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Print.IT Reseller
www.printit
reseller
.co.uk
25
the cloud
European small and medium-sized
businesses (SMEs) are failing a new
generation of cloud workers by not
providing the collaboration tools
they need to do their jobs effectively,
claims new research from Sharp
Europe.
A survey of SMEs in the UK, France,
Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands
found that employees are moving towards
a more flexible, collaborative working
model (whether employers are supportive
of this or not) and are increasingly
demanding more collaborative, flexible
working practices.
However, it also identified a clear gap
between what Generation Cloud workers
are demanding and what is actually being
provided by European employers. While
half of employees believe that increased
collaboration would make their business
more profitable, 83% don’t use an official
cloud solution at work and 41% say
collaborative tools are actively banned in
their workplace.
Sharp warns that by failing to embrace
collaborative working, SMEs are missing
out on the benefits it brings and risk losing
control of their networks and introducing
vulnerabilities. Six out of 10 (61%)
respondents say collaborative tools would
make them more efficient; 13% claim that
if their employer didn’t provide them, they
would download them themselves.
Up in the clouds
...83% don’t
use an
official cloud
solution at
work and
41% say
collaborative
tools are
actively
banned...
Hale says that because Cloud Portal
Office is based on a per-user subscription
model, rather than an MFP subscription
model, dealers will be able to enjoy a
regular income stream. “This structure
fits with dealers’ current model whereby
they invoice click charges on a monthly/
quarterly basis,” he said.
Easy to set-up
Cloud Portal Office is easy to set up and
use, especially for companies with scalable
workforces. User subscriptions can easily
be added or removed, making it ideal for
projects that require extra staff for short
periods.
The service is accessed through a
single sign-on portal, the Sharp Cloud
Portal, which is securely controlled by the
IT department. As employees leave or
take on different roles, administrators can
change access permissions, cancel/add
subscriptions or increase storage space at a
moment’s notice, all via a secure web page.
Sharp is pre-installing Sharp Cloud
Portal on its new MFPs and is also making
it available as an upgrade for some other
models. However, Hale confirmed that it is
not compatible with some older machines.
“With some Sharp devices it can be
sold as an add-on but older models won’t
support the new software - although we
see that as an opportunity for dealers to
upgrade the fleet,” he said.
Sharp will also be offering scan and
print connectors for other popular storage
services, starting with Dropbox.
www.sharp.eu
Sharp is meeting the demands
of Generation Cloud with a new
document sharing and
collaboration solution.
A better way of working
Meeting the needs of employers and
employees, Sharp is introducing a new
cloud-based collaboration, storage and
simple workflow service. Called Cloud
Portal Office, it allows users to securely
access, upload, download, manage, share
and print files from any PC, mobile device,
Sharp MFP or Sharp BIG PAD interactive
whiteboard.
Solutions Product Marketing Manager
Chris Hale said Sharp had created the file
storage and collaboration tool to make
businesses more efficient and to support
an increasingly mobile workforce by
making it easier to share information.
New revenue stream
He added that it gives dealers a great
opportunity to get close to their customers.
“We know the overall decline in print
volumes, leading to reduced revenues,
has meant many dealers have had to
sell more just to stand still. Cloud Portal
Office offers a potential new revenue
stream. For dealers tightly embedded in
their customers’ businesses and already
providing document management and
workflow solutions, this is the natural next
step,” he said.
“The MFP is the on/off ramp for
document workflow and this solution is the
next logical extension to Sharp’s offering.
We’re committed to supporting our dealers
with client retention, helping them deliver
the service and support levels that ensure
their customers keep coming back. Today,
it’s not about competing on price, it’s
all about the value-add and the service
delivery.”
Chris Hale, Solutions Product Marketing
Manager, Sharp