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Making smart choices in the digital office
We see it all around us; digital technology is gaining the vast majority of company business processes, distributing more information to more people in more places than ever before.
These new technologies are exhilarating. But, as any MIS director will tell you, exhilaration can easily become anxiety as innovations supplant each other in rapid succession and myriad standards slug it out in the marketplace. In the midst of this rapid technological change, enterprises are keeping their eye on traditional business objectives. Today, as always, they seek to:

• Improve organisational performance
• Increase responsiveness
• Leverage assets
• Enhance productivity
• Outrun the competition

The pressure is on for companies to meet these basic business objectives while enhancing overall performance. There's no doubt about it : implementing the right digital office technologies will be a necessary condition of success.

The hard copy imperative
While new technologies allow the instantaneous distribution of information over networks, hard copy continues to be the principal vehicle of business information. A recent study demonstrates that while hard copy output for long printed documents (50+ pages) has decreased, the number of short printed documents (1 to 10 pages) has increased massively.

For the foreseeable future, hard copy will continue to play an essential role in business. It remains the key enabler of information transfer, the primary interface between a business and its customers and the main vehicle for projecting corporate and brand image.

Defining today’s hard copy needs
Contrary to conventional wisdom, document production demands are escalating, driving needs for new and more effective printing solutions. An IDC study predicted an over 20% increase in print volumes between 1997 and 2000 in the 6 to 24 ppm device market. And the trend is set to continue.
Companies need to implement output solutions that are faster, more economical, more distributed, integrate effective management functions and provide value added benefits such as colour and other
features.

The Lexmark Digital Office Vision
Lexmark’s digital office vision has been designed to meet the needs of organisations that are increasingly decentralised, inter-connected and automated. It encompasses an output strategy that is highly adapted and which is ready to meet the explosion in the number and types of digital documents
flowing across today’s networks—e-mail, proposals, presentations and more. These documents are typically shorter (from 1 to 25 pages) and are printed on demand rather than centrally produced. Working closely with customers, Lexmark has developed a suite of best of breed solutions ideally designed to meet these needs.

Flexibility, scalability, manageability
Lexmark’s distributed printing model is an integrated printing capability that is extensive enough to permit participation by users worldwide, pushing information out towards those who require it. This is accomplished effectively through two key features: scalability and manageability. Scalability provides the flexibility to tailor output devices to reflect rapid changes in usage and company organisation. This advantage is further reinforced by many common options and consumables across models. MarkVision software centralises the management of both Lexmark and non-Lexmark printers across departments, divisions or continents. Specific advantages include remote access to printer data including options installed, ink and paper status and anomalies. Centralised configuration, load balancing and centralised NOS upgrades also simplify administration and streamline IT tasks.

Managing convergence
As output technologies such as printers and photocopiers converge, MIS is faced with a new range of choices. A number of output devices are available: standalone photo-copiers, networked photocopiers, network printers and network printer + scanner. The right document output strategy will depend on how you answer the following question: does the technology maximise organisational performance?

Printer vs. the digital copier
Converging technologies are blurring some functional boundaries between printers and digital copiers. Differences in purchase cost, ease of use, reliability, networkability and cost of ownership, however, prove significantly favourable to network printers. A recent IDC study (see chart, page 4) has determined that, in the 16-36 ppm office segment, printers are generally favoured over digital copiers within key user criteria including output quality, reliability, ease of use and device management, while offering TCO savings of up to 50%. The conclusion? Any tasks which can be shifted to network printers from digital copiers will result in a net bottom line advantage.

Extending the bottom line advantage
By migrating additional tasks to Lexmark printers such as fax output, multiple originals and convenience copying, companies can further enhance their bottom line results. For example, when used as network fax output devices, Lexmark printers multiply gains in quality, dependability and cost savings. Used with Lexmark’s OptraImage canners, Lexmark printers become rugged multipurpose digital output stations that reduce the costs of convenience copying while offering high performance capabilities.

A hard copy roadmap that drives business results
The Lexmark digital office vision translates into proven hardcopy output strategies that drive results. It enables users to communicate more effectively and to be more productive; it enables IT and other managers to better serve end-users more cost-effectively; it helps companies achieve financial objectives by reducing operating costs and ensuring return on investment; and it provides exceptional value, delivering better business results. Lexmark offers comprehensive consulting and support services to create strategies for meeting your global printing needs. Lexmark Solutions Services, a dedicated division of Lexmark, specialises in consulting and planning, outsourcing, systems integration and support, and provides a range of individual services and contract plans to suit your needs.

Make it happen………..
Around the globe, Lexmark is helping companies realise the bottom line benefits of today’s smart printer technologies. If you’d like to implement a digital document strategy that drives positive business results, contact Integrex.