Toshiba Honored with BERTL’s Innovation Award for Social Business Networking Site
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 08/23/2010 - 17:00IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) was recently awarded the BERTL's Best Award for “Most Innovative Vendor Relationship Management System” for Toshiba eXCHANGE, an internal social networking site for corporate employees, independent dealers and the direct sales and service channel.
Recognizing the significant impact that social networking can have on business, Toshiba began exploring ways to create its own internal social networking site. The basis for this initiative was the belief that everyone within the Toshiba family should have easy opportunities to exchange information, build relationships, and share sales successes regardless of their physical location or job description.
“It’s estimated that only 20 percent of a company’s knowledge is contained in written documents, while the remaining information resides in the minds of employees. Toshiba eXCHANGE gives members the chance to easily document, share and seek that information, in turn creating new opportunities for sales and service success,” said Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions, TABS.
“We are excited to present Toshiba with a BERTL’s Best Award this year for Toshiba eXCHANGE. In several threads reviewed, it was easy to see how barriers have been taken down with the use of this tool. In numerous instances, we witnessed direct and independent sales representatives working with one another to answer questions, provide solutions and share best practices to win over a customer and defeat the competition. Direct and independent dealers are not giving away trade secrets or exposing any information that would hurt them. They are working together to combat their real competitors out in the market place,” said Art Wynne, president, BERTL. “Also evident is that this system has the potential on a larger scale of helping Toshiba gain more market share.” continue reading...
Relieve Your IT Department with MPS
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 08/23/2010 - 16:19It is very easy for your IT team to become overwhelmed by end user issues and lose sight of your company’s core business initiatives. Many of these end user issues relate to office printing. Paper jams, offline systems and supply shortages consume IT professionals because rarely can they fix these issues remotely.
Luckily, there is a solution. Managed Print Services (MPS) can help your IT personnel focus on their tasks. Furthermore, MPS will make your entire printer fleet more efficient and cost effective by eliminating printer management from the tasks of your IT team and providing the following services:
· On Site Service: A certified technician will come to your office to take care of any service issues with your devices.
· Maintenance: Like all mechanical devices, printers require maintenance. With MPS, your devices will receive preventative maintenance to minimize printer downtime. continue reading...
Toshiba’s Successful Lead 2010 Managed Print and Professional Services Conferences Mark Beginning of Greater MPS Dealer Training
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 14:56IRVINE, Calif. (Aug. 16, 2010) – Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) recently wrapped-up an entirely new series of interactive conferences designed to provide office technology dealers with the tools and knowledge to help them succeed in selling and implementing Managed Print and Professional Services (MPS and PS). LEAD 2010, which stands for Learn, Engage, Act, and Deliver, was held at four regional locations this summer, including Washington D.C., Dallas, Irvine, Calif., and Chicago, and drew nearly 700 attendees from all across the country.
Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions for TABS opened each conference by describing the “new normal” in today’s business world and the office technology industry more specifically. “When you define yourselves as MPS providers, rather than copier dealers, your market of opportunity quadruples,” Melo said, referencing in part the fact that for every dollar spent on A3 technology, customers spend three dollars on A41. After making the compelling argument for why successful dealers must have an MPS program, presentations were then given by representatives from Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Strategy Development, Drivve and Capella, and other Toshiba partners.
Security
Multi-function devices (MFDs) and document security, which Toshiba has been promoting to dealers for years as an essential element of a successful MPS program, was a major focus of the conference. While it was mentioned in most of the twenty education sessions that made up each conference’s three course tracks – sales, service, and consulting –Toshiba also held an additional session specifically on security featuring representatives from Digital Copier Security Inc., who recently became well-known in the industry for their participation in the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” investigative report earlier this year on copier hard drive security. continue reading...
Reduce the Costs of Your Print Environment
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 14:37Did you know that documents can cost your business up to 3% of your annual revenue? And a large portion of this expense comes from office printing. However, when properly managed, you can reduce your printing expense by nearly 30% while simultaneously increasing productivity in your office.
The first step to decreasing costs is to centralize the purchase of printer supplies. Often times, print supplies are purchased by individuals or departments. Furthermore, print cartridge expenses become buried in supply budget lines, making print costs impossible to track. continue reading...
HP Has Been Positioned as a “Leader” in the Latest Gartner “Magic Quadrant Report for MFPs and Printers.”
Submitted by Webmaster on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 15:09PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 3, 2010- HP today announced it has been positioned as a “leader” in the latest Gartner “Magic Quadrant Report for MFPs and Printers.”
A leading provider of IT research and advice, Gartner issues independent multivendor reports that position vendors based on their “ability to execute” and their “completeness of vision.”
According to Gartner’s report, “software, vertical solutions and service integration are playing a bigger role in the purchasing decisions of office printers and multifunction products (MFPs). The traditional speeds and feeds for typical office printing … have given way to the hardware’s ability to integrate and deploy software applications that connect them to the company’s document management systems. Remote monitoring capabilities, diagnostics, security and other factors are becoming the true differentiators.”
HP recently introduced solutions that not only leverage web, mobile and security technologies, but also offer customers new ways to print and manage their information. From the first web-enabled printer that allows users to print from anywhere without a PC, to the HP ePrint Enterprise Solution, which enables users to print from a Blackberry device, HP demonstrates a vision for market change. continue reading...
RISO, INC. Sponsors Nationwide Communications Seminar Tour with Xplor International
Submitted by Webmaster on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 15:02technology, recently presented “How to get five marketing leads for the price of two” at two Xplor Document University On the Road (XDU) events. The XDU On the Road program is a multi-city educational tour for the communications technology industry. The program will visit a total of ten cities and features a full day of presentations and discussion from a variety of industry leaders. RISO hosted the event in Boston and participated in the Toronto event held at Ryerson University. RISO will also sponsor additional XDU events in Dallas, Orange County, and New York later this year.
At last week’s events, RISO presented the findings of an independent INTERQUEST study comparing the effectiveness and cost of producing direct marketing lead generation documents using full-color inkjet technology. For the study, over 10,000 postcards were mailed, with approximately half of the postcards printed on a RISO full-color inkjet printer on matte-finish card stock and the other half printed on a full-color toner-based (EP) production color printer on high-gloss card stock. While response rates for postcards printed by color inkjet and EP printers were nearly identical, the study showed that the cost per lead generated from the inkjet-produced postcards was 62% lower than the leads generated from the EP-produced postcard.
The results of the study provided for lively discussion among the event attendees. “The YouTube video illustrating the difference between desktop inkjet and RISO’s production-class inkjet technology was well received and the INTERQUEST study helps dispel the myth that higher priced high-gloss documents—whether produced on offset or EP-based technology, generate higher response rates,” commented Bob Raus, RISO’s Manager of Product Marketing and a featured presenter at the Boston and Toronto XDU events. ”Inkjet technology is making incredible inroads on high-volume direct mail and transactional applications. For as low as $32,000 and speeds up to 150 ppm, RISO’s ComColor® full-color cut-sheet inkjet printing systems provide a low-risk, scalable solution for print providers to enter the high-volume color printing market—while also providing an affordable method for producing reprints, short runs, and proofs for large shops that already have roll-fed inkjet presses.” continue reading...
Going Green Brings Financial Benefits
Submitted by Webmaster on Thu, 07/29/2010 - 16:51The health of the environment is a pretty hot topic these days. Hybrid vehicles, biodegradable packaging and reusable grocery bags are just some of the ways society has been inundated by environmental friendly technologies.
It didn’t take long for companies to realize they need to reduce their carbon footprint, too. However, in today’s tight financial economy, it can be hard to adopt expensive albeit green technology. Luckily, designing and implementing a green printing strategy can help save the environment and save money.
A green printing strategy starts with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of office printing by targeting paper usage and energy usage. When these areas are optimized, the combined environmental and economic impact is amazing. continue reading...
Utilize Print Management Software for Easy Reporting
Submitted by Webmaster on Wed, 07/21/2010 - 15:03
In today’s work environment, expenses rarely go unchecked. It is very common for a department of a company to be required to create monthly or quarterly expense reports. However, tracking printing costs can be quite the task. Therefore, many companies simply lump the expense in with other various office costs such as supplies or furniture. Although this may seem like the easiest way to complete expense reports, it may also be the most expensive.
Print management software is an easy way to control, monitor and report the printing done by your company. Not only will your monthly reports be made simple, but you will become more aware of where your budget is spent. You will also be able to use access controls to limit printing to certain departments and set up defaults to save ink and paper. continue reading...
Ignite Productivity Through Managed Print Services
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 14:54In the office, it seems we are always in a hurry. For this reason, very rarely does anyone take the time to fix a printer. Instead, they are forced to find a different device so they can complete their task in a time-efficient manner.
Furthermore, IT departments rarely have the time or resources to fix mechanical issues in office devices. But still, they are forced to take control of the issue and organize some sort of fix, whether it is an easy paper jam or having to schedule a repair from a local company.
Often this type of situation is multiplied many times a week or even in a single day. It is not wonder why an unmanaged print environment can be a drain on the productivity of your office. Luckily, there is a better way. Managed Print Services Programs continually monitor your printer fleet and deliver valuable productivity benefits to your business.
Proactive Service: Managed Print Service means there will be someone monitoring your printer fleet for you. If a printer is out of service, it can often be fixed before it becomes an issue for your business’ productivity. continue reading...
Reduce Office Printing Costs in Three Easy Steps
Submitted by Webmaster on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:10Unmanaged office printing can easily consume up to 3% of annual revenues according to the Gartner group. Therefore, if you are searching for an area to trim your company’s overhead, your print environment is a great place to start. To control and reduce this expense there are a few strategies you can integrate.
Consolidate Devices
If you look around your office there are probably areas that have a laser printer, a copier and a fax machine sitting right next to each other. This presents a great cost-saving opportunity. Each of these devices has a separate cost of operation that comes from stocking unique supplies, supporting the network, handling repairs and service and electricity. With today’s skyrocketing energy costs, it is possible that it actually costs more to power your devices than it costs to put supplies in the devices!
You can combine devices with multifunction systems that print, copy, fax and scan in a single unit. These reliable systems can handle applications from desktops to workgroups to departments. Consolidating devices with multifunction systems could provide instant and long-term cost reduction for your organization.
Re-Route Print Jobs
Some of your printing devices are less expensive to operate than others. For the most part, high-volume networked systems have a lower operational cost than smaller desktop devices. While desktop devices may be necessary for productivity or privacy reasons, larger print jobs could easily be routed to network devices to reduce costs.
New software makes it easy to re-route print jobs automatically. You can assess your basic needs and set routing rules. For example, print jobs over 20 pages could be sent to a networked multifunction system. The end user would simply print their job exactly like they normally would. However, with this software a pop up window would let them know that their job was routed to the workgroup device as a cost-saving strategy. Applying print routing to your organization could create cost savings of 30% or more. continue reading...
