What were the key trends and industry developments in 2022?

The developments of 2022 will pave the way for commercial print trends in 2023 – so what were they? We have seen a real shift towards automation. Print businesses now place even more value on increasing uptime across the entire print lifecycle. This covers everything from pre-press to finishing, including logistics and fulfilment. Automation has helped businesses better serve their customers. It’s also enabled staff to spend more time bringing strategic value.

Sustainability is another key development. Customers now hold suppliers accountable as they assess their supply chains and find more sustainable print options and solutions. This has sharpened market competition and positively impacted the industry as a whole, an impact we support wholeheartedly at Ricoh. 

What are the biggest opportunities and commercial print trends in 2023?

In 2023, we believe Ink Jet will become more prominent. With Ink Jet, you can obtain faster run speeds, increase job volumes, produce smaller print runs and enables full-colour printing on all jobs, extending the historic break even between Digital and Offset. We are particularly proud to be innovating and leading the way in this technology. 

This year, there will also be a continued need for greater efficiencies in production through automation, but through focusing on integrated workflows and robotics and AI. We have written about the benefits of AI for print service providers here.

Data will also become ever more important as the industry looks to create efficiencies in production, particularly around big data that identify cost and efficiency savings for brands and marketing agencies. 

Another trend is partnership and collaboration. To ensure a strong relationship with a client, you must treat it as a partnership and collaborate. Operating in sync enables you to support all aspects of the business and helps nurture opportunities to spark new business. You can read about one of our partnerships here with Aura Print. 

How have economic, political, and supply chain challenges prepared you for 2023?

There has been a growing need for adaptable and flexible businesses over the past few years. One of the ways we have developed our business model was by moving away from the traditional supplier-customer relationship. We have made it clear that our clients can come to us as a trusted advisor to provide the necessary support in times of uncertainty. Ensuring we always stay true to this mantra will set us up for a strong future. 

Fostering these stronger customer relationships has also allowed us to identify synergies that generate shared business outcomes. 

One of the synergies we have identified with clients is finding greater efficiencies in our processes by streamlining our vendors’ network. These trusted relationships and efficiency levels will only develop in the years ahead. We’ve honoured the importance of our customer relationships in our new Champions of Print video. 

How can suppliers better help printers navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in 2023?

It is crucial to be an advisor who does not solely focus on the production and output of the business but can support clients on broader challenges. 

We have adopted a delivery service that focuses on our customers’ growth by creating extra capacities which move away from the traditional relationship. Throughout the organisation, we have seen the benefit of providing post-sales business support and EDGE Business Development, helping clients diversify and grow.

How can suppliers do more to promote the effectiveness of print to the broader business community in 2023?

For organisations to promote print effectiveness, there is a need to become more active across the complete supply chain. To demonstrate how effective print can be compared to Digital Campaigns and to be part of the design process, not just a fulfilment of work.  

Working with industry bodies such as the BPIF and IPIA, as well as collaborating with other printers and marketing agencies, will enable originations to demonstrate the benefits of print.

Explore our Anything in Print hub if you are interested in understanding more about Ricoh’s commercial print offering. 

This article was originally published in PrintWeek 

Related articles: 

https://insights.ricoh.co.uk/digital-printing/customer-value-in-print 

https://insights.ricoh.co.uk/digital-printing/power-of-print

https://insights.ricoh.co.uk/digital-printing/celebrating-our-champions-of-print 

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During periods of forced homeworking, the business world learned some incredibly valuable lessons at an incredibly fast rate. The importance of business resilience became clearer than ever before, and we saw the true potential of flexibility for enhanced productivity and efficiency. 

But most of all, we fortified our understanding that the most important asset in any business is its people. As your organisation takes stock of these learnings and transitions to a hybrid working model, mental health and wellbeing need to be at the forefront of plans and policymaking. 

So, let’s take a look at some of the things you should be considering. 

Define the tools and technology your people need

A recent study by Ricoh Europe, surveying 500 UK office workers, revealed that people felt inadequate technology and a lack of collaborative working environments were holding back the realisation of more accommodating and agile ways of working inside their organisations.

Technology is an important element of making hybrid working possible and the key to giving employees the best digital experience to support their wellbeing and development. Without investing in technology to aid communication and collaboration, your people cannot truly excel in a hybrid working environment and achieve fulfilment through work.

Communicate regularly and openly

Nobody likes to be left in the dark, especially if they’re feeling anxious or uncertain. By being transparent and honest with the direction of your hybrid working plans – you will maintain a sense of togetherness, making sure your people feel part of the big picture. Your people should be part of the decision making process when it comes to creating a hybrid working policy. 

It’s also the role of managers to have regular one-to-one conversations with their teams when hybrid working is in place to avoid isolation and loneliness. And not only to talk about work but also to enjoy each other’s company as if they were hanging out at the office coffee machine. 

When teams are distributed across the office and remote locations, reach out to your colleagues before the emotional fatigue of remote working sets in. Put the right support in place before anyone even needs it. 

Signpost mental health and wellbeing platforms 

Recent statistics from Gartner’s global 2021 EVP Benchmarking Survey highlight that although 87% of employees have access to mental and emotional wellbeing platforms, only 23% of employees use them. When you have distributed teams working under a hybrid model, it is the responsibility of management to ensure your people know they have platforms and tools that can help them prioritise how they’re feeling and the challenges they’re facing.

You also need to provide opportunities for your people to reach out to others in the business that may be able to help them maintain their wellbeing or manage mental health concerns. At Ricoh, we have Wellbeing Champions who help everyone across the business thrive physically, mentally, financially and socially. Making sure communication lines are open and accessible is important. 

Finding the right balance

One of the biggest challenges for hybrid workers is finding the right work-life balance. A recent study by Gartner found that employees in the hybrid world are 1.27 times more likely to struggle to disconnect from work than employees in the on-site world. 

If you have decided to adopt a policy of radical flexibility and hybrid working, you need to reassure your people that managing your own time is ok. In fact, you should positively encourage them to disengage from their home desk every once in a while and get active. 

Set objectives to work towards

Targets and objectives play a major role in motivation. In the hybrid world, it’s important that these are clear and visible to all, regardless of where employees are working that day. It’s all about giving your employees focus and a sense of control even when their manager might not be there to provide guidance. 

Learn from the experts 

When it comes to mental health and wellbeing, it is important to lean on advice and guidance from the experts. Ricoh has signed the Mental Health at Work Commitment which helps us to ensure we are carrying out all the necessary actions to drive an open culture around mental health and wellbeing. 

Part of our commitment is giving our leaders the training to have open, empathetic and knowledgeable conversations about mental health. The other side of it is giving our people the tools to take control of their wellbeing, like our MyEva platform that enables employees to take control of their finances and pensions. We also have an Employee Assistance Programme, where employees can bring problems, big or small and work through them with an external sounding board and adviser. 

How can you devise a hybrid working strategy that empowers people? 

Any hybrid working approach should constantly monitor and support your people. It’s about being aware of mental health and wellbeing at work through open communication and being proactive when you identify problems and solutions.

You can discover how other organisations have approached these challenges by reading our Leading Change at Work report, researched and written in partnership with UK business leaders.  You can also read more about the benefits of hybrid working from our Head of IT and Communications Services here.

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In 2020, there were more data breaches and cyber-attacks on companies, governments, and individuals than ever before. The sophistication of threats has also increased due to the application of emerging technologies like machine learning and 5G, and because of greater tactical cooperation among hacker groups and nation state actors.

The primary cost of cybersecurity is alarming, but the associated costs don’t often make it into the headline statistics. Due to a weekend-long cyber attack in October 2021², Tesco had thousands of customer orders disrupted and lost millions in missed sales, and we can assume the losses won’t stop there. They will now have to react quickly to implement more cybersecurity tooling and work hard to repair and restore brand reputation with its customers – potentially costing more money. 

By not regularly reviewing your cybersecurity strategy, you are leaving your organisation open to a multitude of complex threats. These have the potential to destabilise your operations and affect business outcomes for years to come. It isn’t enough to invest in one endpoint AntiVirus or Firewall solution, cybercrime is at a level of maturity where there is not one single product that can eradicate all threats. 

What makes a good cybersecurity strategy? 

Your cybersecurity strategy should be proactive rather than reactive and take the approach of ‘when’ an incident occurs rather than ‘if’. Instead of focusing on preventing a cyber attack, the most effective strategies stress the importance on how to detect, respond and recover from an inevitable breach. That said, any robust cybersecurity strategy should put you in a better position to respond to an attack. A comprehensive strategy aligned to a recognised industry certification such as Cyber Essentials Plus can make the difference between a minor incident and a major one.

Cybersecurity also needs to be tailored to your needs, challenges and digital journey. Each organisation is unique and requires a customised approach to strategy. 

Step 1: Review your cybersecurity setup

By reviewing your cybersecurity position, you can identify high-risk areas and any redundant tools which can be shelved. It is also essential to understand where the threats are deriving from and if there is a fit for purpose solution to plug the gap. By undertaking this process, you could identify some quick wins to unlock improvements and improve cyber resiliency. 

We often find that our customers are renewing existing ‘legacy’ security solutions which were developed and selected several years ago when the landscape was very different. Many of these tools are not able to respond to the latest emerging and “zero-day” threats. Today, cybersecurity isn’t about investing the most money. It’s about making tactical moves and spending budget intelligently. 

Step 2: Layer up with cybersecurity 

To prevent and mitigate cyber-attacks, your strategy must employ a range of technologies and solutions to cover all bases. And as the threats change, the bases can also change. Much like digital transformation in general – cybersecurity is a continual process that involves monitoring, threat hunting, training, and cultural change. 

Some solutions to consider are perimeter security, endpoint security, back-up and disaster recovery, authentication protocols, real-time monitoring and threat intelligence. 

Step 3: Make testing a priority

For any company undergoing a period of digital change, it is vital to promote a culture of continual security testing. Any new application rollout, change to IT infrastructure, or merger or acquisition activity can potentially expose new security vulnerabilities that threat actors can and will exploit unless these changes are tested proactively to ensure any holes are identified and remediated. Over the past two years, we have seen this frequently as organisations were forced to implement years of transformation rapidly. To make sure their workforce could work successfully from anywhere. Many fell victim to cybercrime due to poor implementation. 

Step 4: Scrutinise your resource 

Over recent years, the escalation of cyber-attacks has seen organisations rush to employ skilled professionals. As a result, leaving the market depleted of cybersecurity experts. There is currently a shortage of over 1.2 million. Your organisation might be feeling this impact directly. When considering your cybersecurity strategy, it is important to review resources and identify where you need extra expertise or whether tactical outsourcing is more appropriate. 

Ricoh Cybersecurity Practice

Working with a collaborative partner is a fantastic way to fortify your business against the risk of cyber-attack. Our team is innovative, forward-thinking, and works with a range of global clients across both the public and private sector. By taking advantage of our experience and expertise, you can build a cybersecurity strategy built to protect your business against new and evolving threats. 

Find out more about Ricoh’s Cybersecurity experience through our case studies. We can work with all industries including high-risk sectors such as schools and other public sector organisations. Read more about how we help St Bede’s school safeguard their systems and pupils. 

Read about our proactive Ransomware product and how it might benefit your organisation.

1. https://cybersecurityventures.com/hackerpocalypse-cybercrime-report-2016/

2. https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/finance/city-snapshot-tesco-website-back-online-after-weekend-cyber-attack/661110.article

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The UK print sector is a £14bn industry. It’s made up of many small to medium-sized businesses, and a few very large enterprises. And they’ve all faced the same challenges in recent years. But it’s not just overcoming global or political events – it’s also the rapidly increasing influence and importance of digital technology.

Print may traditionally involve high-volume generic output, but these practices are moving aside for smaller volumes, targeted at specific audiences and often integrated with digital media. Leading print businesses are already adapting their processes to meet these trends.

But how do you move your own business forwards? What are the right steps to take; technologies to integrate; partners to collaborate with? We’ll find out in this article as we uncover the concept of Anything in Print.

Where does the print industry currently stand?

In a very exciting place! Today’s print technology is at the cutting edge, advancing all the time. The market the industry serves is restless, demanding new innovation and pushing the boundaries of creativity and performance. Print is on the precipice of new ways of working that will produce more value, impact and levels of excellence.

But if the print industry is to embrace that opportunity, it needs a new mindset. One which says: Anything in Print is possible.

What is an ‘Anything in Print’ mindset?

An ‘Anything in Print’ mindset is one which finds a way to adapt to changing customer needs, which makes bold moves and fundamental changes where necessary, which understands where traditional print remains strong, and how it can be effectively augmented by new media.

“Despite recent challenges, we’ve continued to invest because our vision for the business remains the same – to be the trusted expert of choice for contemporary integrated communications. We’re piecing together a formidable portfolio of technology and hardware which will allow us to continually enhance our capabilities, processes and expertise for the benefit of our clients.”

Rachel Nevins, CEO, Adare

What will success look like?

Different from even just ten years ago. It will be motivated by value, not volume. It’ll sound like classical music, rather than heavy metal. And it will blend the experience and skill of your people with automation and new technology – wherever it makes sense.

It’s all about where you invest. Identify the right technology, find the best fit for your people, work with experienced partners and start planning how you will transform your business.

“I was becoming conscious that, in terms of quality, we were in danger of becoming a commodity printer. As soon as that happens, you’re just battling on price. We’re investing in technology that gives us something extra, above and beyond our competition.”

Steve Beeching, Managing Director, FCS LaserMail

Finding a partner with an ‘Anything in Print’ mindset

The print industry has long been a cut-throat competition. A battle to win the work that keeps the presses rolling. But like in many other fields, it’s waking up to the idea that collaboration is the best way to create growth: we don’t have to tackle new challenges in isolation, and it’s better to have a smaller slice of a bigger cake.

Progressive print businesses have already seen that working together can increase the prize for all involved, whether through short-term teamwork or formal partnerships. Sharing skills, expertise and processes with other people in the sector, and wider creative and marketing industries, enables your organisation to scale up and skill up in new directions, start new conversations, and deliver a more excellent service.

Ricoh – your people-first ‘Anything in Print’ partner

After recently researching and reflecting on the opportunity that lies ahead with an ‘Anything in Print’ mindset, Ricoh has recently published the aptly named Anything in Print, which covers the possibilities that exist for print companies if they adopt this approach to market.

And you can choose to collaborate with Ricoh as your people-first partner, drawing upon their expertise, learnings, and support to provide your business with the technology, processes and practices it needs to not just survive, but thrive in the next era of print. As Ricoh would say, anything in print is possible.

“The biggest benefit to our partnership with Ricoh has been the access to talent… We needed a production partner that could work with us long-term, developing our business – and Ricoh certainly fit that bill.”

Nick Green, Founder, Printed.com

Learn and discover more about Ricoh’s Anything in Print mindset with our guide.

Click to read Anything in Print

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No matter what happens next, we have learned some incredibly valuable lessons. The importance of business resilience. The potential of flexibility. The benefits of having the right technology and working practices in place to ensure future business success.

But most of all, we’ve fortified our understanding that our most important asset is our people. Mental health and wellbeing have turned into topics at the forefront of business leaders’ minds – and it’s crucial it stays that way.

So, let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to look after your people.

Communicate regularly and openly

Nobody likes to be left in the dark, especially if they’re feeling anxious or uncertain. By being transparent and honest with what’s going on across your business – both the successes and the challenges – you maintain a sense of togetherness, making sure your people feel part of the big picture.

It’s also the role of managers to have regular one-to-one conversations with their teams. And not only to talk about work but also to enjoy each other’s company as if they were hanging out at the office coffee machine.

Provide opportunities to get away from work

One of the biggest challenges for people’s mental health and wellbeing in the last 12 months has been finding the right work/life balance. Indeed, many worked long hours in an attempt to maintain the same productivity they had in the office.

Mix this in with constant video calls – “Can you see my screen?” – it’s no wonder there is a lot of fatigue.

You need to continually reassure your people that it’s ok to manage your own time. In fact, you should positively encourage them to disengage from their home desk and get active. Especially in the shorter winter days – make the most of the sunlight!

Set objectives to work towards

Targets and objectives play a major role in motivation. When we’re working towards something that’s challenging yet achievable – perhaps with the potential of a reward at the end – we feel driven to perform at our best and reach truly excellent results.

It’s all about giving yourself focus and a sense of control. But this doesn’t have to be related to your business. Even things as simple as trying out a few new exercises can release those endorphins, reset your mind and improve your work productivity.

Some extra inspiration from Ricoh…

We’d like to tell you about something we’re doing to promote a sense of unity and support among our people.

In February, we’re asking our people to get active and raise money for charity by taking part in The Prince’s Trust ‘Future Steps’ challenge. This involves downloading an app and trying to do 10,000 steps a day for the month of – with a leader board to keep things competitive.

Everyone here is very excited, it’s generated a sense of community and it’s for a good cause. Why not try something similar in your business?

And remember, it’s all about taking the conscious approach.

Taking a conscious approach means constantly monitoring and supporting your people. It’s about being aware of their mental health and wellbeing at work through open communication. And being proactive when you identify problems and solutions.

Reach out to your colleagues before the emotional fatigue of remote working sets in. Put the right support in place before anyone even needs it. And understand that plans are just sketches – things you can adjust and tailor as you make each decision along the way.

Find out more by reading our report on The Conscious Workplace here.

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The economy, Brexit, enforced transformation, a distributed workforce, and the need to meet sustainability targets will all continue to put pressure on business finance. In response, financial leaders need to become adept at finding new ways to go further than just balancing the books. 

All businesses are investigating smarter ways to manage company finances. Key among these are discovering better ways to finance purchases. Previously, organisations have moved large capital investments, such as industrial equipment and vehicles to leasing arrangements.

More recently, larger items of technology and software have transitioned to ‘as a service’ models. Therefore, moving these purchases to monthly operational expenses to lessen the strain on cash flow, avoid depreciation, and gain more flexibility. But in the face of even stricter trading conditions, finance leads need to look even further. Creating more efficient purchasing. So the financial benefits of DaaS are a logical next step to moving more IT spend to OpEx.

Why are the financial benefits of DaaS so relevant now?

With the abrupt move to mass remote working caused by the global pandemic. Many organisations had to scramble to meet the needs of an exclusively remote workforce. Now, as business leaders look to the future, new financial decisions need to be made in respect of supporting remote workers. 

With a workforce choosing to opt for a more blended way of working, businesses can reduce their reliance on traditional, and often expensive, office space. Rationalising the number of office locations and their size will create a significant opportunity.

Yet, finance leaders must not overlook the need to make sure that their remote workers can maximise their productivity, feel supported, and remain motivated. The key to this is ensuring that they have the right personal technology – devices optimised for an agile way of working, that are reliable, familiar, and robust. Equally, as with other business purchasing, devices can be an operational expense rather than a capital investment.

Research by Gartner shows that the financial benefits of DaaS have made this purchasing category one of the fastest-growing, with spending during 2020 almost doubling worldwide to $1.2bn. In 2021, it is predicted this figure will reach $1.9bn; and  $2.5bn in 2022.

Furthermore, analyst firm IDC says 40% of businesses are expecting, or have already begun discussions to move IT purchasing to a DaaS per-user, per-month subscription model.

The six financial benefits of DaaS

Finance leaders need to understand the six financial benefits of DaaS. These are;

• Move unpredictable device CapEx spend into predictable, sustainable payments and give a greater return on investment
• Monitored usage and reporting will make sure you only pay for what you actually use
• Regular refresh cycle ensures optimum asset management, never going past warranty
• Manage effective purchasing of devices in a rapidly changing and volatile marketplace by moving to a managed service model
• Ensures your employees always have the latest device technology to optimise productivity and performance
• Removes the time and cost of device management from your IT team.

“DaaS responds to increased demand and caters to customers’ preference for elastic, pay-as-you-go consumption models.” 

Sid Naq, Research Vice President, Gartner

DaaS and Microsoft Surface

The financial benefits of DaaS are many. But which devices should you buy? Choosing the right manufacturer is also critical to its overall success.

The Microsoft Surface for Business range is designed and tailored specifically for commercial organisations. Listening to the evolving needs of business users means there is a Surface device for every user in your organisation. From the Surface Laptop Go which provides a lightweight, yet robust solution for remote workers to the more agile Surface Go 2 which doubles as both a laptop and tablet in one, yet still provides the full power of Windows 10.

From a finance perspective, the versatility provided by a wide range of high performing devices, all designed to suit different work styles and needs, helps to remove the need for multiple vendors. Enabling one provider to service the needs of the whole organisation.

Also, the subscription-based Office 365 is the system of choice for many organisations. So aligning the device technology to the same vendor together on a common subscription-based ‘as a service’ managed model makes financial sense.

Microsoft Surface as a Service from Ricoh

Selecting the right partner to provide and fulfil the DaaS subscription is as essential as the devices themselves. Following new innovation in the Microsoft and Ricoh partnership, Microsoft Surface is now available as a comprehensive DaaS subscription model from Ricoh.

Microsoft partnered with Ricoh because of its strong history in the IT services sector. Demonstrating expertise in being able to propose the right people-centric solutions for customers. Also, with its finance arm, Ricoh Capital customers benefit from being able to bundle an entire IT transformation solution, which incorporates DaaS, into a financial model of cost per user, per month.

“Ricoh has the reach and level of service to take customers on a transformation journey from the top down. It understands the drive and proposition for transformation and Microsoft is looking for partners that see this vision.”

Tom Cripps, Microsoft

The Microsoft Surface and Ricoh partnership will enable organisations to pursue their workplace transformation strategies in a cost-efficient, sustainable, and streamlined way. Enabling organisations to achieve their goals whilst also realise the financial benefits of DaaS.

Read our Executive White Paper

To learn more about the financial benefits of DaaS and how this model of purchasing makes more meaningful cost-efficient sense for business, read our Executive White Paper. 

About Ricoh UK

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services, enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation. Leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, communication services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.co.uk

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Remote and agile working is here to stay. No matter what the future holds, it’s safe to say the workplace as we knew it has changed forever. Yes, many workers will return to the workplace. But it is unlikely that a large percentage will work exclusively in an office location. More likely, a majority of people will want to maintain a hybrid working style, primarily as they enjoy the flexibility and work-life balance provided by remote working. But with a large proportion of your people working in this way, will this create challenges for your business?

Read our Executive White Paper to learn more.

Remote workers frustrated and undermined by poor device technology

Recent research by Ricoh has discovered that 78% of managers and 53% of employees who are remote working will have experienced technology concerns. Which, in turn, has led to a lack of productivity, frustrations, and unhappiness. Interestingly, managers, in particular, seem to have struggled with the technology demands of a home working set-up. Perhaps this is due to a long history and familiarity of a traditional office environment. Or a reflection of a lesser affinity or experience with technology than their younger counterparts.

Inferior technology has also been an issue with many employees raising issues with poor communication, collaboration, and process. 66% of remote working managers and 42% of employees state that they are struggling with procedures such as reporting and administration. 

So, employee technology has a vital part to play in a hybrid workplace to ensure future business success. It will also play a crucial role in the experience for your employees, their contentment with the organisation, and, potentially their job satisfaction. 

Why Microsoft Surface as a Service could be the best solution

The starting point to address these challenges is reviewing the technology itself. You need to equip your people with devices that are efficient, flexible, powerful, and agile. Allowing you to adapt to every type of role and function across your remote workforce. Your IT team will require a proven supplier who can provide a range of devices that adhere to a common standard across all device types and software ensuring ease of operation, security, and support organisation-wide.

A proven solution for business

Designed for the modern workplace and loved by employees due to the number of elegant, light, and high-performance options Microsoft Surface as a Service delivers. From the sublime Surface Pro X with its sleek 2-in-1 design to the ever-popular Surface Laptop 3 with its two screen size options and outstanding performance. Whatever the needs of the business or its employees, Microsoft has a Surface for all situations or usages. And in every case, you can be confident you are supplying your people with a robust, secure, and reliable device.

Secondly, you need to consider the communication and collaboration requirements of the business. Software, tools, and systems that work seamlessly and support productivity, efficiency, and simplicity of use.

Powerful cloud software and productivity apps

Again, Microsoft Surface as a Service is hard to beat in this respect. With their powerful Office 365, Cloud architecture as the productivity backbone for many organisations, coupled with the flexibility and agility of the Surface range, remote workers are provided with an optimum solution. Plus the inclusion of apps including Office, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint makes remote collaboration easy, helping your people work together, anywhere.

Finally, and very much of equal importance is employee experience. For those workers who choose to work remotely, their device is in essence, their new office experience. Historically your organisation has invested heavily to create highly desirable office spaces, meeting rooms, and comfortable breakout areas. Now, with a high proportion of employees actively choosing to work remotely. Businesses need to apply a similar focus to the quality and performance of the device technology, software, and connectivity that they provide to these workers.

Devices that perform and inspire

Support your people with Microsoft Surface-as-a-Service and provide them with devices that not only work but inspire. Remote working now enables employees to work how and when they like. Whether that’s in the kitchen, the lounge, or the cafe. So give them a device that can adapt to their work style, has excellent battery life and is thoughtfully designed. Surface Laptop Go, and Surface Pro 7 are versatile and powerful business-orientated devices which provide a great user experience.

Microsoft Surface-as-a-Service also makes financial sense

We know device technology is going to play a pivotal role in the future, in terms of productivity and experience. And we also know that Microsoft Surface, coupled with 365, provides a desirable, reliable, and dependable platform for businesses. The question now is, how should this technology be procured when cash flow and expenditure is challenging for many businesses?

CapEx vs OpEx

Typically devices are purchased outright by businesses. A lumpy capital investment (CapEx) that sits on the balance sheet and depreciates over time. This style of purchasing is now outdated and not fit for today’s agile economy. As in many other areas of purchasing. It is more beneficially active to finance as an operating expense (OpEx). Which only requires a monthly fee for the items purchased, does not depreciate, and provides far greater flexibility and agility during the agreement.

Outsourcing as a managed service

Beyond the operational process of purchasing, there are also issues of maintenance and support. For IT devices, these responsibilities currently fall to the IT department who are already massively busy maintaining the IT operations and infrastructure of the organisation. Managing numerous IT devices and support calls are not necessarily their speciality. And quite frankly, something that they would rather avoid if possible.

Flexibility to scale

Device as a Service, or to use its acronym, DaaS, is a far more appropriate way for businesses to manage their device fleet. Software is now purchased as a service (SaaS), the same will now apply to  IT and devices that your organisation require. Buying on demand, as a monthly fee and scaled to the number of users you have is a far more efficient purchasing method. So, outsourcing the supply and day-to-day management of devices is a far smarter, more modern way to purchase for your organisation.

Microsoft Surface-as-a-Service benefits

Buying Microsoft Surface and 365 ‘as a service’ from Ricoh will solve the many challenges that your organisation is struggling to overcome. It will enhance the employee experience, improve security, increase productivity, and save your organisation money. Microsoft Surface as a Service makes business sense.

• Improve employee experience by providing better tools for the job and a faster response to IT software and hardware requests
• Familiarity with Office 365, plus the latest updates, will mean users can work from anywhere and collaborate easily through the use of Microsoft Teams
• A continuous replacement programme will maintain the latest advanced equipment. Meaning employees can work faster and be more productive, resulting in them achieving more and improving their overall wellbeing
• New devices also ensure that the latest accessibility solutions are available, helping to create more inclusivity through technology
• Protect employees from cyber attacks with the latest built-in, cloud-powered security
• End of life management procedures ensure full data protection and GDPR compliance 

Read our Executive White Paper

To learn more about DaaS and the business reasons behind moving to this model of purchasing,  read our Executive White Paper. 

About Ricoh UK:

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. For more than 80 years, Ricoh has been driving innovation and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, communication services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.co.uk

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Technology is prevalent throughout society. But while most of us easily empower our daily lives through our smartphones, it becomes a huge challenge for businesses. Master how to adopt new technology in your organisation and huge benefits await.

The ability of technology to transform our lives – both personal and working – is of course, not a new concept. But when it comes to integrating company-wide innovations, there can be major challenges.

Individuals can simply go out and buy the latest gadgets or download the latest apps. Businesses operate on a different scale. They must undergo huge digital transformation to incorporate new technology and better empower and support their staff.

We’ll unpack some of the obstacles both your organisation and your people might face when it comes to adopting new technology. Then we will provide guidance on the steps you can take to overcome them.

What are the organisational barriers to adopting new technology?

There are several barriers which make adopting new technology at an organisational level either slow or just plain non-existent. And the biggest of these barriers is the legacy systems that are already in place.

Some businesses can be a bit set in their ways, taking an ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ mentality. It’s a perfectly natural way of thinking, but one that will ultimately cause companies to fall behind as the marketplace evolves. As new entrants introduce more innovative and agile solutions, and competitors put pressure on margins, businesses need technology to improve efficiencies, productivity and agility.

As technology continues to evolve, it’s imperative that your organisation evaluates your business model. You need to identify key areas where you can adopt technology to empower your people, improve productivity and secure future success.

What are your peoples’ barriers to adopting new technology?

While organisational obstacles like cost, complexity and talent pool are valid barriers to tech adoption. The most important factors to helping your people embrace new technology are infrastructure, training, support and perhaps most of all, culture.

Creating the right technology infrastructure.

If you want to develop a culture of technology adoption within your organisation, you need to create an infrastructure to support it. IT networks, software, processes and practices throughout the business must be both supportive and user friendly.

Therefore, when it comes to adopting new technology, it will be much easier to both demonstrate and persuade your employees to start using it. And much easier for them to make the most of its benefits.

Delivering the right training.

No matter what technology you decide to integrate into your business you must properly educate your people on how to use it. Otherwise, it won’t reach its full potential.

Teach your staff on how to use new tools. Provide proper training or re-skilling opportunities, and you will ensure that the results of tech adoption are as productive and positive as possible.

Building the right culture.

The adoption of new technology is a long-term goal. That means your business must have a long-term strategy. One that focused on the creation of a culture that both encourages and embraces the introduction of new technology. Both now and for the future.

Avoid looking for quick short-term wins. Develop a digitally focused mindset. Depart from legacy systems and attitudes. And empower your people to achieve their true potential.

Identifying what your people need.

Before you start anything, you need to assess the specific needs of both your organisation and your people. Gain as much insight as you can from your employees through things like surveys and interviews.

Ask them what challenges they are currently facing. What support you can give them to help them do their best work, and the areas of technology they feel could most improve on their current ways of working.

How Ricoh can help you adopt new technology.

One of the most effective ways to start creating a culture of tech adoption and identifying the needs of your organisation and your people is through a Digital Experience Assessment.

Ricoh is a collaborative, people-first partner with a long history of empowering digital workplaces and optimising your people’s ability to perform. Both in the office and remotely.

If you have any questions about the content of this article please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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