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COVER STORY
17
In today’s
market,
dealers
are not
competing
on price, the
differentiator
is all about
the value-
add and
the service
delivery.
n
39% of employees say their company
has no official policy on sharing work
information beyond the work network;
n
67% of employees still typically share
information as paper print-outs;
n
13% of employees download
collaborative working tools if their
company doesn’t provide them.
Securing new revenues
Sharp Cloud Portal Office is an advanced
file storage and collaboration tool designed
to make businesses more efficient and to
support an increasingly mobile workforce
by making it easier to share information.
Hale said: “In a nutshell, Cloud Portal Office
simply allows businesses to collaborate
better. It allows users to securely access,
upload, download, manage and print files;
create new folders; collaborate; and share
– from any PC, mobile device, Sharp MFP or
Sharp BIG PAD interactive whiteboard.”
An overall decline in output volumes and
click charges has led to reduced revenues for
dealers, but with Cloud Portal Office, Sharp
is offering its partners the opportunity to
secure potential new revenue streams.
“Cloud Portal Office not only supports
end-users in better collaboration, but also
adds real business value to Sharp’s resellers
who have seen an overall decline in print
volumes and cost per copy rates. Cloud
Portal Office provides an opportunity for
partners to engage in new conversations
with existing clients and new prospects to
secure additional revenues,” Hale said.
“There are a host of cloud-based services
on the market today,” he explained. “But
Sharp Cloud Portal Office is unique. Some
MFP manufacturers provide the connection
into Cloud solutions, but no storage space or
functionality; while storage providers don’t
provide the necessary integration with MFPs,
which are essentially the on/off ramp for
document workflow.
“In contrast, Sharp is offering a full
service – which includes both storage and
integration with office products – in a single
sign-on service. For those partners who
already provide document management and
workflow solutions, Sharp’s Cloud Portal
Office will help ensure they remain a valued
business partner to clients.”
Hale added: “In today’s market, dealers
are not competing on price, the differentiator
is all about the value-add and the service
delivery. Offering Cloud Portal Office will
help with client retention and help ensure
your customers keep coming back.”
Seamless connection
Sharp’s BIG PAD interactive whiteboard
connects to Cloud Portal Office just as
effectively as its MFPs. With BIG PAD,
users can display presentations and other
documents in a format that’s big enough for
everyone in the room to see. It’s easy to use
– users simply select the file, drag it to the
whiteboard and open it up.
Via the BIG PAD’s touchscreen
technology, users can capture everyone’s
ideas by adding notes and comments in
freehand before saving it all in a new
document and securely storing it in the cloud.
Meeting notes can be created and shared
in an instant – even with colleagues in a
different country – and anything that’s on-
screen can be preserved as a PDF.
Single sign-on
“The service is based on a per-user
subscription model, rather than an MFP
subscription model and will provide a regular
income stream for dealers. Plus, the pricing
structure fits with dealers’ current model
whereby they invoice click charges on a
monthly/quarterly basis,” said Hale.
It also removes the requirement for
significant capital outlay or investment
in dedicated IT staff to manage it. “The
investment required to set-up and manage
a facility to access documents anytime,
anywhere would be significant both in terms
of equipment and people,” explained Hale.
“But with Cloud Portal Office the only outlay
is the cost of the subscription. Which can be
scaled up or down as the business requires.”
“Cloud Portal Office adds a whole new
dimension to mobile working,” said Hale.
“It also offers flexibility in that users can
print from any Sharp cloud-ready MFP,
wherever they are.
“Anyone who has subscribed can use an
Android or Apple iOS device to work on the
move. What’s more, a uniform design across
every mobile platform means that everyone
has the same experience regardless of which
mobile device they’re using.”
All data is protected by access controls,
powerful firewalls, state-of-the-art encryption
technology and redundant fail-over systems.
That means information is always safe,
always secure and always available.
As all modern Sharp products are already
equipped for use with Cloud Portal Office,
opening the service to new users (including
existing customers with cloud-capable Sharp
MPFs already installed) is simply a matter of
granting them monthly subscriptions.
