New research from BT has uncovered widespread anxiety among business leaders about the pace of technological change in the workplace. Nearly 9 in 10 company directors and executives report suffering from ‘bytemares’ – tech-related stress that’s severe enough to disrupt their sleep – with security and AI the top causes
For most business leaders, selecting and implementing the right technology plays a pivotal role in the success of their business. Whether it’s worrying about cyber security (32%), tech transformation
(25%), or digital skills (24%), directors and executives are calling out for support to navigate tech, with half wishing they had a trusted partner to help them with tech transformation.
PrintIT Reseller: Nearly two-thirds of respondents recognise that digital and tech transformation is critical to the survival of their company. But the sheer pace of tech evolution is a cause for concern. How are you helping customers navigate the whirlwind of technological evolution?
Arjan Paulussen, Managing Director UK, Western Europe and English-speaking Africa, Lexmark: It’s the three Cs: compartmentalising, communicating and collaboration. We take our partners/customers step by step through this digital journey. It starts with assessing their needs and their goals. As no two companies are the same, we – as an OEM – need to make sure to take into consideration the individual requirements. As a case in point, before installing a managed printer fleet, we offer a broad range of assessment services, including business processes, security, workflow, and fleet optimisation and performance, focusing on the big three questions of printing: how, what and why?
We can even do this on a global scale, as two of our big managed print services differentiators are our single, global IoT platform and our worldwide approach, which means that we employ the same structures all around the world, something that is especially appreciated by multinational companies.
By dividing up the implementation task, by compartmentalising it, we give it a structure that everyone can easily understand and follow. This is enhanced by us explaining and communicating the benefits, preparing the ground for collaboration. The goal is to optimise and consolidate the printer fleet according to the needs of a company and by implementing IoT, cloud and security technology. Not everyone is familiar with these technologies.
But when explaining the benefits and starting the journey in a logical, step- by-step fashion, we usually win the hearts and minds of the stakeholders very quickly. The latter can then act as internal multipliers in their companies, convincing their teams – something that should not be underestimated as it is the workforce that ultimately drives change management.
As far as collaboration is concerned, it also helps when the partner’s or customer’s IT departments free up resources for the implementation phase. The better and closer the company’s IT department cooperates with the MPS provider, the quicker and smoother the implementation, the greater the acceptance on the part of the employees and the greater the success of the project.
Mark Williams, Chief Operating Officer, IT Services, Sharp UK: We are ready to help our clients get maximum value from the newest tools and technologies such as Copilot and Power Apps, to ensure they’re able to work smarter.
AI is, of course, the latest and potentially most revolutionary tech advancement in recent decades that can positively impact businesses of all sizes. It is also, understandably, the most challenging to navigate from a business standpoint because of the breakneck speed at which it has evolved. We help ensure our clients are ready for changes such as these and offer advice and support for them to maximise use of the tools at their disposal.
Khalid Aziz, Marketing Director B2B, Canon UK and Ireland: Empowering businesses in their digital transformation journey is at the heart of what we do at Canon. Everything from the equipment we provide, to the digital services that complete our portfolio; we understand that businesses need more than just new technology, but a team of experts who are on-hand to make digital transformation as seamless and secure as possible.
Canon’s managed print services encapsulate this philosophy with an end-to-end service that guides the customer through every step of their digital transformation journey; from
an initial assessment of the business workflow to continued maintenance and service upgrades. MPS solutions help channel partners in not only navigating changes, but also staying at the forefront of digital innovation.
Managed print services are a top investment priority for businesses, especially as they look to adopt new hybrid working models. Therefore, it’s important that print providers offer consultancy services that complement their products. At Canon, we’re continuously expanding our portfolio, to ensure that our partners can adapt and modernise alongside technological advancement.
Andy Johnson, SMB and Solutions Business Development Manager, Brother UK: Our goal at Brother is to be a trusted advisor to partners and businesses, helping them navigate the rapidly changing technological landscape. Solutions are rapidly evolving and we’re ensuring that our hardware remains compatible with leading software solutions that will enhance customers’ efficiency, productivity and security. Brother Cloud Solutions (BCS) is a portfolio of Brother and third-party solutions which our partners have access to, these tools can help customers with their document digitisation processes and transformation of their print infrastructure.
Our job as a trusted partner is to support and consult resellers and end- users on the benefits of new solutions, and how to navigate potential risks. As a vendor, we’re constantly working to create new solutions, to meet changing demand and ultimately support businesses on their digitalisation journeys.
PrintIT Reseller: From AI to cybersecurity, big data to digital skills, nearly 9 in 10 businesses are investing in new technology this year to improve productivity and gain competitive advantage. What measures can businesses proactively take to better protect their assets and how can your products/ services help?
Arjan Paulussen: Connected devices have delivered significant benefits, but they have also increased the threat of cybercrime. The highly mobile workforce of today poses an extra challenge to IT departments as security measures need to consider work from home and from anywhere as well as from various devices.
Businesses need to be mindful of the fact that security starts at a very early stage; they should look out for OEMs that have a secure software development process in place, which considers security needs throughout the product design and manufacturing stage.
For optimal protection, printer and multifunctional device software must meet the highest industry standards. Lexmark is an industry leader in document and device security, thanks to its “Secure by Design” approach, which encompasses the device, the fleet and the whole network infrastructure. The Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDL), which comprises a series of processes to take into account all security aspects of software development, in a systematic and holistic way – from the planning phase, through design and implementation, to quality assurance, release and maintenance – adds another layer of security to our solutions.
Our approach aims to protect data and documents at every stage of the document management process. As a consequence, we follow a strict certification process before introducing any third-party software. Lexmark software for printers and MFPs meets the highest industry standards.
As for the practical measures that businesses should consider when it comes to protecting their printers: It goes without saying that print devices should all come with encrypted hard- disks and firmware. The latter should always comply with the latest security standards. Interestingly enough, the greatest threat to IT security typically comes from insiders, i.e. a company’s own workforce. Secure access functions, such as Lexmark Print Release, ensure only authenticated and authorised users are allowed to work with sensitive information. Network protection should be implemented through encryption and security functions, separating different inputs and outputs (such as fax and networked printing). Simple and secure remote device management via Lexmark’s Markvision Enterprise and Lexmark Cloud Fleet Management solutions, for example, allow for remote security and device configuration for an entire fleet.
Mark Williams: We want our clients to work smarter but safer through better use of technology. There are two prongs to this: thinking about how technology can improve our clients’ business, growth and overall profitability, but also ensuring that within those parameters they’re working safely.
Security for all business technology – whether in the office or elsewhere – is imperative as more devices become networked and potential entry points for cyber-attacks increase. This has been an ongoing focus for Sharp and as such, we encourage our clients to adopt a holistic approach to security and leverage end-user training to help put the theory into practice. As a managed services provider, we can help take the burden away by advising on what needs to be done.
Khalid Aziz: When it comes to successfully integrating new technology, businesses must take a security-first approach. In fact, the first step to any digital transformation journey is to ensure that your assets are protected, and any new processes comply with security policies.
This is where Canon’s SaaS security offering, uniFLOW Online has become a key driver of growth, helping businesses to embrace cloud printing, and regain control of their document management in an agile and secure environment. Protected by zero trust architecture and third-party authorisation, uniFLOW Online customers can embark on their digital transformation journey, with a strong foundation of cyber hygiene, that they can continue to maintain as their business grows.
Neil Macdonald, Channel Director UK&I, HP Inc: To significantly reduce the threat faced and become more proactive, organisations should implement isolation technology alongside protection and visibility tools. There are two key approaches for implementing and running isolation containers: cloud and on-device. With an on-device approach the container runs locally on the user’s device and leverages the power of hardware- based virtualisation to isolate the container away from your Windows OS and internal network.
Using hardware-based isolation containers, businesses can leverage isolation technology to create a virtual safety net for end-users to protect them when they click on high-risk content. This could be an email attachment, file downloaded from the Internet, a file opened on a USB drive, or website link a user has clicked on. If the content turns out to be malicious, the malware is isolated inside a container and cannot harm the user’s PC or your internal network.
Solutions, such as HP Sure Click, provide the threat containment needed to protect devices from malicious code. Traditional antivirus software relies on recognising suspicious patterns and already-identified malware. While this tried-and-tested technique provides
a solid first line of defence, it doesn’t safeguard your computer from novel or evolving attacks. With cybercriminals crafting new malicious code daily, HP Sure Click is essential for protecting your PC.
PrintIT Reseller: Two-thirds of the companies polled say tech transformation is vital to the survival of their business. To what extent are emerging technologies impacting information security?
Arjan Paulussen: Cloud technology, for example, has the capacity to greatly enhance IT security as important firmware updates can be implemented remotely, in real-time across global printer fleets, keeping them always up to date. Lexmark Cloud Services (LCS) removes infrastructure from the physical environment to the cloud and delivers scalability while maintaining the same levels of security, control and performance.
LCS also provide a range of secure cloud print solutions that offer authenticated printing and provide tracking and accountability. Print jobs are transferred to the Lexmark cloud, where they are held until a user authenticates them at the printer. For organisations with compliance concerns, a hybrid option holds print jobs on the users’ PC instead of sending them to the cloud.
Lexmark’s cloud complies with the industry best practices for security. During development we follow a strong security development lifecycle that includes security architectural reviews, security scanning built into the continuous integration/continuous deployment or delivery (CI/CD) pipeline, security monitoring deployed via the CI/ CD pipeline. Lexmark treats production environments as highly sensitive data, with a data governance practice built around access to the environment to comply with data privacy regulations. Pen testing is conducted annually by third parties on the environment. Our entire security practice on Lexmark Cloud undergoes a SOC2 Type 2 attestation and an ISO27001 certification.
Mark Williams: The importance of information security became evident when remote and hybrid working became commonplace – but it is still a mission-critical issue. How companies use technology and how that technology needs to be secured is an important conversation that we have with our clients on a regular basis.
In our modern age, operating with a security-first mindset is vital to business success. Most businesses use a combination of legacy technologies and latest tools, which can sometimes leave gaps in a company’s overall security stature if not evaluated and addressed. Additionally, the emergence of readily available AI tools means bad actors can rapidly scale their malicious activity.
As a result, both existing and emerging technologies have the potential to impact information security.
Khalid Aziz: Emerging technologies are significantly impacting information security, as they continuously open doors for optimisation and efficiency. We’ve seen this with the rise of cloud printing, which inspired software like uniFLOW Online, that integrates seamlessly with new technologies to enhance document security.
Artificial intelligence is another transformative technology that businesses are increasingly incorporating to automate and streamline workflows. However, these developments not only highlight, but underscores the importance of a secure foundation, and the need for digital print solutions that are compatible with new and emerging technologies.
Andy Johnson: As they navigate their tech transformation, businesses need to be conducting security audits on their assets to identify potential vulnerabilities. Moving infrastructure
to the cloud will help IT leads to simplify driver and queue management, reduce IT helpdesk calls while also increasing sustainability in their business. Customers on their cloud journey sometimes overlook print, but with solutions like Printix, they can move their entire print infrastructure seamlessly to the cloud.
Off-site cloud servers, such as Microsoft Azure, automatically install the latest security patches so customers are always up to date. This means IT managers aren’t shouldering the responsibility for vulnerabilities with physical servers. AI and machine- learning is also becoming a key tool when it comes to automating tasks, like routing digital documents to be saved in the correct files, which will inevitably increase productivity while freeing up staff time.
Mark Williams: Businesses need to adapt to modern ways of working to stay relevant in an increasingly technological age. SMEs are coming to us to seek out managed IT services. With technology advancing at such a pace, it’s challenging for businesses to keep up – or know what they should and shouldn’t be investing in. By outsourcing IT services, businesses can have access to the latest solutions, advice and training, ensuring they make investments in the right tools and technologies.
Khalid Aziz: It is clear that security is front of mind for businesses looking to invest in new technology and take steps on their digital transformation journey. Because of this, we’ve seen major growth in document-centric software that enables businesses to streamline processes while keeping their security in check. This new demand has also created opportunities for suppliers to expand their portfolio to include SaaS solutions.
The market for digital services, such as document-centric software will only continue to grow as businesses adopt more flexible working models. With work environments becoming more dispersed, and expanding to at-home devices, businesses are looking for software that allows them to manage multi-vendor, mixed fleet environments under a single and secure infrastructure.
Digital services will continue to be a key part of our portfolio at Canon, with our uniFLOW Online offering driving innovation as a leader in the SaaS market.
Andy Johnson: Demand is growing for document automation solutions to boost workflow efficiencies, and we have a range of scanners suitable for different needs, from compact portable devices to desktop ones which enable you to scan and store documents in cloud repositories like SharePoint.
PrintIT Reseller: One in five respondents see AI as an existential threat to their business and have concerns around data privacy and security, what steps can organisations take to mitigate risks of AI in the workplace?
Arjan Paulussen: Lexmark, for instance, has a well-established program for enabling trust, privacy, and security in AI. First, as given data is key for AI, we have a data governance steering team that ensures that data is collected, ingested and transformed in a consistent way, complies with regulations, such as GDPR, and enables a single source of truth.
Second, we have an AI ethics board that looks into both privacy aspects and bias aspects and ensures that the machine learning models that we use address these key concerns. In addition, it is designed based on global regulations we see for AI, especially in Europe.
Third, we ensure compliance with a number of regulations on cloud environments where AI is trained, including GDPR, CMMC and SOC2 compliance. Last but not least, we also follow a robust strategy around detailed testing of the AI models as well as monitoring of them to determine whether a drift has occurred, and re-training might be needed.
Mark Williams: Given the rapid advancement of AI tools, it’s understandable that people feel wary of the technology. As a first step, it’s important to clearly outline the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of employees when it comes to using AI tools for work. Secondly, developing straightforward guidelines, training materials and demonstrations will help teams to grasp the potential, and critically, the limitations of AI tools. However, it is crucial to provide clear instructions to ensure that sensitive information – such as intellectual property or NDA-protected data is not uploaded to public platforms.
Khalid Aziz: Hand in hand with new opportunities, come new challenges and risks. Businesses need to be aware that AI will not only transform how we interact with our own work environment but will also change how it can be targeted. To combat these challenges, Canon partners have access to leading-edge technology that detects threats and mitigates risks faster and more effectively.
It is crucial that companies invest in a secure digital transformation journey that is tailored to their unique needs and vulnerabilities. This investment should then be supported by a commitment to upskilling staff and educating the workforce in cybersecurity. This way, businesses can embrace new technologies while practising a proactive and well- rounded approach to security and optimisation.
Neil Macdonald: To use AI securely to their advantage, organisations urgently need an integrated approach to security that shifts to protection over detection and deploys zero trust principles.
Partnering with trusted AI security vendors will ensure customers maximise the benefits of AI, while being protected from the new security and privacy threats. The arrival of AI PCs in 2024 will also bring huge security advantages, enabling users to leverage AI more securely on devices without the security risk of having data sent and held in the cloud. They will also bring a new layer of data privacy such as automatically locking an unmanned device or initiating a privacy screen when a device is being watched.
