Government organisations are continuing to feel the squeeze of austerity. So how can departments make further spending reductions over and above what they have already achieved?
It’s a tough ask, yet while operational overheads were usually the first area to be scrutinised and where possible minimised – there is still one area of everyday business activity that many departments have not yet considered: the printing and management of documents.
So there is a clear need for government departments to drive efficiencies. Reducing their document output spend offers them the potential to make significant savings. But how can they start to take control of their document output and manage their spend more closely? Often government organisations are unclear where to start. However, OKI can implement a range of strategies and products to help them address these issues.
At the heart of these services are OKI’s smart-managed document solutions – an integrated suite of software, technologies and tools to improve print and document workflow, management and security within an organisation. Through the use of these, OKI is able to extend document processes, ensuring a fully-integrated and optimised solution.
These solutions can be divided into five key areas:
- Capture and distribution – focuses on the digitisation of documents, converting to paperless workflows with instant electronic access and routing by adding metadata;
- Document and content management – facilitates access and retrieval of data to improve collaboration and response times;
- Security and output – enables costs control and full visibility of print and copy usage;
- Mobility – enables printing from any device;
- Device and contract management – track device usage remotely.
OKI can help ensure the right printers are being used for the right job and to design a long-term print solution tailored to a customer’s needs. It can also highlight previously unseen overheads such as the cost of man-hours spent supporting disparate systems so further savings can be made.
The whole analysis process is designed to enhance printer usage and create a more efficient managed print strategy. By using high-quality in-house solutions, government organisations will see an immediate impact both on the overall cost of their printing and their levels of wastage.
The approach also establishes best practices such as setting double-sided and mono printing as default options, which together reduce paper costs – and establishing some best practice rules, such as never printing emails simply to read them.
By deploying Managed Document Solutions, government departments ensure they work with just one contract for all their document output and management needs including purchasing printers, buying supplies or requesting maintenance. As a result, it is easier to monitor on-going costs; reduce capital investment and control budgets.
Any technical support a department may need to ensure its printers are up and running at all times can also be quickly delivered. Ensuring print operations and maintenance run smoothly, frees up the time of internal staff allowing them to focus on core tasks and work more productively.
Managed Document Solutions is all about flexibility and OKI can deliver a fully integrated and optimised solution that meets the specific needs of any government organisation, whether this is through capture and distribution, document and content management, security and output, mobility or device and contract management.
As part of a managed document solutions approach, OKI will initiate a process of consultation and analysis, through which it will identify specific operational needs and recommend a flexible solution to optimise print and document output. This will have full visibility and provide the opportunity to reduce costs while delivering workflow efficiencies and saving time and money.
The continual management, review and implementation process ensures that the client’s document workflow processes adapt and keep pace with changes across the organisation while delivering the anticipated cost savings.
Moving to the Solutions
As part of the managed document solutions approach, replacing multiple desktop printers and scanners with a smaller number of networked multifunction printers can cut energy consumption and costs for any government organisation. Departments can make use of the new OKI MC700 and MB700 Series multifunction printers, for example, to move from a manual paper-based workflow into a digital workflow.
The MC700/MB700 Series provide additional levels of productivity to government departments through sXP (smart Extendable Platform), an embedded open platform offering enhanced workflow integration and document management, across the business. The new range of mono and colour MFPs provide additional flexibility, allowing organisations to select the model and options specific to their operational needs, for optimum print effectiveness.
Improving the way documents are handled, managed and processed will deliver significant efficiencies and cost savings to government organisations concerned, ensuring their print capability fully supports their broader objectives.
In addition, the MC700/MB700 Series helps deliver enhanced control for government departments by including software for effective device management tasks such as remote diagnostics and document output controls including print tracking and authentication.
Again, as part of a managed document solutions approach, these multifunction printers also deliver advanced security features, including secure PIN printing, data encryption and disk wiping and a secure print with card release option. This represents a key benefit for any government organisation, giving them the peace of mind of knowing that they can have their document output and management needs at their fingertips without worrying that sensitive documents will get into the wrong hands.
Going Green
A managed document solutions approach also drives greener, more environmentally friendly printing. OKI devices are all designed with a compact footprint to save on space and are based on robust and reliable LED technology for consistent quality and performance.
According to the Carbon Trust, printers can consume 30-40 per cent of their peak power when idling between printing and standby mode. However, with the right technology it becomes easy to reduce energy consumption. Today, OKI ensures all its printers have ‘Deep Sleep’ mode cutting power consumption to the minimum. OKI printers also offer ‘Auto-Power Off’ technology, which automatically turns off the printer after extended periods of non-usage.
Given that many government departments are facing an increasing number of departmental spending cuts and as such, are looking for ways in which to work more efficiently, OKI’s approach to cost-effective and green printing is of particular importance. Partnering with a professional vendor like OKI, government organisations can be assured document output will be managed in the most efficient and green manner – all key for departments looking to work more resourcefully.
With a focus on driving efficiency and maintaining control of printing, a managed document solutions approach will streamline processes and by doing this save time, costs and energy, all key benefits for any government organisation battling against the cuts.
For further information about OKI’s products and services, please visit the OKI website, www.oki.co.uk.
Rob Brown
OKI business manager for managed document services
Oki Systems UK Ltd
