DiscoverIn the Spotlight - The Smart Connected Workplace Podcast with Quocirca
In the Spotlight - The Smart Connected Workplace Podcast with Quocirca
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In the Spotlight - The Smart Connected Workplace Podcast with Quocirca

Author: Quocirca

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Quocirca’s ‘In the Spotlight’ podcast series is the definitive podcast on digital disruption in the office print industry. Join Louella Fernandes, Director of Quocirca and industry leaders as we discuss how industry players must adapt to address the convergence of print and digital technologies in the hybrid workplace. We will be covering analytics, cloud, channel disruption, cybersecurity, IoT, the smart connected workplace, sustainability and more. Quocirca Podcast Disclaimer: The information contained in this Podcast was obtained from industry executives via interviews and has not been independently verified by us. It may not be accurate or current, and we have no obligation to provide any updates or changes to any information provided. The listener may not edit, modify, copy, reproduce or redistribute this Podcast in whole or in part. We are not liable for any use of this Podcast by the listener which is not in accordance with the terms of this disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed in this Podcast are not necessarily those of Quocirca. Any opinions given by industry executives interviewed by us are strictly those of the individual. We are not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice or recommendations in this Podcast. In addition, the information contained in this Podcast does not constitute investment advice and should not be relied upon by the listener. The receipt of this Podcast by any listener is not to be taken to constitute such person a client of Quocirca. We do not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this Podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed.

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65 Episodes
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In the Spotlight with Stu Brookes and Keith O’Brien, PaperCut In the final episode of series 9, Stu and Keith join Louella to discuss recent announcements from PaperCut’s global partner summit and their views on the changing landscape for cloud printing.Stu and Keith discuss the changing dynamics of the print market in the K-12 education sector and the rapid adoption of PaperCut’s cloud print software as schools seek to reduce the risk and cost of server management and improve efficiency are turning to the cloud and workflow automation.Keith and Stu explain the impact security concerns have on the cloud print transition and the importance of integrating print solutions with trusted cloud services that customers are already using, as well as providing regional data centres.Recent announcements from PaperCut are designed to give customers flexibility in their cloud transition, through subscription options that recognise where they are on their cloud journey and where they might go in future.Stu shares the company’s insight on print volumes and the verticals that remain paper-intensive. The extreme device consolidation seen over recent years is abating and there are signs in some sectors that more devices are being added to fleets.Sustainability is at the core of PaperCut’s ethos, and PaperCut Grow is its flagship initiative, helping customers become forest positive and report their achievements to employees and customers.Keith and Stu also share the key product developments in security and usability that aim to drive a frictionless experience for customers, concluding by sharing their thoughts on the future of the industry.For more on PaperCut visit: www.papercut.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the Spotlight with Steve Inch, principal strategist for print security and product management at HPIn this episode, Steve and Louella discuss print security, HP’s approach to zero trust print architecture, and its unique security solutions.Steve talks about the importance of keeping customers future-ready in the face of cyber threats, and how the business seeks to innovate in security solutions and services, driving new standards in the industry. He explains innovations such as secure encrypted printing, and the benefits of working closely in conjunction with workforce solutions partners. Louella and Steve discuss the changing threat landscape prompted by the rise of hybrid working, and the double-edged sword of AI as both security risk and opportunity. Steve underlines that HP is seeking to apply AI holistically across its whole value chain, not just in individual use cases.HP seeks to simplify security messaging so channel partners can more effectively position it as part of a complete customer offering. Steve explains how HP offers flexible options for channel partners with differing focus and expertise levels. He introduces HP’s zero-trust print architecture blueprint for planning, implementing, and deploying zero-trust principles at the endpoint to enhance resilience for all customers. Steve concludes by outlining HP’s strategy for simplicity across security architecture and goal of educating consumers on security through its print division.Learn more about HP’s Zero Trust approach to endpoint security: HP Wolf Security - Endpoint Security Solutions | HP® Official Site  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
John and Louella discuss Xerox’s reinvention strategy and John’s views on changing customer and market dynamics.John recaps the workplace evolution from building-centred businesses to hybrid workplaces leveraging a distributed workforce post-pandemic and explains how this has driven Xerox to become a more responsive, services-led, software-enabled company with a larger partner ecosystem. Xerox recognises it can’t rest on its laurels where its channel is concerned. The business is investing in partner engagement, development, and training, supporting its partner ecosystem to engage effectively with customers.Louella and John discuss the challenges of attracting and retaining GenZ workers, the need to take a holistic approach to sustainability, and the power of Xerox’s position at the fulcrum of data, device, security and workflow, enabling it to deliver a compelling proposition for customers seeking to capitalise on emerging technology. John highlights the risks of large language models (LLMs) and predicts the rise of enterprise LLMs that will reduce the risk of GenAI for corporate organisations. Finally, John and Louella explore industry consolidation and the impact of recent activity on Xerox’s relationships with its joint venture partners.www.xerox.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode sees Arjan and Louella discuss Lexmark’s strategy, sustainability approach, and future expectations as it introduces its own A3 MFP range. 

Arjan explains how Lexmark’s market approach focuses on industries where print is still critical to operations. He outlines the company’s diverse customer base, key sector expertise, and how it meets client needs with a combination of direct engagements and channel partner support, leading to high customer retention rates.Louella and Arjan discuss the importance of data-driven insights in sectors such as retail, where Lexmark’s Lexmark Engagement Automation Program (LEAP) is giving retailers the option to deliver hyper-local digital promotions directly on the shop floor.Analytics is a core area of strength for Lexmark, which has one million devices under management by a single global IoT system. Arjan explains how the company leverages this data to drive customer value.  On sustainability Arjan talks about the importance of OEMs taking a broad approach, and how channel partners in particular need a story to tell “that goes beyond electricity consumption”. He discusses Lexmark’s focus on device simplicity and ease of maintenance, plus the company’s long heritage of device and cartridge remanufacturing and recycling programmes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As the traditional print industry strives to meet changing customer needs, diversification and transformation are key. In this episode, Apogee CEO James Clark explains how the company has successfully made the transition into IT services.James notes the core skills Apogee possesses that are transferable to broader managed IT services and how taking a best-of-breed vendor approach helps the company create business value for customers.Louella and James discuss the challenge of adapting MPS sales models and company culture to the subscription-based go-to-market approach needed for managed IT services engagements. They look at how sustainability forms an important part of solutions for today’s customers, and the tactics Apogee has in place to support this, including circular economy activities.James also talks about the advent of AI, the issue of AI-washing, and how it is in use at Apogee to fulfil customers’ unmet needs. He concludes with his insights on the future of the industry and where Apogee aims to drive customer value. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Louella and Will discuss how Datasec is bringing identity-native infrastructure management to the print industry. Will introduces the company’s approach towards supporting a world that is secure, but not encumbered by passwords and the risks associated with sharing secrets across an open internet. He explains the challenge customers face in adapting a zero trust approach to secure shared print devices on the network.He outlines Datasec’s “Smart document exchange” approach to extending security capabilities to MFDs, using existing cloud based Identity Access Management (IAM) solutions and adapting them for shared device security. Datasec brings an identity layer on top, achieving infrastructure access management with an identity-native emphasis that puts the customer at the centre.Will and Louella discuss the risks around AI use and the drive to protect corporate data, as well as what AI could mean for managed print services and print management solutions. #ZeroTrust #AIinPrint Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Louella is joined by Issa Khoury, program manager for Microsoft Universal Print, to discuss the security, cost, and complexity challenges of traditional on-premise print. With continuing demand for hybrid, flexible working environments, legacy print infrastructure is increasingly becoming a headache for IT managers. Cloud printing is one solution, but until recently it has struggled to take off – partly due to lingering security concerns among customers.Microsoft Universal Print resolves these concerns and greatly simplifies print infrastructure management for administrators, eliminating the need for VPNs and WANs. It also provides a better user experience, and improves security, supporting Zero Trust architecture and features such as pull printing.Louella and Issa look at the opportunity for channel partners amid the convergence of Managed Print Services (MPS) and Managed IT Services. Microsoft Universal Print simplifies MPS engagements and is a powerful tool for migrating customers to the cloud, allowing partners to move into this space. Channel partners can also build their own Print Support Applications (PSAs) on top of Universal Print, tailored to their customers’ requirements.Learn more about Microsoft Universal PrintRead Quocirca’s Cloud Print Services Landscape report Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canon’s Peter Bragg joins Louella to talk about sustainability and how the company’s strategy has evolved. Peter explains how the company’s own environmental targets and customer demand for sustainable products and services are shaping strategic and operational activity.Louella and Peter discuss CO2 targets and the role of regulation, such as the Corporate Sector Reporting Directive, in driving strategy forward with transparent reporting on a range of ESG measures. Peter also provides an insight into the weighting of sustainability and social value factors in tender processes across different sectors and countries, and the value of collaboration between suppliers and customers.Canon also recognises that channel partners need support from vendors to deliver a consistent message on sustainability to customers, and the importance of communicating clear, unambiguous messages in an area where there can be a lack of clarity. On that point, Louella and Peter discuss the distinction between remanufactured and refurbished products and the markets where these are proving popular.Peter explains Canon’s Social Impact programme and how it generates positive impact on global communities, before sharing his views on key sustainability trends and influences for 2024. Learn about Canon’s remanufactured devices: https://www.canon-europe.com/business/products/office-printers/multifunction/colour/imagerunner-advance-c3530i-es/Read about Canon’s sustainability strategy: https://www.canon-europe.com/sustainability/View Quocirca’s Sustainability Leaders Executive Summary Report: https://print2025.com/reports/sustainability-leaders-2023/To find out about Quocirca Research and Insights please visit www.quocirca.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join Louella and HP’s Global Head of Security, Ian Pratt, as they discuss HP’s advances in endpoint security through threat containment and endpoint isolation.Ian explains how HP’s security strategy has evolved from a hardware/firmware focus to a holistic approach that secures OS, applications, user data, and content, providing the best security on the endpoint through HP Wolf Security.Threat containment is a key benefit of HP Wolf Security, using virtual machines to limit the ability of attackers to penetrate systems, providing protection without relying on detection. Ian underlines the importance of designing systems with resilience in mind to mitigate the impact of increasingly sophisticated, AI-powered cyber attacks and render them harmless, even if a user is duped into clicking a malicious link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike Puglia, General Manager of Security Products at Kaseya joins Louella to discuss the managed services opportunity for MPS providers in security.As many traditional MPS providers seek to transition to offer broader IT and security services, challenges can emerge across skills and expertise recruitment in a very competitive market. Mike and Louella discuss how the market has evolved and emerged through acquisitions, and sector culture change.They look at how automation can be used to manage customer support and optimise their use of resources and ability to scale. Mike details the security landscape for SMBs and how MSPs can help reduce, manage, and mitigate cyber risk with a multilayered approach that includes user education.Mike offers tips for MPS providers seeking to build and promote their capabilities in the security space and the steps of assessment, protection, and recovery that they need to offer customers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jason Cort from Sharp Europe and Gavin Rawson from Bitdefender join Louella to discuss security for SMBs and the partnership between Sharp and Bitdefender.With SMBs facing a fast-changing range of threats to their endpoints, and attackers using tools such as AI to make their campaigns more sophisticated, it’s not surprising that Sharp research shows 2 in 3 European businesses feel anxious about security and ill-equipped to handle a breach. Jason and Gavin explain how Bitdefender’s anti-malware SDK prevents Sharp devices from being compromised and protects SMBs from attacks.They explore the support channel partners need to offer multilayered security solutions and how Sharp is providing education for customers, channel partners and its own employees to keep them ahead of fast-moving threats.Gavin and Jason also share some essential cyber hygiene best practice tips for SMBs that are easily implemented and highly effective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike Scrutton, director of print technology and strategy at Adobe, joins Louella to discuss Adobe’s print technology innovations and how Adobe PDF – which is now officially an ISO Standard – has been key to its driverless printing model. In this fascinating and wide-ranging episode, Mike explains Adobe’s mission to make publishing accessible to all, and how security plays an important part in today’s hybrid, on-demand world.Mike and Louella also discuss the potential of AI to empower creativity and the importance of transparency, touching on how Adobe has incorporated AI into its tools, including its generative AI engine, Firefly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Louella and guests Mike Harris and John Villegas from Elatec discuss how to improve print security in highly flexible, hybrid work environments, and how the print channel can develop a stronger security sales proposition. With Quocirca research showing that print remains an important part of most organisations and 60% of data breaches relating to insecure printing practices, how can businesses ensure their printed data is protected, how can RFID technology solve print security challenges, and how can the channel zero in on security-led engagements? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Steve Pearce, Group Head of Marketing at Kyocera joins Louella to talk about the phenomenon of ‘greenhushing’ and why some companies lack the confidence to talk about their genuine environmental achievements.Steve underlines the importance of making customers, colleagues, prospects and future employees aware of the sustainability performance of the business, and how bringing channel partners on the journey is proving successful.Louella and Steve discuss the lack of transparency over the impact of digital documents and server use and why printed documents shouldn’t always be seen as the “bad guy”. They also explore the advantages of extending product life and support and the need for the industry to reject disposable technology.Steve concludes with a call for collaboration across the industry to share knowledge and best practices to advance sustainability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this edition of In the Spotlight with Quocirca Louella is joined by Joerg Hartmann, MD of Konica Minolta Germany and Austria, to discuss sustainability, security, AI, and other trends in the print industry.Konica Minolta is focused on a net-zero goal for 2050 through a mix of internal measures and technological advances. The company is seeing sustainability rise up the purchasing agenda and regulations such as CSRD influencing decisions.Joerg discusses how the industry needs to manage the transition from print volume-based revenues to broader managed IT services and the skills needed to support the shift. He discusses the need to raise the profile of security in the print infrastructure, and the position of MFPs in digitalisation projects.A look at how the industry, and Konica Minolta, is integrating AI into areas such as customer service, predictive maintenance, and his thoughts on trends for 2024 completes this whistle-stop catch-up with Joerg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this edition of In the Spotlight with Quocirca Louella is joined by James Masters, EMEA VP, LRS, to discuss the company’s products, strategy, focus on enterprise market and plans for 2024.James explains the company’s history in large enterprises, starting from mainframe-related products and progressing through back-end application-related output solutions and serverless solutions.He explores how the market for managed output solutions changed during the pandemic, with banking and finance seeing a reduction in print volumes and retail and logistics seeing increases. He also discusses the different types of large enterprise and their approach to the cloud transition, including the importance of customising solutions to meet specific requirements. In the wide-ranging discussion, other topics include security, sustainability, and the critical role barcode printing plays in a high number of industries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this edition of In the Spotlight with Quocirca Louella is joined by Radek Tetik, Chief Technology Officer, MyQ to discuss AI at MyQ and the company’s strategy for 2024.Radek discusses how advances in computing power have led to the democratisation of AI and how it is enhancing workflows for customers that still receive a lot of paper-based data. MyQ’s products have been using AI and machine learning from the start through its OCR systems and now they also integrate with solutions such as HP’s Scan AI service. MyQ also uses AI in customer support.Radek and Louella explore current trends in the print and scanning market and how MyQ products are evolving to support them. In particular, they focus on the reality of cloud transition and the need to support customers who are not yet ready for a wholesale lift and shift to the cloud.Radek’s shares his predictions for 2024 across digitisation, cloud, and security – including the increased rigour buyers are bringing to security due diligence when buying products and services – and the impact of AI on software development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this edition of In the Spotlight with Quocirca Louella is joined by Stephen Millier, Chief Digital Officer of Xerox to discuss the “Relevance of AI in the Hybrid Workplace.”AI has truly come of age in 2023, entering the public consciousness and sparking huge debate. But now that it is here, businesses face the challenge of working out its relevance and use cases for solving their specific pain points, driving high performance, and realising AI-related value. This wide-ranging discussion sheds light on how AI can transform today’s hybrid workplace, improve employee and customer experience, and how Xerox is applying AI across its business.Stephen shares his views on the future of AI-powered disruption, the importance of securing gen-AI data, and how to support users to adopt AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode Louella is joined by Nick Taylor, Channel Sales Manager, Epson UK&I; Richard Taylor, Managing Director XBM Ltd and Gary Smith, Divisional Head of Sales, DTP Group.The wide-ranging discussion covers the changing shape of the print market and importance of consultancy and experience in taking the customer relationship beyond like-for-like replacements and into the realm of a true business partnership.Sustainability is explored and the value of Epson’s new sustainability optimisation tool in helping partners build a conversation that makes sustainability performance tangible in financial terms. The panel also looks at how business inkjet devices are doing in the market and how customers perceive their performance and sustainability benefits.Gary and Richard share their frank views on what’s needed to rejuvenate the print industry and set it up to succeed in the future, while all three emphasise the importance of vendors being nimble, flexible and engaging on a personal level with channel partners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of In the Spotlight with Quocirca, we hear from Xavier Battinger and Harald List at Ricoh Europe. We discuss Ricoh's sustainability strategy, its Comet Circle approach to the circular economy and the Ricoh GreenLine remanufactured product line.To find out more visit www.ricoh-europe.com To learn more about Quocirca research and insights please visit www.quocirca.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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