In the age of hybrid working - where workers are distributed, and digital transformation is ongoing - companies need flexible, smarter, productivity-focused print solutions in a bid to enhance productivity and collaboration at home and in the office.
“HP is facilitating the new workplace - one that embodies hybrid work as everyday culture,” according to Rachael Williams, Director of Printing solutions for HP Australia and New Zealand.
“We need to be as productive at home as we are in the office – therefore we need to have access to the same technologies to make that possible. It starts with acknowledging that hybrid work is now part of the business culture, meaning print, for example, needs to be more accessible and flexible for businesses and their employees.”
Catering to this market demand, HP has unveiled a host of laser jet printers - the HP LaserJet Managed E800/E700 series - in a bid to meet “the moment we’re in,” empower a digitally enabled workforce and address the demand for a ‘true workplace of the future.’
“Over the past two years, more Australians and New Zealanders have set up home offices than ever before. While this was driven as a necessity during COVID, the hybrid world has created a seismic cultural shift in how people want to work and live.”
In fact, this “seismic shift” has transformed outdated views and redefined the productivity and collaboration movement, she explained.
“The concept of productivity means that output - and output only - is critical to the success of an organisation. Being physically in an office space in order to be productive is an outdated belief; the traditional office is no longer a place to work, but a place to collaborate. Offices are now wherever an employee wants it to be, so it must be a place where creativity and collaboration thrives,” Williams said.
‘Rethink’ strategies: Gartner
If anything, there’s now a renewed urgency for CIOs and IT decision-makers (ITDMs) to rethink how to manage the distributed workforce, according to Gartner.
“The future of work will require CIOs to rethink how work is done, reimagine office space and manage new risks,” Gartner said, explaining it will require shifts in IT provisions and operating models.
“The dependence on technology to promote collaboration and a sense of belonging so that remote workers stay connected and engaged in the ‘new normal’ will be more important than it has ever been before.”
Certainly, catering to this ‘distributed workplace or hybrid workforce’ is a top pursuit for CIOs, tasked with retrofitting office technology to manage an ever-more distributed workforce, according to Williams.
“As employees return to the office, companies are resetting plans to meet new ways of working. Tasked with creating modern, and inspiring workplace environments, CIOs require the right technologies to enable a fast moving, digitally enabled workforce to be productive.”
Better still, many CIOs are finding themselves at the centre of corporate decision-making, developing sales, marketing, and other core business strategies.
“Whether it’s overseeing a wide range of software and hardware solutions and knitting them together into a functional whole, or hitting goals around security, sustainability and cost, the HP LaserJet Managed series helps IT decision-makers (ITDMs) and CIOs meet these needs.”
Channel play
And resellers have a big role to play in helping companies “evolve in the way they work,” Williams added.
In fact, the channel continues to remain at the forefront of hybrid work, enabling businesses to engage in new ways of working, by delivering technology that creates “experiences and collaboration,” she added.
“People are starting to view print differently – in understanding how it can add to their personal and professional life. When collaborating on a project with multiple people or when wanting to review documents, images, and the likes off-screen, who doesn’t like to have immediate access to a printer.”
Some notable features include:
simplified workflows and boosted productivity (the ability to make edits directly to your content on the control panel; as well as customised shortcuts);
enhanced performance (up to 70ppm fast printing speed and 300 ipm3 duplex scan speed powered by HP’s custom designed quadcore processor);
built-in sustainability; and
enhanced security (with HP Wolf Enterprise Security6 the new devices protect, detects, and self-recovers; and also includes HP Sure Start, Connection Inspector, Memory Shield active system monitoring and whitelisting).
“HP's channel partners need modern, customisable, high performance, and secure printers to provide their CIO/ITDM customers. To keep up with expanded demands, the HP LaserJet Managed E800/E700 series helps our channel partners unlock more value for their customers, maximise profit with improved toner yield and lower service costs, and drive new business opportunities with customisable experiences.”
And now is the time - in the age of digital transformation - when business printing remains vital and workers need support whether at home or in the office.
Recent statistics reveal the Hardcopy Peripherals (HCP) market in Asia/Pacific, excluding Japan and China, recorded 3.21 million units shipped in the second quarter of 2022, a 7.6% growth from 2.98 million units a year ago, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker. Among the products in HCP, inkjet and laser contributed to the region’s growth.
