2020 is almost behind us, but before it settles into the ashes of history there are some things your workplace should think through. There is nothing like starting a new year fresh, especially after a year so tumultuous as this one has been. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can ensure your office technology and related expenses are on track going into 2021.
 
Access Control Initiatives
 
In an office setting where people are in and out and documents are constantly being emailed, printed, scanned and faxed, it can be hard to keep track of what all is being accessed and utilized. One good way to bring security and cost-saving measures into play is by implementing controlled access solutions to your fleet of office equipment.
 
Whether you use printers, scanners, copiers or dedicated fax machines, putting in place a procedure for employees to authenticate at the given device to release their print jobs, access copying and scanning workflows and faxing can bring authority back to your company decision makers and IT staff. These controls are very affordable and can utilize existing HID cards (ID Badges) to save even more. Perhaps the biggest benefit of incorporating controlled access solutions is the security it brings your organization through audit trails on an individual user basis.
 
Color Management Software
 
Color printing is a great tool for any office to utilize, thought if unmonitored, it often leads to wasteful behaviors. I once was at a client’s office and while the CEO and I were in the copy room discussing their changing needs, out from the copier came a full page photo of someone’s baby. Needless to say this caught his eye which then led him to the pile of discarded papers that people had printed but not bothered to pick up. More color documents were in that stack of abandoned papers, but also found there was the realization a change in printing behaviors was needed.
 
There are a variety of ways to control color output in your office and depending on your equipment you may even be able to utilize free software. One tool we use on Kyocera devices for clients is tiered color. This offering allows three prices to be used for color output based on the percentage of color on the page. The lower the percentage the lower the price and vice versa. One of the most common mistakes I see made by clients is documents that have a URL or a single highlight printed in color by accident. Depending on your contract, that could be over 8 cents for a speck of color. Determining how to address your color output organizationally is a great discussion to have with your office technology partner. One thing you can do today is have all devices set to default print in black and white. This will force users to make conscious decisions on whether color is essential to each and every document they print.
 
Updated Faxing Technology
 
If you are like most offices that still utilize faxing technology, you probably have had a scenario where you faxed your documents at the copier and waited for a confirmation page with your fingers crossed hoping you didn’t get a file size error or busy signal. Today there are new cost effective, convenient and secure ways to fax. In fact, you don’t even have to keep that pesky analog phone line or need a fax board added to your copier. You can fax your documents from your desk or phone. Not to mention, establish audit trails for outgoing and incoming documents and do away with file size limits. Do yourself a favor and bring a refresh to your faxing procedures for 2021.
 
Scanning Workflows
 
Are you currently scanning to email or a folder from a shared copier? There are better ways. Many organizations are utilizing some form of cloud storage and the good news is you can integrate your office equipment with them! You can even browse folders and sub folders at the copier and in some instances add new folders from the touch screen of the device. This can bring back extensive amounts of time to your company versus users spending time finding documents they scanned, renaming them and then distributing them to the correct place.
 
In addition, there are many times we see that users scan to emails outside of their organization from their copier. This can bring extensive security risks into play as there is not an audit trail configured because the email is coming not from a specific user (hint the need for access control) but from a shared device. By incorporating scanning solutions to your workplace, you not only allow your employees increased productivity and convenience, but prioritize document and data security initiatives. Having access controls in place will allow employees to sign-in to a device by badge or pin code and then have access to their personalized scanning workflows in programs such as OneDrive, SharePoint, or Outlook with an audit trail fully intact. Not to mention it is pretty handy for a user to have any emails shared from the device show up in the sent folder of their email.
 
As you leave 2020 in your rear view and push forward to new possibilities awaiting you in the new year, make sure you set yourself up to succeed by taking a closer look at your office technology. We would love to help your organization chart a course towards increased productivity and security by examining your current infrastructure with a complimentary analysis. Schedule your appointment today with one of our sales representatives via our website or give us a call at 800-648-7081.
 
 
Drew Smith currently serves as Director of Communications for Copiers Plus. The company specializes in modernizing office equipment and increasing efficiencies in workplace communications throughout the state of North Carolina. To learn more about how Copiers Plus is providing their customers with innovative document solutions and enhanced printing transparency, visit www.copiers-plus.com. Drew would love to hear from you at [email protected].