Hybrid working is a new era in which workers are dispersed and ongoing digital transformation means that companies require flexible, smarter, more productivity-focused printing solutions to improve productivity and collaboration both at home and at work.
“HP is facilitating the new workplace – one that embodies hybrid work as everyday culture,” according to Rachael Williams, Director of Printing solutions for HP Australia and New Zealand.
“We need to be as productive at home as we are in the office – therefore we need to have access to the same technologies to make that possible. It starts with acknowledging that hybrid work is now part of the business culture, meaning print, for example, needs to be more accessible and flexible for businesses and their employees.”
Catering to this market demand, HP has unveiled a host of laser jet printers – the HP LaserJet Managed E800/E700 series – in a bid to meet “the moment we’re in,” empower a digitally enabled workforce and address the demand for a ‘true workplace of the future.’
“Over the past two years, more Australians and New Zealanders have set up home offices than ever before. While this was driven as a necessity during COVID, the hybrid world has created a seismic cultural shift in how people want to work and live.”
In fact, this “seismic shift” has transformed outdated views and redefined the productivity and collaboration movement, she explained.
“The concept of productivity means that output – and output only – is critical to the success of an organisation. It is outdated to believe that you must physically be in an office space to be productive. The traditional office is not a place where you work but a place where you can collaborate. Offices are now wherever an employee wants it to be, so it must be a place where creativity and collaboration thrives,” Williams said.
‘Rethink’ strategies: Gartner
If anything, there’s now a renewed urgency for CIOs and IT decision-makers (ITDMs) to rethink how to manage the distributed workforce, according to Gartner.
“The future of work will require CIOs to rethink how work is done, reimagine office space and manage new risks,” Gartner said, explaining it will require shifts in IT provisions and operating models.
“The dependence on technology to promote collaboration and a sense of belonging so that remote workers stay connected and engaged in the ‘new normal’ will be more important than it has ever been before.”
Certainly, catering to this ‘distributed workplace or hybrid workforce’ is a top pursuit for CIOs, tasked with retrofitting office technology to manage an ever-more distributed workforce, according to Williams.
“As employees return to the office, companies are resetting plans to meet new ways of working. Tasked with creating modern, and inspiring workplace environments, CIOs require the right technologies to enable a fast moving, digitally enabled workforce to be productive.”
Even better, many corporate CIOs are now at the forefront of decision-making and developing core business strategies, such as sales, marketing, or other areas.
“Whether it’s overseeing a wide range of software and hardware solutions and knitting them together into a functional whole, or hitting goals around security, sustainability and cost, the HP LaserJet Managed series helps IT decision-makers (ITDMs) and CIOs meet these needs.”
Channel play
And resellers have a big role to play in helping companies “evolve in the way they work,” Williams added.
In fact, the channel continues to remain at the forefront of hybrid work, enabling businesses to engage in new ways of working, by delivering technology that creates “experiences and collaboration,” she added.
“People are starting to view print differently – in understanding how it can add to their personal and professional life. When collaborating on a project with multiple people or when wanting to review documents, images, and the likes off-screen, who doesn’t like to have immediate access to a printer.”
Among the notable features are:
- Simplified workflows and increased productivity (the ability make edits directly on your content via the control panel; aswell as custom shortcuts);
- enhanced performance (up to 70ppm fast printing speed and 300 ipm3 duplex scan speed powered by HP’s custom designed quadcore processor);
- Built-in sustainability
- Enhanced security: The new HP Wolf Enterprise Security6 devices protect, detect, and self-recover; it also includes HP Sure Start and Connection Inspector as well as Memory Shield active system monitoring. Whitelisting is available.
“HP’s channel partners need modern, customisable, high performance, and secure printers to provide their CIO/ITDM customers. To keep up with expanded demands, the HP LaserJet Managed E800/E700 series helps our channel partners unlock more value for their customers, maximise profit with improved toner yield and lower service costs, and drive new business opportunities with customisable experiences.”
Now is the right time, in the age digital transformation, when business printing remains essential and workers require support at home as well as in the office.
According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Monitor, the Asia/Pacific Hardcopy Peripherals market (HCP), excluding Japan, saw 3.21 million units shipped in its second quarter 2022. This represents a 7.6% increase from the 2.98 million units in the previous year. Among the products in HCP, inkjet and laser contributed to the region’s growth.