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MFPS
A platform for growth
Billed as the largest product launch
in Xerox’s 110-year history, the
introduction of 29 new ConnectKey
devices effectively re-boots the
recently separated company’s printer
range, giving it a more compelling,
solutions-ready offering to take to
market.
In particular, the launch strengthens
Xerox’s portfolio in areas where it has
looked weak in the past, such as A4 MFPs;
it delivers a consistent user experience
right across the range; and, crucially, it
extends the Extensible Interface Platform
(EIP) to many more devices, meaning
that Xerox now has the largest solutions-
enabled portfolio in the industry.
It’s all about platforms today, and by
solutions-enabling its new devices with
EIP, Xerox is in a better position to help
customers digitise document processes
and workflows, whilst giving resellers the
opportunity to generate additional revenue
through managed document services
(MDS) and apps.
The new devices are expected to play
a big part in helping Xerox rebalance its
business over the next three years, as it
attempts to increase the proportion of its
revenue from growth areas (A4 laser MFPs,
managed document services) from 40%
to 50%.
Expanding its A4 portfolio and making
all the devices solutions-ready – previously
just two of its A4 devices were solutions-
enabled – will strengthen Xerox’s hand in
the fast growing MDS market for small and
medium-sized businesses, a market that
is experiencing annual growth of 4-6%,
compared to 2-3% in the enterprise sector
where Xerox has traditionally operated.
Since announcing its new printers/MFPs
in April, Xerox has expanded its channel
offering for SMBs with an enhanced
basic print service for multi-brand fleets,
PageConnect Services, which resellers
can take on without having to undergo a
certification process, and a cloud-based
enterprise content management system,
DocuShare Flex, that enables businesses
with as few as five employees to digitise
and automate business processes.
It has also recruited a number of new
resellers to boost sales and expand its
presence in the SMB market. These include
the Arena Group, IT Document Solutions
and Viking Office Systems.
These developments are all
underpinned by the new ConnectKey
portfolio. So, what exactly did Xerox
announce at the beginning of April and
why are the new devices so significant?
ConnectKey 2017
The ConnectKey 2017 launch introduces
29 printers and MFPs split across two new
sub-brands: Versalink, for small user groups
and SMBs with limited IT support; and
Altalink, for centralised use. There are 19
new Versalink devices (12 A4 and 7 A3) and
10 mid-range Altalink MFPs (all A3) with
print speeds of up to 90 pages per minute.
Both sub-brands share the same user
interface, ensuring a consistent experience
across all devices, and have a number of
properties in common:
1
Intuitive User Experience.
A
customisable tablet-based user interface,
with tap, swipe and pinch controls, gives
users the ability to personalise the display
for each employee and delivers time-saving
features like scan previews and a reduction
in the number of steps needed to complete
a task. On Altalink MFPs, for example,
scan to email involves just four steps,
compared to as many as 10 on other
devices;
2
Mobile and Cloud Ready.
The
devices feature easy printing from
any mobile device and integration
with cloud services, such as Dropbox.
User-installable cloud connectors can
be downloaded from the Xerox App
Gallery;
3
Benchmark Security.
Xerox
aims to make security a differentiator
by not charging extra for real-time
protection from internal and external
The biggest product launch in its history helps Xerox and its resellers target
high growth areas and develop additional revenue from apps and services
security threats. Altalink devices also offer
whitelisting from McAfee;
4
Next Generation Services.
All 29
devices support advanced, next generation
managed print services, offering remote
monitoring, remote configuration, device
cloning, meter reading etc..
5
Customisation.
The EIP solutions
platform empowers resellers and their
customers to create customised solutions
to meet specific customer challenges using
the App Studio or Xerox Personalised
Application Builder (PAB).
Bertrand Cerisier, VP, Global Marketing,
Workplace Solutions Business Group,
says that the combination of these five
properties transforms what can be done
with an MFP.
“The MFP today is a printing peripheral
that sits in the corner. Our intention is
to bring the MFP into the heart of the
operation – to make it a means for people
to connect to workflow processes and to
connect systems together, to connect the
elements where information is sitting. How
do we connect things from a technology
point of view?
“The first thing is to ensure that
everyone in an organisation can have access
to a workflow – down to every individual.
ConnectKey has 29 products, starting at
under 1,000 euros – solutions-capable
products that bring workflow automation to
the masses. And this is out of the box.
“Second, is to have a software platform,
consistent across all 29 products, that
enables customisation. All workers have
different processes and the expectation is
that we will configure our technology to
their workflow and not the other way round.
“The third thing is solutions, from three
main areas: our own solutions, solutions
from experts like Nuance that meet a
horizontal requirement in the document
management world as well as sector-
specific providers; and solutions from
our reseller channel.”
Customised apps
Solutions, or apps, were a major focus
of the launch and one which Xerox is
eager for resellers to make the most of
a) because they are an additional source
of revenue, b) because they provide
a differentiator in a competitive and
commoditised market and c) because they
can be used to improve customers’ and
the reseller’s own processes by integrating
an organisation’s MFPs with other systems
Xerox has
expanded
its channel
offering for
SMBs with
an enhanced
basic print
service for
multi-brand
fleets
Continued...
XEROX :
ConnectKey MFPs
