy – a rare set of capabilities at this price range ($99.99). For that low price, you also get the pleasant surprise of a 20-sheet ADF which provides fast bulk scanning. What's more, although the ADF isn't duplex, there is automatic two-sided printing capabilities with manual support for two-sided copying. Add in Wi-Fi and a color screen and you have a well stocked machine – a bargain at its original price just north of $200, an absolute steel now it's half of that.

Brother MFC-J1010DW review: Performance

However, features alone aren't enough to make a good MFP, and performance counts for a lot. Happily, the MFC-J1010DW is reasonably quick when printing black only, delivering 15.3ppm in our test, and spitting out an A4 copy in 13 secs, or ten mono copies in a minute and a half. It's much slower in color, though, managing only 3.7ppm in our graphical test. It needed almost 30 secs for a single color photocopy, and ten pages took more than four minutes.

Brother has fitted the MFC-J1010DW with a rapid scanner capable of capturing an A4 page at 300dpi in just 14 secs. It also needed only 24 secs to scan a 6 x 4in photo at 600dpi. Like many other Brother scanners we've tested, however, the results were only so-so: easily up to archival purposes, but lacking the sharpness and dynamic range of the best rivals. In particular, the MFC-J1010DW struggled to distinguish between darker shades.

While there's little to criticise about this MFP's print quality, there's little to love either. Black text and mono photocopies were fine. Photos were good enough for occasional use, but this printer's target market probably cares more about color prints and copies on plain paper. Unfortunately, these lacked saturation, seeming dull compared to the best inkjet rivals.

Things aren't all that much better when it comes to the cost of consumables, either. Brother makes an XL range of cartridges for the MFC-J10101DW, each with a useful 500-page capacity. Despite this, however, mono costs work out at an unimpressive 2.9p per page, while each color page costs 7.9p.

The Brother MFP-J1010DW is full of useful features and offers fairly decent performance. Though the quality isn't quite high enough to be viable for a busy office – this is more of a home office printer. The appeal here, then, is the pricing; the MFC-J1010DW is currently on offer for $79.99 on Amazon (including VAT).

Brother MFC-J1010DW specifications

Epson’s EcoTank ET-3850 is an inkjet multifunction printer (MFP) aimed at the home office. It’s a three-in-one machine, offering print, scan and copy functionality, but not faxing. It’s quite well specified, featuring a 30-sheet automatic document feeder, wireless networking and a small colour screen. In the base there’s an enclosed 250-sheet paper cassette, and the printer will print on both sides of a sheet of paper without you having to lift a finger.

All these are typical features for an MFP costing about a third of the price of the ET-3850, so why pay more? The answer, as we suspect you know by now, lies in Epson’s EcoTank system, which does away with cartridges in favour of large refillable tanks built into the printer itself. The ET-3850 arrives with a full set of colour ink bottles, theoretically capable of 5,200 pages, and two large black ink bottles that between them could dash off 14,000 pages of black text. As with other refillable ink devices, the supplied ink alone should make this MFP better value than its cartridge-based equivalents, provided you print at least a few thousand pages over its lifetime.

The ET-3850 is as easy to set up as any modern EcoTank printer. You simply place an inverted ink bottle onto the corresponding nozzle, and it will discharge its contents into the tank below. Everything is physically keyed to prevent mis-filling – take note, petrol pump manufacturers – and we’re yet to encounter any leaks or spills with this system.

The only obvious way you could improve the current generation of refillable printers would be by adding a reliable level gauge to the tanks, rather than relying on visual checks. Then again, we’d also prefer it if you could join the ET-3850 to Wi-Fi before beginning its ten-minute ink system priming process – that way you could get on with the software installation rather than twiddling your thumbs.

Epson is one of the few inkjet manufacturers to still bother supplying a setup disc, making this an easy MFP to set up... provided that you’ve still got an optical drive. Our initial print jobs were plagued by short pauses and slow performance, as though the printer was struggling with network communication, but the issue disappeared after we rebooted both the device and our host PC.

In normal use, the ET-3850 revealed itself to be usefully quick. It dispatched our 25-page black text test at 15.8ppm – slightly faster than Epson’s claimed speed – and this rose to 19ppm with the quality dropped to draft. Our graphics-heavy mixed colour test is less of a pushover, but even then the ET-3850 hit 4.6ppm; that’s a decent showing from what’s essentially a mid-range device.

The ET-3850 isn’t aimed at photo printing, and it’s not especially fast, with each 6 x 4in print taking more than two-and-a-half minutes. On A4 paper, two 10 x 8in prints took a little over seven minutes, which compares a bit better. For an “officey” printer, the results were pretty good, with accurate if understated colours, and plenty of detail across a range of shades. However, we noticed that black-and-white prints, and the darkest areas of colour photos, weren’t up to Epson’s usual high standards. On further inspection, it became obvious that the printer was using its pigmented black ink, which doesn’t play well with photo paper.

Happily, pigment ink looks great on plain paper, so the ET-3850 stamps out authoritative-looking black text. The ink was a little too impactful in mono copies, however, which were overly dark at the default setting. Otherwise, print quality was good, with accurate colours and no particularly obvious graining in everyday prints.

We’re yet to encounter a bad Epson scanner, and the one on the ET-3850 turned in a typical performance. While not the sharpest, images were accurately exposed over a wide dynamic range, with only the very darkest shades difficult to distinguish. This isn’t the fastest scanner, needing 28 seconds for an A4 sheet at 300 dots per inch (dpi), and nearly two minutes to capture a 6 x 4in photo at the maximum 1,200dpi.

Overall, this is a capable MFP with a good balance of features for the home, provided you don’t need fax capabilities. While expensive to buy, its bundled ink and exceptionally low running costs should more than make up for it over a typical lifetime. It’s a shame, then, that Epson doesn’t protect you from the higher upfront cost with a longer warranty, which would offer the reassurance that the MFP will last long enough for you to reap the benefits.

The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 specifications

Epson has partnered with Usain Bolt on the launch of its new cartridge-free EcoTank printer range, in a bid to expand its customer base and promote its heat free printer technology.

Epson’s EcoTank range includes single and multi-function A4 printers, which the company said ship with up to 3 years worth of ink.

The EcoTank ET-1810 is advertised as delivering up to 4,500 pages in black and 7,500 in colour through one set of ink bottles, while the EcoTank ET-4850 claims to print up to 14,000 pages in black and 5,200 pages in colour. This is the equivalent of up to 72 cartridges worth of ink, according to Epson.

Since their launch in 2010, over 60 million EcoTank high-capacity ink tank printers have sold worldwide, with Epson saying that customers have saved up to 90% on printing costs. The company added that EcoTank printers also contain Micro Piezo Heat-Free Technology, which allows customers to experience reduced energy consumption with fewer replacement parts needed over a device's lifetime.

“With more of us working from home than ever before, and modern family life getting busier, now is exactly the right time to raise even more awareness of our EcoTank printers and the cost saving benefits they deliver,” said Yoshiro Nagafusa, president of Epson Europe.

He added that Bolt is the perfect partner for Epson and that his engaging character will help bring the company’s low-cost printing solutions to life in a fun and engaging way. He also added that the partnership would help move EcoTank up to the next level, extending the company’s customer reach as part of its wider investment in heat free technology.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist is set to star alongside the company’s EcoTank in a TV advertising campaign in the UK and Germany, as well as appearing on billboards, online banner ads, on Point-of-Sale in retail outlets, and on social media throughout the rest of Europe.

“I’m delighted to be working with Epson to help spread the word about EcoTank printers,” said Bolt. “I only partner with brands that I believe can make a real difference. EcoTank printers remove many of the frustrations that exist around printing with cartridges so anything that can help make life a little bit easier has got to be a good thing.”

Bolt will demonstrate in the promotional partnership that with Epson’s EcoTank printers, customers can “Just fill and chill” for up to three years of cartridge-free printing.

Microsoft has confirmed that its recent Patch Tuesday round of fixes for Windows 10 has introduced a bug that’s causing issues when users try to print or scan using smart cards for authentication.

As part of the wave of updates released on 13 July, Microsoft attempted to fix an issue affecting printers that were connected to machines through USB connections. However, after installing the updates on domain controllers (DCs), administrators might find that some multifunctional printers will fail to print when using smart card (PIV) authentication.

These ID cards are often used in secure environments and workplaces with contactless card readers for gaining entry to certain areas and are also attached to devices such as printers to authenticate identities prior to their usage. The affected machines are printers and scanners that aren’t compliant with section 3.2.1 of RFC 4556 spec, according to Microsoft.

“If you encounter this issue with your printing or scanning devices, verify that you are using the latest firmware and drivers available for your device,” a Microsoft advisory said. “If your firmware and drivers are up-to-date and you still encounter this issue, we recommend that you contact the device manufacturer.

“Ask if a setting or configuration change is required to bring the device into compliance with the hardening change or if a compliant update will be available.”

The firm confirmed it’s working on a temporary mitigation, but this isn’t yet available to share. This should allow printing and scanning on affected devices, allowing time for manufacturers to release compliant firmware and drivers for their devices.

This issue might cause a nightmare for workers in certain office environments that rely on smart card-compatible printers. It follows a string of issues in Windows deployments this year, including a string of vulnerabilities detected in the Print Spooler component.

For example, users encountered several printer-related problems in the Patch Tuesday round of fixes released on 9 March this year, according to Neowin. Some instances even resulted in users encountered a blue screen of death when trying to print as a result of driver conflicts. These were subsequently fixed on 15 March in an emergency fix.

Researchers have disclosed a previously undiscovered critical vulnerability in the drivers of millions of printers manufactured by HP, Xerox and Samsung that might allow hackers to take over vulnerable devices.

Tracked as CVE-2021-3438, the highly severe heap buffer overflow flaw has been assigned a CVSS threat severity score of 8.8 out of ten and has been embedded in drivers for printers made since 2005, according to Sentinal Labs.

The researchers identified that the vulnerable drivers either came preloaded on devices or that they were silently downloaded when a user installed a legitimate software bundle. For example, some Windows machines might already have this driver without even running a dedicated installation file because the driver comes through Windows Update.

They are also often decades old and developed without concern for the impact on the overall integrity of the systems.

The vulnerability centres on the fact that just by running printer software, the driver gets installed and activated on the machine, regardless of whether a user completes the installation or cancels.

In effect, the driver is installed and loaded without the user necessarily knowing, or regardless of whether a user’s configuring the printer to work wirelessly or through a USB cable. It’ll be loaded by Windows on every boot too, which makes the driver the perfect candidate for hackers to target.

Exploiting this kernel driver flaw could lead to an unprivileged user gaining system privileges, and run code in kernel mode - since the driver is locally available to all users. Among the potential abuses are that they could also bypass security products.

Successful exploitation would allow an attacker to install programmes, view, change, encrypt or delete data, or create new accounts with full user privileges. Weaponising this flaw, however, might require chaining several bugs together, and the researchers couldn’t find a means of weaponising the flaw by itself. There’s also no evidence of exploitation in the wild.

Both HP and Xerox have published advisories warning customers about CVE-2021-3438 and urging them to download available patches.

"We constantly monitor the security landscape and value work that helps us identify new potential threats," an HP spokesperson said in a statement. "We have posted a security bulletin here. The security of our customers is always a top priority and we urge all customers to keep their systems up to date."

HP has announced the expansion of its managed print services portfolio with four new offerings: HP Wolf Security, Flexworker, Internet Printing through HP Advance, and HP Secure Print.

Incorporated into HP Wolf Security are state-of-the-art technologies, including hardware-enforced endpoint security to reduce the burden on IT. In addition to aggressively reducing the attack surface, discovering threats in memory, and containing them with virtualization technologies, HP Wolf Security protects businesses by enhancing threat data collection and delivering high-fidelity alerts.

“The existing business transformation trends around cloud, as-a-service, and security have seen significant acceleration over the past year,” said George Brasher, general manager and global head of print services and solutions at HP.

“In this hybrid world, where workers are distributed and the risk of cyberattacks has skyrocketed, we see businesses needing scalable and flexible printing solutions that are both secure and manageable.”

Flexworker is HP's cloud-based printing solution for hybrid workforces. Integrated into HP Wolf Security, Flexworker offers hybrid workers the flexibility to use secure, company-approved printers from home, boosting productivity.

Additionally, HP Flexworker lets organizations monitor up to 15 essential security settings on devices. A dedicated HP Security Manager continuously evaluates and remediates any devices that are not secure or in compliance with enterprise policies.

With corporate offices expanding into homes, HP has extended the Flexworker program to include select LaserJet Enterprise 400 series models: the HP LaserJet Managed MFP E42540f and E40040dn.

Besides the latest HP Wolf Security, the LaserJet Enterprise 400 series includes HP Trusted Platform Module, HP Sure Start, Run-time intrusion detection, HP Connection Inspector, and policy-based fleet deployment with HP Security Manager.

Internet Printing through HP Advance is HP’s third offering. An integrated platform for capture, print, and output management, the service features steadfast encryption and authentication mechanisms, including OAuth 2.0 with OpenID connect for Azure AD. Most notably, the service enables employees to print from home or at work conveniently and securely.

HP also announced the compatibility of HP Secure Print with Universal Print, enabling authentication before printing documents. Analytics can be accessed for all print operations via HP Secure Print.

Canon’s i-Sensys LBP664Cx is a tempting option for busy offices. This desktop A4 laser costs a reasonable £253, yet delivers a speedy 27ppm in both colour and mono. A 12.7cm colour touchscreen makes it easy to use, and you can even take some advantage of Canon’s library of downloadable apps.

All the key connections are here: alongside a USB 2 port, the printer offers Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n wireless services, which are easily configured via a touch-driven wizard (although, as usual, both interfaces can’t be active simultaneously). There’s an integrated NFC sensor too, ready for tap-to-print operations.

The printer is supplied with a set of 1,200-page starter cartridges, and the only consumables are replacement toner packs, which come in standard and high-yield variants. Opt for the latter and running costs are very reasonable for a printer in this price range, working out to 1.5p per mono page and 8.6p for colour.

In addition to the touchscreen, the printer also presents a web console, providing details of consumables, paper status, and detected errors. The status monitor page shows job logs and page usage, as well as a view of average monthly energy usage.

You can also use the console to configure security settings, such as locking access to the touchscreen. Department ID settings let you control access to colour or mono printing, or apply daily page limits for each user. A little bit of desktop configuration is needed for this, as these settings also need to be applied at the driver end, but you do get the convenient choice of whether to store each user’s ID and PIN or require them to be provided for each print job.

Although the LBP664Cx can download apps from the Canon Application Library, almost all of the items currently on offer are aimed at MFPs, and only two work on this particular printer. Still, the Standby Slide app could be useful if the printer is in a public area, as it can display a slideshow of images and messages on the touchscreen.

The Print Template app is great if you have standard pages that need to be reprinted regularly: you can use the web console to upload a collection of JPEG or PDF files (up to a total size of 48MB), then assign each one to a button on the touchscreen for instant printing.

Another limitation of the LBP664Cx is cloud access, with only Google Cloud Print natively supported. You can work around this with companion apps, however: after installing the Canon Print Business mobile app, we were able to use our iPad to browse and print items in our Google Drive and Dropbox accounts.

And the LBP644Cx lived up to Canon’s performance promises, delivering our 27-page test Word document in precisely 60 seconds, in both the General and High-Definition driver modes. It struggled a little with our challenging 24-page colour DTP document, which was delivered at 24ppm in both General and Publication modes, but the results were worth the wait: quality was amazing, with photos and graphics revealing plenty of detail with bright, vibrant colour, and only the merest hint of banding.

Printing in duplex mode is pleasingly swift too, with our double-sided test document emerging at 20ppm. Even on cheap 75gsm stock, the printer produces pin-sharp text and detailed mono photos, and you won’t need to be constantly feeding it paper as the 250-sheet lower tray can be boosted with an optional 550-sheet base cassette.

For the price, the LBP664Cx delivers a strong set of print control features, and overall print quality is extremely good. Add in affordable running costs and you have a great choice for small businesses.

Canon i-Sensys LBP664Cx specifications

If your business is a moderate user of printers and you’re worried about the costs of consumables and maintenance, a managed print service could be just the ticket. Epson’s Print 365 scheme charges a flat monthly fee to cover the cost of all hardware, consumables, service and delivery – so all you need to buy is the paper.

There’s a fair spread of printers to choose from, but the WF-C529RDTW is one of our favourites. It doesn’t have an NFC sensor and its LCD panel isn’t touch-enabled – but it’s rated for a serious 4,500-page monthly duty cycle, and comes with 750-sheet and 500-sheet paper trays, plus an 80-page multipurpose tray at the rear.

It can also pump out a lot of pages before running out of ink, thanks to Epson’s high-volume Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS). The XL ink packs claim to last for 10,000 mono and 5,000 colour pages, while the XXL ramps this up to a massive 50,000 and 20,000 pages respectively.

A range of subscription options is available: the Start option costs £49 per month for a three-year contract, dropping to £37 for five years. That allows you to print up to 300 mono and 200 colour pages per month, with additional pages costing a very reasonable 0.49p per mono page and 3.25p for colour.

Initial installation takes around ten minutes, as you load the four ink bags into their pop-out trays at the front and wait while the printer fills its reservoirs. Epson’s install routine then discovers the printer (both wired and 802.11n wireless networking are supported), loads the drivers and updates the printer’s firmware.

The installer also registers the printer with your Epson Connect cloud account, and assigns it a customisable address, to which you can send documents to have them remotely printed. Alternatively, you can achieve the same effect by using Epson’s remote driver, which links up with the printer over the internet via your Connect account.

Printer fleet management is taken care of by Epson’s Device Admin utility for Windows, which discovered our printer as soon as it was installed. From its main console, we could view the status of the printer and consumables, check mono and colour page counts and run firmware updates.

Reporting and alerting services are also provided: you can create custom usage reports for selected device groups and have them sent to multiple email recipients at regular intervals, as well as receive warnings when issues such as paper jams or low ink are recorded.

As usual with inkjets, print speeds are a mixed bag. Epson advertises that the WF-C529RDTW can print 24ppm, but we only achieved this when printing from Word in the driver’s Standard mode. Our 24-page colour DTP document was slightly slower, at 20.6ppm – and switching to high-quality print mode saw speeds drop to just 6.2ppm and 5.9ppm respectively.

Still, text quality is very good. Even in standard mode we could see no evidence of dusting on cheap 75gsm paper. Mono photos did exhibit some vertical banding on Standard mode, but heavier 100gsm paper produced cleaner results, and when we switched to high-quality mode the issue vanished completely.

Colour quality for graphics and photos was excellent, even on cheap paper. Our reports looked bold and punchy, with silky smooth backgrounds in large single-colour areas. Photo printing on 160gsm semi-gloss paper produced sharp, detailed and clean results with no edge bleeding.

The managed print model won’t make sense for everyone – and if you’re on the fence about signing up, Epson’s minimum contract length of three years could be discouraging. For many businesses, though, the promise of perfectly consistent costs will certainly appeal. While the WorkForce Pro WF-C529RDTW isn’t as fast or snazzy as some rivals, it’s a flexible business-class printer that can’t be faulted for output quality and manageability.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C529RDTW specifications

Lexmark has announced its updated Cloud Fleet Management system to allow customers to collect data from networked third-party printers.

The company also expanded its app catalog, made premium apps free to partners and launched touchless printing to avoid contact with office equipment amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Previously, Lexmark’s partners could easily access Lexmark printers to update their firmware and more, but third-party printers were inaccessible. Now, Lexmark partners can also access networked third-party printers and collect data, giving them valuable insight into their customers’ printing infrastructure.

Also in this update is an expanded premium app catalog. Plus, Lexmark now offers free access to premium apps for partners, allowing them to deploy apps onto machines remotely.

According to Brock Saladin, Lexmark senior vice president and chief revenue officer: "Lexmark designed these apps to enable our partners to bring customized workflow and other solutions to their customers, and now we are providing even the premium apps to our partners at no cost."

Finally, reducing touch points is a key business initiative amid the coronavirus outbreak. To meet this need, Lexmark has added touchless printing to Lexmark Cloud Print Management and on-premise Lexmark Print Management. Instead of pressing a key to initiate printing, a user simply walks to the printer and scans their badge.

After three seconds, the printer will immediately begin printing the documents saved in the queue — the three-second delay allows the user to cancel the job before printing starts.

The paperless office has been seen as one of the most ambitious goals of the 21st century workplace, fuelled by environmental concerns and efficiency needs alike. The shift to paperless was further accelerated with the outbreak of the pandemic, shifting many traditionally-physical actions, such as signing legal documents, to online tools such as DocuSign.

However, despite the rise of cloud storage and online workspaces, contemporary offices have done relatively little to reduce things like waste and printing costs.

In fact, instead of stepping away from physical documents, US-based companies have increased their paper consumption by a staggering 126% since 2001 and the trend isn’t showing any signs of slowing down: the average business’ paper consumption is said to be increasing by more than a fifth (22%) every year.

This comes with not only significant costs and environmental impacts, but also employee productivity challenges, with workers spending between 30% and 40% of their time looking for information kept in filing cabinets. This could be easily solved with digitising said documents and allowing users to search for specific terms. However, this isn’t always possible due to legal requirements. In the UK, for instance, companies are obliged to keep records for 6 years from the end of the last financial year, while those who are self-employed need to retain financial and accounting records for five years.

Hence, more realistic work environment goals assume that paper will always be a part of the office, whether we like it or not. This doesn’t mean that we should completely give up our aspirations to be more digitised, sustainable, or cost-conscious. One way of ensuring that we meet these objectives is by investing in the right office printer.

For instance, leasing equipment can offer you the latest, greenest, most energy-efficient model with a shockingly low cost per page. That may sound ideal, but be careful about what you sign up to or the contract terms could end up negating the savings.

Don’t think that price is the only difference between leasing and buying hardware, however. It might make sense to own and manage your own print services, but you’ll need to figure out which printer is the most efficient, in line with your budget and expected duty cycle, and then divide up people’s printing resources according to the balance between job sizes and their value to the business. Be prepared for this option making you quite unpopular.

There are plenty of other issues to deal with too – and they’re easy to overlook because they don’t immediately show up in the bottom line, nor on the piece of paper that emerges at the end of the process. Think about things like OS support, for example, and where and how your print server is going to be hosted.

Why printer drivers are important for reducing waste

Printer drivers are far more than simple translators that turn what is on screen into physical print - they are the beating heart of your entire workflow. The driver is what determines how you can print and how easily your hardware integrates with your operating system.

Drivers are also have the potential to entirely undermine any goals for green printing you may have. For example, many printers come with the option of going into a low-power state, reducing their energy consumption when not being used. However, not every driver is capable of maintaining a connection with the network during this low-power state, or if the host PC goes to sleep. In those cases where the printer is disconnected, it's effectly useless as a business tool.

You may also encounter what's know as duplex printing, a function present in some smaller printers that allows the paper-handling mechanism to turn each page over during prints. The result is a much slower print process, but it does save on paper. Unfortunately, duplex printing is not quite the eco driver function that it might appear to be. It uses the same amount of ink as single-sided printing and, because it needs to be awake for longer periods, it uses slightly more energy.

To save even more paper, most drivers also offer the option of shrinking multiple page images down onto a single piece of paper: “2-up” printout fits two pages at 50% magnification onto one sheet, and if you combine this with duplex printing you can cut your paper consumption by up to 75%. Push this to “4-up”, however, and things quickly get difficult to read; I expect there are people who print “8-up”, thereby saving quite a bit of both ink and paper, but I don’t envy them.

Testing out how all of this works is exceptionally hard for a prospective purchaser, as it involves three distinct contributions: the drivers themselves, your own network hardware – does it pass wake-on-LAN packets correctly, and are your devices configured to respond to them? – and the software build of your PCs and servers. The interaction between these entities is not something you’ll find printed on the outside of the box, and this is where the green intention can easily fall prey to the seductive fallback of just slamming everything together with USB.

Ideally, you would start by defining for yourself what your best-behaved printer would look like – and remember, this doesn’t mean the same thing as “most feature-packed”. Our hypothetical model printer might be monochrome, with PostScript support for nice, efficiently rendered print jobs and a set of fonts whose licensing is clearly defined. It might have a simple browser-based management interface, showing the print queues and the jobs, as well as the state of the toner and drum.

You almost certainly won’t find a printer this straightforward, but it gives you a benchmark to work from.

Wireless vs wired printing

All things being equal, it normally makes sense to connect your printer to a wired network. Ethernet is highly reliable and more than fast enough, and printers don’t normally need to roam around the office. In practice, though, a lot of small businesses choose to connect over Wi-Fi. For example, the way they work might mean they want to print directly from mobile devices, rather than handling orders and messages on a conventional computer and sending them via a traditional print server.

The good news (although it may not initially sound like it) is that Wi-Fi printing is normally quite crudely implemented. In particular, many such printers don’t support both wireless and wired operation at once – and that’s a good thing because it means it won’t act as a potentially exploitable bridge between your secure, operationally-vital LAN and your more free-and-easy wireless network. Ideally, if you’re going to be using a printer over Wi-Fi, you’d want to connect it to a standalone router that understands it might be used for printing traffic and that, therefore, has a sensible approach to allowing guests to sign in and access a set of controlled resources.

Be careful with routers that include their own print server, though. Remember how I was saying that drivers are quite capable of ruining your day? That can easily happen within the stack of communication protocols that make up the conversation between client device and printer. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are themselves built to recover from packets going missing, but not all printer drivers are so capable. Networking a cheap desktop printer through a port on your router is therefore a shakier proposition than it might at first seem: you’re better off with hardware that expects odd, interrupted, shifting Wi-Fi traffic.

Paper printing vs PDFs

If you want to reduce the amount of paper you consume, it is actually possible to recycle your old prints on-site: Epson’s PaperLab system ingests printed paper, reduces it to fluff then magically reconstitutes it into fresh, blank sheets of A4 or A3 that are ready for reuse. The PaperLab machinery is far too cumbersome to fit in a typical SMB’s office, however, and the running costs are frankly scary: if an enterprise can justify them, it’s likely to be solely on the basis that they come from a different part of the balance sheet to paper purchasing.

The more economical approach is to replace hard copies with PDFs wherever possible. Be warned, though, that, while there’s a rich variety of PDF making and viewing tools to choose from, there are also plenty of installers filled with bloatware, nagware and downright malware. And once you reach the point where you need to invest in server-based products for restricted, managed PDF creation and storage, the sales teams get involved, asking uncomfortable questions about the value of your data and the price becomes very much a moving target.

In short, it’s no surprise that, even in 2022, our toner fusers remain warm and our lumberjacks remain busy. The march of paper may be slowed by things such as centralised controls, printing quotas and internal accounting, but there’s no sign that it’s going to stop any time soon.

Google Cloud has revealed it will be terminating its Cloud Print service on the 1 January 2021, warning businesses they will need to find an alternative solution.

The move will affect all devices across all operating systems, according to a Google support note, prompting the need for businesses to "execute a migration strategy" over the next year.

The termination comes as the company shifts towards a native approach to its printing services. Chrome OS received CUPS printing in 2017, a native printing management service engrained in Google’s operating system and that will replace Cloud Print after the cut-off date. However, for Windows, Mac, Linux and any other users, alternative solutions will be needed.

The announcement is more likely to hurt small businesses that operate in a single-vendor IT environment. For example, if an SMB operated solely on Microsoft Azure and ran Windows machines only, then having that vendor take away its printing service means it would have to go out and pay for a new service.

This is especially relevant to businesses that equip their workforce with workstations of different operating systems of even operate a BYOD policy. In this scenario, a printing service that can manage all these different devices at once will be necessary and costly.

Larger businesses have time to adapt to the change and even work with other printing vendors to create a bespoke cloud-based printing product for that given business.

Reaction has been mixed among customers, with many taking to Twitter to voice their concerns.

One user said “Google should consider open sourcing the entire Cloud Print project," while others said the move was indicative of the modern office's move towards a paperless office.

"It's the only way I've printed ever since it came out. Can print from Android, make it act as a default printer in windows. Used to be able to do the same on a Mac," said another user. "Could always just go to the website and print any document you could upload from anywhere."

Incidentally, IT Pro’s own office relies on Google Cloud Print.

“I think it might just be a case of adding the printer to our print server and working around a way to either send out a handout explaining to users on what to do to add the printer or setting times to physically add it,” our own IT department explained.

Cloud Print joins a growing list of axed Google products in 2019. Dedicated email app Inbox was terminated in June, Hire was ended in August and most notably Google+ was shuttered finally in April 2019 following a series of security errors impacting millions of its users.

Digital transformation involves integrating cutting-edge digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and advanced analytics across all business operations, fundamentally reshaping how organizations function and deliver value. This process is inherently complex and highly customized, varying widely between industries and individual businesses. To navigate these challenges, organizations increasingly turn to managed IT service providers (MSPs).

MSPs assume responsibility for managing and securing IT infrastructure, enabling companies to focus on innovation and core business objectives. From deploying cloud-native applications to upgrading physical and virtual systems, MSPs handle ongoing maintenance and optimization. This partnership allows internal teams to leverage new digital capabilities such as AI-driven automation and real-time analytics without being sidetracked by technical complexities.

While the shift to remote and hybrid work accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, these flexible models have become the new standard. MSPs continue to play a vital role, supporting organizations as they adopt new software, hardware, and security measures tailored for distributed teams. Services such as VoIP, remote monitoring and management (RMM), and advanced cybersecurity are now essential for maintaining productivity and business resilience.

Digital transformation is an ongoing journey, not a one-time project. As businesses increasingly embrace emerging technologies, including generative AI, IoT, and automation, the demand for MSPs remains strong. Organizations that partner with MSPs are better positioned to stay agile, secure, and competitive in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape.

What can managed IT do for your business?

Managed IT services have moved far beyond the outdated break/fix approach. Today’s MSPs deliver proactive, continuously monitored solutions often via subscription-based models that offer predictable costs and highly reliable IT operations. This modern approach empowers businesses to budget more effectively and experience fewer disruptions.

The range of MSP services is now broader than ever. In addition to essential daily support, MSPs offer advanced capabilities such as disaster recovery, robust network security, cloud management, and even AI-driven analytics. This model is ideal for organizations aiming to scale efficiently, avoid heavy internal IT investments, or focus internal resources on strategic innovation rather than routine maintenance.

Service level agreements (SLAs) remain a cornerstone of outsourced IT relationships. They clearly define performance standards, response times, and remedies for service shortfalls, ensuring transparency and accountability for both provider and client.

Modern managed IT services cover a comprehensive suite of business functions, including application management, network and server administration, payroll system oversight, and backup/recovery solutions. Managed print services (MPS) for workstations and printers are also commonly included, streamlining device management across the organization.

MSPs can simplify hardware procurement, especially for remote and hybrid teams, by handling device sourcing, deployment, and lifecycle management. This streamlines IT management, ensures policy compliance, and maintains oversight for corporate purchasing and IT departments.

Cloud services management is a significant component of modern managed IT offerings. MSPs can manage multi-cloud environments, optimise resource usage, and act as intermediaries with cloud providers. This expertise is particularly valuable for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that may lack the internal resources to effectively manage complex cloud environments.

Security continues to be a top priority. Many MSPs now operate as managed security service providers (MSSPs), offering end-to-end protection through threat detection, vulnerability management, patch management, and rapid incident response. These comprehensive security solutions help companies maintain a robust defense in the light of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Compliance and regulatory support have also become standard MSP offerings. Providers help businesses meet industry-specific requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS through regular audits, reporting, and guidance, ensuring ongoing compliance and reducing risk.

Flexibility is a hallmark of managed IT services. Companies can choose hybrid models that blend internal IT with managed services, or opt for co-managed arrangements where MSPs collaborate with in-house IT teams. This adaptability allows organizations to tailor IT support to their unique needs and strategic objectives.

By partnering with the right MSP, businesses can transform IT from a cost center into a strategic asset. MSPs provide the expertise, technology, and support needed to navigate the evolving digital landscape, empowering organizations to focus on growth and success in their core areas. As technology continues to advance with innovations like generative AI, edge computing, and automation reshaping business operations, the value of managed IT services only grows, making them an essential consideration for organizations of all sizes.

Advantages of managed IT services

• Access to specialized expertise: MSPs provide access to a deep pool of technical experts with specialized skills in areas like cybersecurity, cloud architecture, and AI implementation. This allows businesses to leverage enterprise-level knowledge without the high cost of hiring and retaining a diverse in-house team. The IT talent shortage continues to be a significant challenge for businesses, making access to an MSP's team even more valuable.
• Proactive support and enhanced security: Modern MSPs have moved beyond the traditional break-fix model and now focus on proactive monitoring and maintenance to prevent issues before they disrupt business operations. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, many MSPs now offer advanced security services, including 24/7 threat monitoring, vulnerability management, and incident response, to protect against threats like ransomware.
• Predictable costs and scalability: Managed services are typically offered on a subscription basis, which provides businesses with a predictable monthly fee for their IT operations. This model eliminates the unexpected and often high costs associated with IT emergencies. MSPs also offer scalable solutions, allowing businesses to easily adjust their service levels as their needs change.
• Focus on core business objectives: By outsourcing IT management, businesses can free up internal resources to concentrate on strategic initiatives that drive growth and innovation. This allows companies to be more agile and competitive in their respective markets.
• Improved compliance and risk management: Navigating the complex landscape of regulatory compliance (like GDPR, HIPAA, and others) is a significant challenge for many businesses. MSPs help organizations meet these requirements by implementing robust security controls, conducting regular audits, and ensuring that data management practices align with legal standards.

Disadvantages of managed IT services

• Potential lack of control: Some businesses may find it challenging to hand over control of their IT infrastructure to a third party. During a service outage or a security incident, the inability to directly intervene can be a source of frustration.
• Security and third-party risk: While MSPs can enhance security, they also introduce third-party risk. If an MSP has weak security practices, it can expose its clients to significant vulnerabilities, including data breaches. The global average cost of a data breach reached an all-time high of $4.88 million in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year, highlighting the heightened financial and reputational risks involved.
• Standardized services may lack flexibility: MSPs often provide services in standardized packages. This can be a drawback for businesses with highly specialized needs, as they may end up paying for services they don't require or lacking the customized support necessary for their unique operations.
• Communication and cultural fit: Effective and clear communication is crucial for a successful partnership with an MSP. Misunderstandings or a lack of responsiveness can lead to delays and operational friction. Additionally, a mismatch in company culture can create challenges in aligning the MSP's services with the client's business objectives.
• Vendor lock-in and transitioning: Businesses can become dependent on their MSP, making it difficult to switch providers or bring IT operations back in-house. The process of transitioning to a new provider can be complex, time-consuming, and potentially disruptive to business operations.

Despite these potential drawbacks, many businesses find that the advantages of managed IT services outweigh the disadvantages, especially when partnering with a provider that closely aligns with their unique requirements.

No two businesses are the same, and while some prefer to manage their IT internally, the market for MSPs continues to grow. According to recent data, the managed services market is projected to reach $511 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% from 2024 to 2029. Another estimate suggests the market will grow from $297.2 billion in 2024 to $878.71 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 15% during the forecast period.

As organizations navigate the evolving digital landscape and embrace new tools like AI, automation, and cloud-native solutions, managed IT services are proving essential for business agility and resilience. This ongoing evolution cements managed IT as a future-proof industry, central to the success of modern enterprises.

Trends in managed IT services

The managed IT services landscape is in a state of rapid transformation, driven by technological advancements and shifting business needs. For 2025, several key trends are shaping the future of the industry, moving from foundational IT support to strategic business enablement.

AI-powered automation and predictive operations

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are no longer just buzzwords; they are becoming core to MSP operations. In 2025, MSPs are leveraging AI to deliver predictive maintenance, which helps detect and resolve IT issues before they can impact business operations. AI-driven tools and machine learning are automating routine tasks like ticket management and IT support, enhancing efficiency and allowing technicians to focus on more complex challenges. This shift toward proactive, automated support is helping businesses increase uptime and improve overall productivity.

A "cybersecurity-first" approach

With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, security is a top priority for organizations of all sizes. As a result, many MSPs have adopted a "cybersecurity-first" model, where security is integrated into every aspect of their service offerings. Zero Trust security models, which operate on a "never trust, always verify" principle, are becoming the industry standard. MSPs are also offering advanced services like managed detection and response (MDR), which provide real-time threat monitoring and automated incident response to protect against attacks.

Advanced cloud management and optimization

As more businesses adopt multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies, the focus has shifted from simple cloud adoption to optimizing these complex environments.MSPs are now playing a crucial role in helping organizations manage their cloud spending, streamline data access, and ensure security across multiple cloud providers. This includes leveraging the unique strengths of different platforms to improve performance and enhance resilience.

Expansion of IoT and edge computing services

The number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in use continues to grow exponentially, creating new opportunities and challenges for businesses. The IoT managed services market is projected to grow from $88.38 billion in 2024 to $108.22 billion in 2025. MSPs are developing specialized services to monitor, manage, and secure these sprawling IoT ecosystems. At the same time, edge computing is becoming more important for processing data closer to its source, which reduces latency and improves performance for real-time applications.

Focus on sustainability and green IT

Sustainability has become a key consideration for businesses when choosing an IT provider/. MSPs increasingly incorporate "Green IT" practices into their services, such as promoting energy-efficient data centers and helping clients recycle outdated hardware responsibly. This focus not only helps businesses meet their environmental goals but can also lead to cost savings.

Despite living in the age of the paperless office, inkjet and laser printers are still the centre of a big office debate that has no easy answer.

Which one you use in the office is dependent on a number of factors, such as the initial cost, price per page, speed, longevity, and so on. There's a lot to get wrong, so it needs to be thoroughly considered before making the final call.

Back in the day, inkjet was often recommended for home use, while laser printers were more popular in enterprises and offices, but this isn't necessarily the case anymore. Laser printers used to be known for being faster and more durable, but inkjet technology has slowly narrowed that gap. However, laser printers are still known for being much quieter and with a smoother finish, with no warm-up time required before printing.

Are laser printers better?

If your decision is based on speed, there isn't much of a difference between inkjet printers and laser printers. The former used to max out at around 30ppm in black and white, and 10ppm for colour, while most laser printers could hit 40ppm in both colour or black and white.

Even now, with modern laser printers capable of 60ppm or even 70ppm, there isn't a significant gulf. A newer generation of office-ready inkjet printers, with A4-spanning print heads that can reach speeds of up to 75ppm. The only real advantage for lasers, in this area, is speed of the first printed page, which is around 7.5 seconds. Although inkjets are not much slower, printing the first page in around 9.5 seconds.

Where laser printers do have an edge is the finished product - the print quality. Lasers tend to produce clean, crisp black text and colour graphics, making them good for external uses such as marketing. Inkjets have improved dramatically when it comes to text, to the point where they're almost a match for laser printers. They certainly produce more natural results, particularly when it comes to photos, hence why the majority of inkjets are professional photo printers. An office inkjet probably won't offer the same photo quality, but it should be more than enough for everything else.

The workload is also an area that laser printers have an advantage over inkjets. Lasers are capable of anywhere between 2,000 and 20,000 pages in a monthly duty cycle. Inkjet users can only dream of such efficiency, typically churning out between 1,500 and 5,000 pages within the same time. That will be adequate for most small businesses, but if you are heavy printers and have a much larger organisation, then it's likely that a laser printer is better suited.

When it comes to the best printers for businesses, you can find both inkjets and lasers making the cut, but the lower asking price for inkjets makes them an attractive option for most deployments.

Laser printers vs inkjet cost per page

Again, conventional wisdom states that lasers are expensive to buy but cheap to run, while inkjets are cheap upfront but cost you more long-term. What's more, where a laser toner cartridge will see you through thousands of prints, an inkjet will need its cartridges replaced far more frequently.

Of course, conventional wisdom is no longer reliable. Look at real laser vs inkjet costs, and you may be surprised. On the one hand, lasers are getting cheaper, and the budget models are coming with smaller starter cartridges that run out fairly quickly, though the standard or super-sized cartridges will still have impressive lifespans. In toner alone, expect the cost per page to come in at around 2p for a black-and-white page and 5p to 10p for a colour page. On the other hand, business inkjets are getting their own costs per page right down, to the extent that some models can now produce prints for around 1p per page for black-and-white to 5p per page for colour. Meanwhile, the extra-large cartridges are able to print over 9000 pages (black) or 6,500 pages (colour).

There are other costs to consider, though. Laser printers deliver excellent results even on plain paper, so there's no need to splash out on speciality media. On the inkjet's side, inkjet-ready office paper is no longer much more expensive, and inkjets usually consume less power in operation than their laser brethren. As a result, running costs can be lower for some inkjets than for comparable lasers. Combine that with a lower purchase cost, and there's definite scope to save your business money.

Is a laser printer better than an inkjet?

Historically, lasers have been the mainstay of workgroup printing, and you'll still find that enterprise-grade laser printers offer more management tools plus support for more high-end technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet and IPSec, not to mention upgrade options like expandable memory or a secure, plug-in hard disk.

All the same, an increasing number of office inkjet printers have the same embedded management features as their laser cousins, plus features like secure pull-printing, where jobs are held in a queue until released at the printer with a PIN code, or wireless, touch-to-print and cloud-printing features that enable the printer to work with a wider range of devices or take print jobs from remote locations. While a laser might offer more management and security features, a business inkjet can still give you all the tools you need.

Today, there is no catch-all answer to the question of inkjet vs laser for the office. It's more a question of scale, workloads and the kind of tasks you need your printer to handle.

Lasers definitely win through when it comes to heavy workloads, networking and management features, professional quality prints and the ability to scale up to serve large teams, but office-focused inkjets aren't far behind in many of these areas and can beat lasers on purchase cost, running costs and everyday performance. Be realistic about your needs, and you should be able to make the right choice.

Just like any office equipment, printers are vulnerable to attacks from threat actors, be it denial of service, information theft, or botnet compromise.

Despite this, printers are among the most overlooked hardware when it comes to implementing safety practices in the workplace. Printers were found to be low on the security agenda for many US and European organisations, which tend to focus on securing their cloud or hybrid application platforms, email, public networks, and traditional endpoints instead, according to latest research from Quocirca.

As a result, 68% of organisations reported data losses traceable back to printers in 2021, with an average breach cost of almost £632,000.

Although many organisations are undergoing a sustainability push and moving towards the paperless office, the number of printers has actually increased since the start of the pandemic and continues to rise, Quocirca research director Louella Fernandes. One of the reasons for this is the rise of the remote and hybrid work strategies, which saw workers purchase home-based devices for work purposes – including small office printers.

Despite the many benefits of working from home, some home-office printers lack necessary security precautions, creating a welcoming environment for cyber criminals looking to target organisations through a less-obvious endpoint.

“Printer estates have expanded to include home offices and employee-purchased devices, increasing the risk of accidental data loss and cyber attacks. Organisations are finding it harder to keep up with print security challenges and they are suffering costly breaches as a result,” she warns.

2021 saw the rise of several print-related vulnerabilities, enabled through the adoption of advanced features in even the most basic printer models. According to Fernandes, this increases “their potential to be weaponised by bad actors”.

Printer security best practices

While a serious threat, there are steps your organisation can take to secure your printers and avoid expensive data leaks. Beaches are at their highest-ever cost according to IBM’s 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report, and they can also cause severe reputational damage. Here we explain the three best ways to secure your business printer: from access controls to software updates.

How to secure a printer with user authentication

Requiring employees to enter a PIN or scan their keycard at the printer to authorise a print job helps to make sure that print jobs are purposeful, and important documents aren’t forgotten about in the tray. It can also prevent documents from being accidentally reprinted, which in turn saves paper and money.

How to secure a printer with data encryption

If a document is being printed by an employee, especially as menial tasks have increasingly been relegated to online systems, it’s likely to contain sensitive information that should be kept clear of prying eyes. But if printer data is unencrypted, this data is transmitted across the network without any form of protection. Since a threat actor may use a printer as an unassuming access point for a network, they could equally intercept sensitive print job data.

Encrypting data in transit from endpoints to the printer will help prevent this from being a problem.

How to secure a printer’s firmware

Regularly updating the printer’s firmware, the driver installed on it from the time it's manufactured, is a basic precaution that is often skipped over. But keeping firmware up to date is an easy way to keep vulnerability protection up to date, and keep your entire print network secure.

However, it’s worth remembering that it takes time and resources for an IT worker to review, test, and implement new firmware for all of an organisation’s printers. This is one reason why it often doesn't happen as frequently as it should.

Finally, when buying printers, consider units that come with built-in security features, as it is always harder to secure such hardware after it has been bought and shipped.

A report from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee has called Facebook "digital gangsters" for obstructing its investigation and violating privacy laws.

The 108-page report is the result of an 18-month long investigation into fake news and harmful content on social media. It calls for a compulsory code of ethics and an independent regulator, with the power to take legal action against those companies found to be in breach of the code.

Such breaches would incur fines, although no specific amount has been suggested.

Facebook featured heavily in the report, facing criticism for its failure to prevent the spread of fake news and disinformation on its platform. The social network is accused of failing to deal with known sources of harmful content and proven sources of disinformation. However, the most scathing parts of the report come from investigations into Facebook's disregard for data privacy policies.

The report highlights documents obtained by the Committee relating to a Californian court case brought by app developer Six4Three. According to the report, there is evidence to indicate that between 2011 and 2015, Facebook was willing to override its user's privacy settings in order to transfer data to some app developers.

On top of this, the company charged high prices in advertising to some developers, for the exchange of data, and starve some developers, such as Six4Three, of that data. This, MPs concluded, was evidence of Facebook intentionally and knowingly violating both data privacy and anti-competition laws.

"Companies like Facebook should not be allowed to behave like 'digital gangsters' in the online world, considering themselves to be ahead of and beyond the law," the report said.

"Facebook continues to choose profit over data security, taking risks in order to prioritise their aim of making money from user data. It seems clear to us that Facebook acts only when serious breaches become public."

The report also dismissed comments made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg's that Facebook has never sold user data as "simply untrue". The DCMS committee's chairman, Damian Collins said in a statement that Zuckerberg continually failed to show the levels of leadership and personal responsibility that should be expected from someone who sits at the top of one of the world's biggest companies.

"We believe that in its evidence to the Committee Facebook has often deliberately sought to frustrate our work, by giving incomplete, disingenuous and at times misleading answers to our questions," Collins said.

"Even if Mark Zuckerberg doesn't believe he is accountable to the UK Parliament, he is to the billions of Facebook users across the world. Evidence uncovered by my Committee shows he still has questions to answer yet he's continued to duck them, refusing to respond to our invitations directly or sending representatives who don't have the right information."

At a time when the UK's government is split over Brexit, Zuckerberg has managed to unite them. Last month the deputy leader of the labour party, Tom Watson called the Facebook founder "an arrogant corporate elite and a coward" for not appearing before the DCMS committee.

"Even in this age of a divided country and a divided Parliament over Brexit, the one man on planet Earth that has united Parliament is Mark Zuckerberg," Watson said. "I am hoping that we can have a cross-party consensus on dealing with some of these online harms that are afflicting families and communities up and down the country"

As a business focused on the legacy side of IT PCs and printers you'd be forgiven for thinking that HP is focused on managing decline.

But looking at the numbers, that's clearly not the case.

In fact, revenue has grown from $12.7 billion in January 2017 to $14.5 billion for the quarter ending in January this year. And net earnings tripled from $611 million to $1.9 billion over that same period, despite R&D costs growing by $50 million, with HP pushing to innovate in its two main businesses, which remain huge markets.

We sat down with George Brasher, HP's UK and Ireland MD, to discuss the future of PCs and printing, as well as HP's involvement in the Tech Talent Charter, an initiative to promote diversity in tech workforces.

HP is an early innovator in 3D printing; how will this technology change the nature of manufacturing in the future?

"The impact will be that instead of having physical supply chains where you design something and it's made in another country and brought to where it needs to be done, instead you're going to have digital supply chains where things will be sent via digital files and then produced on demand. Parts will be created and pushed out to areas close to customers round the world.

It gives you other benefits - all manufacturers have to keep spare parts for a certain number of years after a product goes end of life because you need to support the installed base. Wouldn't it be much easier, instead of having parts that consume space and have to be warehoused, to have a digital part you can turn into a physical part and then you're ready to go? It makes it much easier to support customers and has a lower impact on the environment."

HP has launched Device-as-a-Service (DaaS), where essentially organisations can rent their devices and all associated tech support. Is that how you see the future of the PC market evolving?

"If you go back 15 years the printing industry essentially went from a transactional model to a contractual model. The same transition that happened in print is now happening in computing.

What IT directors around the world now ask is 'can you help me get control over my devices, help me manage my devices and secure them and then help me manage them in a cost-effective way?'

[In DaaS] we have an analytics platform we provide for our customers and they're able to see several things on that. You can actually see what processors are underused, which are overused and which are used correctly. As you look to refresh devices you can get the right products for your users. Another example is battery usage. We've all had the experience that as laptops get longer in life, batteries all of a sudden have a fall off. You can look across your portfolio of devices and say 'in three weeks, this laptop needs a new battery. How about we send one now so he can do it ahead of time? How many other batteries are needed in that office so we can send them all in one shipment?'"

You mentioned the transition in printing - how has your acquisition of Samsung's A3 business changed how HP positions itself in the market?

"Samsung had some great print technology - that's why we wanted to buy them - just like we have the inkjet PageWide technology, this gives us the laser technology, which is super. They had a great lineup of A3 devices we were OEM-ing even before we bought it.

Folks are already talking to us having that conversation, what it gave us was an even broader portfolio of a3, so we can have a broader conversation. Most print vendors would come in and say 'I can do laser', or 'I can do ink', or 'I can do A3' or 'I can do A4', and we can say not only do we have ink, we can do laser, we've got PageWide, and we have A3 and A4 and we have security that wraps around it, so we can bring the entire end-to-end proposition to the customer."

As printers grow more advanced, how do you safeguard them from hackers?

"You have to start by saying a printer's just another endpoint device on a network, so any endpoint device without proper security can be breached. It's got an operating system, it has a hard drive, it's got middleware, it can send and receive email, so we approached it from a resilience perspective, which is first you want to stop intrusions, then detect it, then repair it.

Because the OS layer is getting so hardened, hackers are looking at how they can go above and below the OS and one way is getting into the BIOS, getting into the firmware, so we have that on PC to allow us to have a self-healing BIOS, and now we've put the same thing on our printers. The BIOS, it boots up and sees 'hey I've got firmware on here which I don't recognise'. It jettisons it and goes back to a known good copy, a gold copy, and then restarts the device."

HP is a signatory of the Tech Talent Charter, so what efforts is it making to improve its gender balance and workforce diversity?

"I have a tonne of things to say and it [all] comes from a business point of view. We're an industry that only works if we have great innovation. The only way you get great innovation is getting a lot of different opinions sitting around the table and you debate it and work through it. I want to have people that think very differently sitting around the table from me because they're going to bring different perspectives and help make the best decisions.

We're going to work to the goal of a woman on every shortlist and also be part of the diversity reporting [Tech Talent Charter signatories commit to revealing their workforce diversity] because the scoreboard will drive people and drive behaviour.

Second thing is, we look at is our on-ramp for talent in our intern programme. We bring interns in and the best interns become graduates the best graduates move on to become [staff]. This is the feeder for talent. So we've said 50% of our interns are going to be female; we're going to use the programme as a forcing function.

The third thing we're doing is a pilot for a returners programme: if a woman leaves work and has a baby then she comes back in. We did a pilot last year and it worked great, and so we're going to start a returners programme. If we do that, and more companies adopt it, it'll give them a better perspective [by having more diversity]."

When you have existing printers you've already bought and paid for, it's tempting to think that maintaining your existing fleet will cost less than purchasing new printers or signing up with a managed print services (MPS) provider. Why replace them if it's not absolutely necessary?

The costs of an ageing fleet stack up, and in the long term, managed print services are able to save you more than just money. Here are five benefits MPS could bring to your business.

1 - Cost savings

The consequences of sticking with an old printer are sometimes hidden, and can work at various levels, from running out of toner when you want to print an essential document, to the device breaking and your IT department being too busy to fix it. These consequences cost money, and the benefit of using managed print services is that you have the maximum availability of print when you need it most.

An MPS provider will look for ways to rationalise and consolidate your printers, replacing many old, large laser printers with a smaller number of newer, better distributed, faster devices or multi-function printers with all the necessary functions built in. Costs are visible and predictable, and you never have to worry about the expense of replacing ink and toners at different times across the business.

Maintaining your old printers might seem to help you keep costs low in the short term, but in the long term you'll miss out on cost-saving opportunities, while facing expenses and uncertainties that MPS providers are there to alleviate.

2 - Efficiency

Old printers waste valuable time, which always has an impact on the bottom line. Not only does the time spent waiting for a slower printer really add up over a business year, but every paper jam and malfunction means more wasted time that could be used more productively.

An MPS provider will come in and analyse your business, printers and requirements in terms of printing, scanning and copying. This doesn't mean pushing expensive hardware into every corner of the business, but instead they will look at where teams need specific capabilities, then will find the printer/s that will match those needs.

A really good provider will go further and look at ways that the business overall can print more efficiently, and save money by reducing the everyday print costs.

3 - Minimised downtime

In many organisations, employees can end up spending excessive amounts of time dealing with printers - not just waiting for old, slow devices to print, but dealing with malfunctions, changing cartridges, adding paper or waiting for someone from IT to fix a problem.

A good MPS provider will help reduce support costs and minimise downtime. Because it's their job to maintain your printers and keep them running with a steady stream of supplies, your own IT team frees up its time to work on other projects.

4 - Up-to-date security

Newer printers have better tools for maintenance, management and most importantly, security. This has never been more important, with every old and outdated device now a potential security risk. Options like pull-printing, cloud printing and printing from mobile devices have gone from being expensive extras to standard features, while NFC and ID card-based authentication are no longer the preserve of larger businesses.

MPS providers are there to sort out things like security updates or rapid changes to firmware. With more threats out there and greater penalties for data breaches, that's good news for businesses of every size.

5 - Environmental benefits

Do your existing printers have effective, high-performance duplex printing enabled? If not, you could be missing out on features that could save you up to 40% of your paper costs, according to some studies.

MPS providers look for ways to reduce waste, helping businesses make more effective use of more advanced printers and functions. Such printers have management features that prevent or discourage wastage, can restrict the use of colour, make duplex printing the default, or switch on pull printing, so that print jobs only print when actively requested from the printer. This can see drastic reductions in the number of printed pages left abandoned in the output tray.

Meanwhile, more modern, high-quality draft and eco-printing settings could use up to 50% less ink than standard modes, while producing output that's easily good enough for both internal and external usage.

Picture: Shutterstock

Traditionally, businesses would buy a range of printers, scanners and photocopiers for the different departments within the business. The IT team is generally responsible for the upkeep, like ensuring the ink and toner are stocked up, software is working and printer hardware is maintained. IT managers and decision makers do their best to match the printer fleet to business requirements, while providing scanning and document management capabilities to minimise paperwork and drive costs down.

Managed print services (MPS) takes a different approach, however, delivering printing, scanning and copying capabilities not through a set of products, but as a complete service. The deployment and management of all the hardware is outsourced to a single company, the MPS provider, who also handles consumables and maintenance, plus a print and document strategy, advice and support.

It is about more than just overseeing printers, and can include photocopiers, fax machines and anything else that generates paper. An MPS contract also normally includes managing all in-house printing and data capture devices.

Benefits of managed print services

One obvious benefit is that the workload of purchasing, maintaining and updating the firm's printers shifts from the internal IT team to the external provider, but MPS can also reduce printing costs, save time, transform working practices and boost productivity.

Another benefit is cost savings. MPS providers look for ways to rationalise and consolidate your printers, replacing many large, old laser printers or single use devices with a smaller number of newer, better distributed, faster devices or multi-function printers with all the necessary functions built in. This cuts down the size of your printer fleet without compromising productivity.

MPS providers also help to reduce waste by helping businesses better make use of high-quality draft modes, duplex printing and other features that cut down the amount of ink, toner and paper that they get through.

Because it's the provider's job to maintain the printers and keep them running with a steady stream of supplies, MPS can also help reduce support costs and free up your IT team to spend time on other projects. This also minimises the time employees spend waiting for printers to be fixed or working out the right settings.

Disadvantages of Managed Print Services

Although MPS might be ideal for some companies, particularly those looking to work more flexibly, there are also some cases, particularly for smaller organisations where MPS may be more costly than running and maintaining your own printers.

Confidentiality can be an issue with a more centralised printing system. For people handling sensitive data and documents, having individual printers in more private areas of the office may make more sense so that more sensitive documents can be printed without worrying that they will be lost or misplaced at a centralised printer.

Some MPS providers include clauses in contracts that prevent you or your employees from replacing any printer hardware on your own, which can cause delays should an issue occur. Contracts should be checked carefully to see whether there are restrictions on which hardware you're allowed to use, and response times if a printer needs attention.

Boosting productivity

MPS providers know all about printing, but they're also experts at scanning and document management. That puts them in a good place to recommend new processes or working practices that can help you reduce waste, cut down on paper-based file storage and share information more effectively.

They can also help support printing and scanning from mobile devices, or even from outside the office, through the cloud. This supports a more flexible working style, by giving workers the full range of printing and scanning capabilities, or allowing hot-deskers to print to the nearest printer from wherever they are.

Analyst house IDC has estimated that simply moving from self-managed printers to MPS can save a business 30% of its printing costs, and there's scope to go further by rethinking how print is used in the business.

MPS makes printing costs predictable, and can free up office space wasted on bulky printers and copies so that you have the freedom to put it to more productive use.

Picture: Shutterstock

Smartphone sales around the world will remain weak in 2018 due to lower demand and fewer replacement purchases, according to a report by market analyst TrendForce.

Due to a continuous rise in the costs of upstream components, downstream mobile phone vendors have to reconsider the pricing or adjust the specification of end-products to cope with the cost pressures, the report said. This means the distribution of market share among the major players is expected to remain generally the same as last year.

TrendForce, therefore, estimates the global smartphone production for 2018 at around 1.5 billion units, a 2.8% annual growth only, down from previously expected 5%.

"Looking back to global smartphone market in 2017, the sales in [the first half] were weaker than expected since the demand was affected by the anticipated launch of new iPhones in [the second half of 2017]," the report stated.

"In the second half of the year, major smartphone brands put focus on all-screen models, hoping to boost the replacement purchases at the year end, but the sales turned out to be lower than expected. Therefore, since the mid [fourth quarter], smartphone vendors have lowered their quarterly production plans due to the huge cost pressures brought by excessive inventory."

According to TrendForce, the handset manufacturers with the biggest potential for the future are Apple and Nokia, and were quoted as "the only international brands with a clear future of growth in 2018".

As the industry leader, the analysts said Samsung will remain the top for smartphone production this year and is expected to continue the success of its budget smartphones, the Galaxy A and J series.

"The smartphone production volume of Samsung is estimated at 300 million units in 2018, a decrease of 5% year on year," said the report.

Despite IDC's latest report stating that Apple overtook Samsung in the smartphone sales for the last quarter of 2017, TrendForce believes Apple will "remain in second place in the ranking of smartphone production for 2017".

For this year, Apple is set to launch three new flagship models in the third quarter, expanding the adoption of Face ID and all-screen technology in these new iPhones, along with upgrading their existing functions and increasing the memory content as well.

As a result, TrendForce said iPhone's annual production volume will increase by 6% because of improved specifications of new iPhones and Apple's expansion in the Indian market.

As for LG, who previously announced its withdrawal from the Chinese market, TrendForce's report stated that the Korean tech giant is an example of how international brands are finding it harder to survive in the Chinese market, where there is growing support for domestic brands.

"More importantly, international brands have difficulty to stay profitable in China because the offerings of the domestic brands have higher performance-price ratios," the analysts added.

The fundamental arguments for adopting Managed Print Services are well-established, and they haven't become any less compelling in the last few years. Most businesses can see the efficiencies of moving CapEx to OpEx, streamlining business processes and reducing the burden of support. Partners, meanwhile, can see the advantages in playing in a market where recurring revenue is high and add-on services an easy fit. In MPS, everyone can win.

Yet MPS isn't standing still; it's evolving. It's no longer just about facilitating printing, servicing devices and ensuring that consumables are always in supply. Now the real value is in understanding the needs of the business, transforming business processes and harnessing the capabilities of new multi-function printers to change how information flows around the business. It's about enabling companies to maximise the benefits of turning digital content into printed materials and turning printed materials into accessible, actionable data. It's about minimising downtime, enhancing security and helping business protect their assets.

To make the most of these benefits, businesses need a partner and devices whose capabilities align with their needs. While it's tempting to stick with what you know or focus down on cost-per-page, it makes more long-term sense to think about the whole portfolio of printers and services, and about having the right ecosystem in place to support your business needs. That goes beyond just printing and copying to include security, mobility, digital business processes, device integration, cost-management and more. That's where HP comes in, with a new range of A3 multifunction printers that lead the industry in every way.

Practicalities and the bottom line

In a market where customers pay for what they print on a pay-per-click model, it's become normal to focus on the baseline cost per printed page to the exclusion of all else. Yet this doesn't give the whole picture. How about the speed at which jobs print out and the time savings that could eventually add up to? How much does it cost to use colour to mark out a key point or give a proposal impact? That's why HP has focused on building PageWide and LaserJet printers with best-in-class performance and affordable colour.

Yet the new style of MPS goes so much further. Factor in energy costs, or the costs of management, monitoring and servicing for your MPS providers; the amount of ink or toner that goes to waste when you change consumables, the work involved in updating firmware and settings. That's why HP has designed its printers and consumables to use less energy, take up less space and be as reliable and efficient as possible. HP's new A3 MFPs have been designed to use fewer components and make those components modular, making them easier, faster and cheaper to service.

That all enables providers to price even more competitively, but it also helps minimise downtime. The simplified, streamlined mechanisms use a smaller number of highly modular components, fitted with embedded sensors that allow the printer to report back to the provider, informing them if there's a risk of failure and even predicting if that part can fail. This enables MPS providers to be more proactive, fixing potential faults before you've even noticed them. What's more, the faulty component can be set to run at, say, a lower speed, keeping the MFP up and running until an engineer arrives with a fix. It's this sort of intelligence that can make downtime a thing of the past while improving the chances of a first-time fix when the engineer arrives.

Transforming enterprise

Amazingly, these nuts-and-bolts practicalities are only half the story. The real strength of HP's new MFPs lies in the way they enable MPS providers to go beyond traditional MPS and customers to transform the way they work.

If today's MPS is about making costs more predictable and manageable and taking the burden of administration, supplies and maintenance away, tomorrow's MPS is more about the information ecosystem within the enterprise. It's about helping customers create new workflows that allow them to capture, store and harvest value from their printed documents and make the most of the materials they print. Businesses don't merely want to ditch their paperwork or archive documents in a digital format; they want the power to transform paper-based information into data that can be analysed and mined for insight.

This is where a new breed of MPS providers and a few established brands are making their mark, developing expertise, strategy and a coherent, flexible portfolio of products and services, while specialising in different industries, such as legal, medical, manufacturing, energy or education.

Again, though, it's about finding devices with the capabilities to match. HP, for instance, hasn't just invested in high-performance printing and scanning technology, but in features that support new print/digital workflows. HP Capture and Route makes it easier to scan printed documents, process their content and distribute the digital results to back-office applications, cloud-based repositories and content-management solutions like Microsoft SharePoint. HP Embedded Capture enables businesses to scan and capture data direct from the MFP, routing documents where they need to go with no server required. HP Digital Sending Software gives enterprises one common interface across multiple printers and MFPs, simplifying the way they incorporate paper documents into digital-focused business processes, and getting their contents into emails, network folders or SharePoint repositories with ease.

Mobility counts as well. HP's solutions enable simple, secure, effective wireless printing from smartphone or tablet to MFP, plus equally fast, secure remote printing, so that remote workers and mobile sales or support teams can print safely from wherever they might be. With HP JetAdvantage Capture, they can even scan in documents and harvest data on the move using the camera on an Android tablet or smartphone.

Securing the business

Security is a challenge for every business, whatever its size, and it's a challenge too often ignored when it comes to printers. The fact is that the increasing sophistication of printers and MFPs, coupled with their use as an on-off ramp for information moving between digital and printed formats, makes them a juicy and often vulnerable target for hackers.

Luckily, MPS is ready to meet the hackers head-on, as providers harness the power of new devices to not only help their customers adopt new workflows, but help them adopt them securely. Again, working with HP brings huge advantages. For one thing, HP's expertise and experience in security goes well beyond what you'd find in most printer manufacturers, as HP is able to leverage its capabilities in network security, server security and PC security. Just as importantly, HP has the technology to back that expertise up.

In HP's new MFPs, for example, you'll find HP SureStart, a feature that enables the printer to detect intrusions in the BIOS the boot-level instructions that initialize the hardware and load the firmware that runs and controls every feature of the printer. Not only can SureStart detect intrusions, it can stop them and repair the effects of an attack. You'll also find whitelisting features that prevent the manufacturer's firmware from being replaced by a hacked one, not to mention run-time intrusion detection that continually monitors the printer for signs of attack.

What's more, these tie in with wider features. HP JetAdvantage Security Manager works across an enterprise's fleet of HP printers, ensuring they comply with security policies and changing any settings that don't meet requirements. These may include 256-bit AES encryption of the printer's hard drive or of jobs in progress, not to mention pull print features, where jobs will only print when authorised by the user, standing at the printer itself. These features combine to ensure that printers and MFPs don't become the weakest link in the enterprise security chain, and that's good news for both MPS providers and the customers they serve.

Cost-efficiencies, guaranteed availability and reduced admin will always be an important part of any MPS provision, but as a business you should expect more: a vision for how print can benefit your company and how more effective document workflows can help you grow your business and compete. That doesn't just mean making information easier to share, store and access, but also ensuring that it stays properly secured. While there are many providers out there who can offer this, it makes sense to partner with one that has the best technology to use as a foundation and those foundations don't get any sounder than HP's next-generation MFPs.

The managed print services (MPS) market is seeing impressive growth and is still maturing. This is no surprise, as it allows companies to save two of the most precious assets: time and money.

With strong pick-up among larger enterprises – recent research by IT analysis firm Quocirca found that around half of large enterprises are now using some form of MPS, with stronger prevalence in very large enterprises – smaller organisations are being far slower in adopting what, to many, is a no-brainer.

In 2014, Quocirca estimated that around 20 percent of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe were using basic print services in some form. This is surprisingly low, and the fact that MPS is not being universally adopted by SMEs as a way of managing their print output is a surprise not least due to the very clear benefits such solutions represent.

Industry reports have shown that 75 percent of SMEs rely on printing to support their most important business activities. Yet do-it-yourself print management results in enterprises spending far too much time and money on everything from restocking the correct supplies at the right time, to predicting and managing printing costs to addressing the inevitable services and maintenance of print services. These are resources that could be used elsewhere, helping smaller enterprises to grow.

As to why this is, the main challenges such companies face with print management is cost control, closely followed by downtime – two factors that can be addressed through MPS adoption.

The benefits of managed print services can be plentiful and profitable, depending on how comprehensive the deployment is, with MPS specialists within the IT channel absolutely key to SME’s realising these benefits. By entirely outsourcing the management of print infrastructure to channel specialist and vendor provided solutions, companies of any size can reduce over-expenditure on time and money, as well as removing headaches such as maintenance issues and worries about downtime, with channel providers ensuring the proper support is provided in a timely fashion. MPS is also flexible, with solutions agile enough to provide functionality on whatever infrastructure your enterprise works on, whether it’s on-premise or cloud.

It’s a given that large enterprises have been faster in adopting MPS than their smaller counterparts, and there are some good reasons for this. According to the Quocirca research cited above, the belief that MPS is more expensive than an in-house approach has been the key barrier to SMEs adopting an approach that centers around and managed solution. Other reasons have included a lack of clarity regarding cost benefits and being unaware of MPS as an option to manage print in lower volume environments, and these highlight the fact that customer education is the key to unlocking the SME puzzle. In-order for this to change, the IT channel must play its part, and MPS providers must look to what SME’s need and begin catering to these needs. Here, communication is key.

If MPS providers work with their channel partners to establish exactly what it is that SMEs need, using knowledge earned from the vendors’ own first-hand experiences with such businesses, providers can then tailor their offerings to what best suits each customer rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution that doesn’t quite fit-all.

Offerings can range from simple device optimisation, all the way up to implementing a multi-site output strategy, and once the provider establishes continuous, customized support and improvements for customers, it will then need to show how it can deliver innovation, consultancy, improved productivity and cost reductions throughout the stated deployment time. This is absolutely vital as SMEs usually do not have the capital to invest in such an undertaking without absolute assurances on the benefits of making the switch.

As a result of the digitisation of business processes and content in the enterprise, Quocirca estimates that around 20 percent of enterprises have moved to next generation contracts that incorporate document workflow and additional services such as MDS (managed document services) and IT services (ITS).

As such, for channel dealers, industry expertise remains a key differentiator as these providers expand their business process automation capabilities and look to drive more business value. Understanding what these businesses need is half the battle, and to appeal to SMEs, providers must realize this. Lexmark has a long tradition and extensive experience of working in the MPS space with its IT channel partners and their customers, from SMEs to large enterprises, benefiting from this.

Once the end customer’s output management needs are established, providers can then work to optimise the benefits of moving to an MPS approach while addressing other key necessities, with legislation on key areas such as security and energy having to be taken into account - customers will seek out programmes that are both eco-friendly and secure.

As more SMEs are being encouraged to look to adopting MPS, providers should also be asking how they can make the benefits clearer and more appropriate for each business. Quocirca found heartening signs that smaller enterprises are growing more confident in their adoption of MPS, and through working with channel suppliers, service providers can ensure that this confidence is not misplaced.

Martin Fairman is UK & Ireland channel and SMB sales director, Lexmark