Thursday February 09 2012
MANAGED print services leader Bryan S Ryan hosts a major convergence conference next month to show Irish businesses how they can slash IT costs by 40 percent and more while also maximising workplace efficiencies and improving network security.
The objective of the March 8 event at the national Convention Centre is to show companies how powerful a tool managed print services (MPS) can be for organisations striving to do more with less on reduced budgets and less manpower.
The event is called Convergence because, in the past two years, the lines between the printer-copier-scanner, or multifunctional device, and its role in business has morphed into a different animal calling for radically different skill sets from vendors.
It is against this background that Bryan S Ryan has organised this major event, with guest speaker Bill Cullen, aimed at helping businesses maximise savings and efficiencies from managed print services.
Bryan S Ryan MD Brian Whyte explained: “Convergence, collaboration and information management are changing how MPS are delivered”.
He added that the days when a printer was just a printer are long gone. Multifunction devices (MFD) are now just as likely to have a graphic user interface plus sophisticated network and security features as they are to have paper-trays and toner.
But technology never stands still, and more sophisticated user demands and market influences have recently forced further development in MPS.
Not least among these demands has been the need for increased security, and it is partly this aspect that has driven convergence as network-enabled print and imaging devices come under the remit of the IT department, with all that this entails, he explained.
On the security front there have been several high profile incidents involving MFDs being targeted for attack. This is because, as these devices employ intelligent network interfaces, browsers can be used to gain information on the rest of the network and also on the jobs that have been put through the machine.
So IT has to extend the usual network security measures for these devices. Moreover, MFDs are frequently deployed as part of document and information management strategies, which makes these devices entry points as well outputs for information, bringing them further within the IT fold.
Collaboration trends, too, have seen print and imaging move beyond a single function to being part of a wider array of actions within business processes.
With the current focus on services, and the associated cost and efficiency, MPS will likely see greater adoption in the Irish market. However, service providers need to guide users through the journey of adoption as MPS evolve and change under market forces.
At the free Convergence event at the Dublin Convention Centre on 8 March, MPS leader Bryan S Ryan will explore these themes from a user perspective. Speakers will cover such areas as transitioning, convergence, user trends and cloud influences in an effort to inform and educate conference attendees on the benefits and opportunities for organisations in moving to and building on MPS.
Brian Whyte noted: "Bryan S Ryan has had a strong role to play in MPS, and we're pleased that speakers from Photizo, Google and State Street have decided to share their experiences and views at this major managed document service event.
"We are a leader in this field and, through our comprehensive approach; we help manage documents more effectively as well as managing IT infrastructure. We look forward to hosting the event and facilitating an information-packed morning."
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