Konica Minolta named a Market Leader for Managed Print Services by Quocirca

Subtitled “Transforming the hybrid workplace”, Quocirca’s report notes that the MPS market has become more mature and businesses are demanding more from suppliers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 47 percent of workers now working remotely, organisations are seeking to adapt office capacity using satellite offices and flexible working. The report finds that “56 percent of organisations rank workplace services in their top three selection criteria that would make them more likely to choose a specific MPS agreement: This is followed by Cloud Print Services (45 percent), sustainability services (30 percent) and managed security services (29 percent).”

The need for a cloud printing partner

The report describes an increase in organisations transitioning print infrastructure to the cloud to help achieve cost efficiencies: 39 percent have implemented a cloud print management platform, while 37 percent intend to do so. While the majority of companies are managing print jobs on-premises, Quocirca found that three quarters of organisations expect to see greater use of cloud print management by 2025.

With regard to Konica Minolta’s offering, the report highlights the customer benefits of Konica Minolta’s cloud print services, which has options for private cloud or hybrid solutions and converts an existing on-premise print environment to a cloud-based service. Konica Minolta offers users the flexibility of location-independent printing, while at the same time unburdening IT from the complexity of managing printers, servers, drivers, applications and networks. This ensures the infrastructure is always up to date and meets the latest security standards. Customers benefit from the usual as-a-service advantages like consumption-based pricing and the ability to easily scale the solution up or down as needs change.

An integrated security approach is essential

With regard to the overarching importance of security for organisations mentioned in its report, Quocirca also noted that Konica Minolta’s scalable security services were “an integral element in all of its Intelligent Connected Workplace services and built in to all of its solutions for digital workplaces”. The company “has developed scalable solutions to meet the IT security needs of organisations of all sizes, and address a wide array of threats – from harmful email attachments to third-party intruders attempting to gain access to customer data. Additionally, Konica Minolta provides vulnerability management to assess and monitor a customer’s critical IT systems”.

Depth of MPS offering and services make a vendor a market leader

Konica Minolta’s managed print services are aligned to meet emerging workplace needs and requirements. As a vendor, it empowers customers with a holistic offering that includes consultancy services, hardware and software implementation, and workflow management. Quocirca categorises market leaders, such as Konica Minolta, as vendors that have “both strategic vision and depth of service offering”. Such leaders have made “significant investments in their service portfolio and infrastructure”, which “are supported by strong delivery capabilities”. The report further explains that Konica Minolta “is taking a holistic approach that enables its solutions to be seamlessly integrated with each other to optimise customer workflows and processes – both digital and in print”.