What does the next decade hold for printing and scanning?
Today’s modern businesses never sit still, they are constantly on the move. It’s becoming more common for employees to work remotely, away from the traditional office environment and even while they are on the go.
Modern technology is making remote working increasingly easier to manage, and since the rise of the internet we have seen developments in cloud-based technologies and mobile apps that can help develop a document environment that works seamlessly, wherever your workforce is.
With the advancement in digital technologies over the last ten years and as digital transformation matures with more and more businesses adopting cloud and mobile printing solutions, we’ve been thinking about what the next 10 years hold for printing and scanning.
What will the printing and scanning landscape look like by 2030?
The digital age we know today will continue to grow and develop with new innovations that will change the way we print and scan in the future. Office printing has evolved greatly over the last decade and will continue to do so over the next 10 years.
So, what do we expect to change? Looking at the trends that are redefining the way businesses print and scan today, we expect these trends will expand even further over the next decade to help businesses streamline their document environment and simplify their printing and scanning.
Growing cloud and mobile printing solutions
While cloud and mobile printing and scanning are fairly recent developments, by 2030 we predict that these technologies will have evolved and be a part of the everyday office environment. This will be driven by the increase in mobile workforces. We are already seeing today that mobility of business operations is a priority for many businesses, but by 2030 we expect this to be a necessity.
The Office of National Statistics believes that 50% of UK employees will be working remotely by 2020 and as this becomes more commonplace in the coming years and as technologies evolve to make remote working easier, we anticipate the number of remote workers will significantly increase by 2030.
Cloud-based MPS will become even more prominent by 2030, which will allow print jobs to be submitted to a virtual print server, rather than multiple on-premise servers and enables your mobile workforce to print from and scan to handheld devices. This not only increases productivity but also removes the dependency on in-house servers.
Continued print and digital convergence
The adoption of digital and mobile technologies will continue to grow, but many businesses will still remain reliant on print. The rise in digital and mobile technologies will facilitate businesses printing and scanning needs rather than replace them. In fact, we expect over the next decade the print and digital worlds will become even more closely intertwined.
Quocirca’s recent Global Print 2025 study revealed that 64% of businesses believe that printing will remain important to their daily business even by 2025. And we expect that printing and scanning will remain integral to businesses beyond 2025, with MPS providers offering more integrated paper and digital workflow services.
Increased print control and print security
Print software will evolve to help businesses achieve new levels of print control and print security. Print control software solutions such as PaperCut MF will continue to help businesses gain crucial insight into their print costs and help them make the best use of their resources.
Network and data security will continue to be a principal concern for the businesses in 2030 and printer security will be given the same priority as other office technology such as PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets.
Also, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) will see businesses increase their focus on print security to ensure they are protected from cyber-attacks and data breaches. We expect to see an increase in user authentication, access control and pull printing to help mitigate risks and prevent unauthorised access. We expect businesses will look for a MPS provider that is a leader in print security.
Artificial Intelligence in the office
Artificial Intelligence or AI already features in many offices, but by 2030 we forecast that it will become far more prominent. The introduction of AI technologies such as Alexa for Business will see an increase in intelligent printers to deliver voice-activated printing and reminders to print documents or add printing and scanning tasks to your to do list.
The increase in AI will naturally see an increase in intelligent printing and scanning devices that support the smart, modern workplace and mobile workforce. Not only will we see a development in the hardware, but we’ll also see an increase in software and security solutions and providers will tailor their service offering to ensure they are relevant to the smart workplace.
Talk to CRS about how we can help you optimise and future-proof your office printing and scanning management. We help businesses in Oxford, Reading, Abingdon and the surrounding areas ensure their offices are making to most of mobile and cloud technologies to deliver a secure document environment. Get in touch with us on 01235 555531 or complete our enquiry form and we’ll get back to you shortly.