Langenhagen, Germany, 19 June 2023

Konica Minolta is proud to announce that Quocirca has recognised the company as a ‘Major Player’, in the research firm’s ‘The Cloud Print Services Landscape, 2023 – How the cloud is driving print infrastructure modernisation’.

The global market insight and research firm specialising in the convergence of print and digital technologies in the future workplace acknowledges how, ‘Cloud print services are an integral part of Konica Minolta’s offering, and it has developed a flexible and scalable service portfolio within its core print business, designed to support clients’ migration from on-premise to SaaS and cloud platforms.’

Quocirca’s vendor landscape for the Cloud Print Services market includes the major managed print services (MPS) providers offering cloud-based services. To be included the vendor must have a mature MPS offering that it has extended to the cloud environment. In positioning Konica Minolta as a ‘Major Player’, Quocirca acknowledges the company as having established and proven offerings supported by demonstrable customer success.

Research published in the report highlights the strong adoption of cloud service, with 79% of organisations operating some or all of their IT infrastructure in the cloud. In terms of managing print, over half of the respondents expect to be fully or mostly cloud-based in the next two years. However, many organisations are taking a hybrid approach with 48% reporting an increase in the number of print servers deployed in the past year. Quocirca attributes the need to support a more distributed workforce as the reason for the rise.

The new report highlights Konica Minolta’s Workplace Pure as a key strength. This platform provides organisations with cost-effective 24/7 access to a marketplace of constantly evolving services including centralised upload to cloud repositories, cloud print, secure guest print, smart document conversion and translation – all automated and streamlined from a single trusted source.

Quocirca says of Workplace Pure, ‘The delivery of a range of cloud services such as conversion, translate, and cloud fax through one platform, as well as ease of connection to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, is a key differentiator. Uniquely, Workplace Pure is managed by Konica Minolta as the provider (with no intermediate platform), and requires no additional software installations.’

Also referenced is Dispatcher Paragon Cloud, which was launched in February 2022, which enables Konica Minolta to offer the options of on-premise or pure cloud model, for organisations looking to move their print management to the cloud.

Despite the clear trend towards cloud print management, the Quocirca report highlights security concerns as the main barrier to the adoption. With the launch of Shield Guard last year, Konica Minolta has worked to allay these concerns with a cloud-based solution that provides remote security monitoring and management for devices and fleets.

Olaf Lorenz, Head of International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, states, “Konica Minolta has created a rich portfolio of service and solutions that enable an organisation to access the many operational, management and cost benefits of cloud print. Whether they choose to go fully cloud, or take a hybrid approach we are able to support them at every stage of their journey.” Olaf adds. “Konica Minolta is proud to be recognised as a ‘Major Player’ in cloud print services by Quocirca.”

About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

Konica Minolta’s journey started 150 years ago, with a vision to see and do things differently. We innovate for the good of society and the world. The same purpose that kept us moving then, keeps us moving now.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. With its unique expertise in imaging, data processing and data-based decision making, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers – small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector – and solves issues faced by society.

As a digital workplace solution provider, Konica Minolta helps its clients to identify and unlock the potential digitalisation holds and reach the next level in the digital maturity of their organisation by rethinking the workplace. In support of an ‘Intelligent connected workplace’, Konica Minolta offers cloud, IT, managed print and video solution services for remote working, collaboration, workflow management and automation and security. The company’s success in driving transformation is also confirmed by IDC, since the ‘IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2020 Vendor Assessment’ stated that Konica Minolta is ‘recognised globally as a leader in print transformation’. Konica Minolta has been a Microsoft Global Managed Partner since 2021.

Konica Minolta’s Igniting Print Possibilities offering helps printers, converters and brand owners maximise workflow automation to increase efficiency. The company delivers consultancy in all communication matters as well as top-of-the-line production, packaging as well as label printers. Its finishing devices create print products that stand out and create added value. Konica Minolta has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe (InfoSource).

For an increasing number of organisations, success today is more than the narrow definition of financial prosperity – it also includes protecting the environment and having a positive impact on their workforce as well as the societies they are embedded in. With its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Konica Minolta has pledged to consistently pursue its sustainability and social responsibility goals.

The company has been repeatedly recognised for its rich history of social contribution as well as for working towards achieving the SDGs throughout its business and supply chain. Konica Minolta is listed among “2023 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” and received a GOLD Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2023.

For its remote services, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious ‘Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023-2024 Pacesetter Award in Remote Service for the Western European market’ from Keypoint Intelligence.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With more than 8,700 employees (as of April 2023), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.26 billion in financial year 2022/2023.

Worldwide, the company has over 39,000 employees and is operating in over 150 countries.

For more information, please visit https://www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en/news and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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Contact:
Melanie Olbrich

Senior Expert Content Strategy & Development, Corporate Communications
International Marketing Division

SOURCE Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe