MWA Intelligence Launches Cloud-Based SAP
July 23, 2013 — MWA Intelligence (MWAi), a SAP Gold Partner and provider of enterprise-class Machine to Machine (M2M) and Machine to People (M2P) solutions announced the availability of the Cloud based, on-demand version of SAP Business One.
SAP Business One Cloud is a software as a service (SaaS) platform providing all of the capabilities of SAP Business One. Dealers will gain the same time-tested benefits as the traditional, on-premise SAP Business One delivery option in a subscription based model, eliminating the need to manage IT. The new cloud based solution will empower imaging channel dealers by streamlining operations and increasing business insight with a complete, integrated, on-demand solution, according to an MWA press release. The solution will reportedly reduce IT costs by avoiding a capital investment required in on-premise implementations and it will minimize ongoing IT overhead by decreasing the need for experienced IT staff to manage and support hardware and software.
“More and more companies are looking to cloud technology to streamline their businesses and reduce costs,” says Michael T. Stramaglio, president and CEO of MWA Intelligence. “The new SAP Business One Cloud solution offers dealers all of the great functionality of the premise based version, without the cost of IT overhead.”
MWA Intelligence is responding to a growing need among office technology and imaging channel businesses struggling to gain and maintain competitive operating advantages with disparate, non-integrated business management systems. The MWAi Services Platform enabled by SAP Business One offers a complete, affordable integrated solution that will allow dealers to have instant visibility into all of their business intelligence, across multiple businesses or locations and completely eliminates the need for multiple, unrelated business systems.
Office Business Systems Sells Toshiba Telephone Division to Entel Systems
July 24, 2013 – Prosperity Plus Management Consulting, Inc. has announced that Entel Systems, Inc. has acquired the Toshiba telephone division of Office Business Systems (OBS). Prosperity Plus represented OBS throughout the transaction. Located in Lincoln Park, NJ, OBS is a Toshiba telephone dealership that also provides a full line of voice recording, video and network technology. Entel Systems is based in Pompton Plains, NJ with additional offices in Paramus.
Doug Smith, the president of OBS, was quoted as saying that “the sale of the Toshiba telephone division is a real win-win for all concerned. OBS will now focus completely on our voice recording, video and network divisions. Our Toshiba telephone customers will be well cared for and will have access to an expanded suite of products offered by Entel Systems.”
Specific details of the transaction are confidential and have not been released. For more information please contact Jim Kahrs at Prosperity Plus Management Consulting, Inc., (631) 382-7762 or jkahrs@prosperityplus.com.
EverBank Adds Steven Mosley to Office Products Team
July 24, 2013 – EverBank Commercial Finance, Inc. has announced Steven Mosley as the most recent addition to the firm’s growing Office Products team. Mosley joins EverBank Commercial Finance as a relationship manager, serving the company’s Carolinas region. He will be based in Greenville, N.C. and will report directly to Jeff Stellinga, EverBank Commercial Finance’s Eastern Sales Manager.
For the past five years Mosley served as a major account executive for Copypro, Inc., a large independent dealer in the Greenville, N.C. area. Mosley was the top producing rep for his company in both revenue and profit, achieving more than 30 percent year-over-year growth within his region from 2008 through his tenure at the company.
Mosley began his career in the automotive finance sector, where he most recently worked as regional sales manager for HSBC Auto Finance. Mosley also worked as an area sales manager for Capital One Auto Finance and senior dealer credit manager for Wachovia Bank.
Konica Minolta bizhub C754e/C654e Series Delivers Fast, Intuitive Workflow
July 23, 2013 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. has launched of the bizhub C754e/C654e Series of color MFPs. Delivering high-speed, high-quality color output, the newest bizhub models also feature enhanced functionality via Konica Minolta’s INFO-Palette design control panel for a more intuitive, efficient workflow, according to a company news release.
Ideal for a wide range of environments including healthcare, education and legal applications with specific workflow demands, the bizhub C754e/C654e series offers output speeds of up to 75 ppm, built-in print control, standard dual scanning and professional security protection via Konica Minolta bizhub SECURE. Pro-quality inline finishing options allow for on-demand printing of specialized documents, including presentations, case files, course content, health information and direct-mail marketing materials. The bizhub C754e/C654e series of color MFPs also incorporates the latest evolution of Konica Minolta’s INFO-Palette design with enhancements including: improved swiping; drag and drop; tap and toggle; pinch in and pinch out; as well as image rotation operations.
Toshiba’s New e-Studio Series Offers Vibrant Color and Fast Speeds in a Compact Design
July 23, 2013 —Toshiba America Business Solutions (http://business.toshiba.com) has introduced its e-STUDIO2555C/3055C/3555C/4555C/5055C series of MFPs. The new e-STUDIO products output at up to 50 pages-per-minute. Toshiba’s latest printing device additionally offers users the flexibility to print in high volume black and white.
As a result of its compact design – it features one of the smallest footprints in its class –and premium image quality, the latest addition to Toshiba’s e-STUDIO products meet the diverse printing and copying needs for any size business, according to a Toshiba news release. The new Series also features quieter drive and fan motors.
Through Toshiba’s next generation e-BRIDGE controller with its open platform technology, users can manage, capture, and deliver documents at the swipe of a hand – via a tiltable nine-inch control panel – while also offering all of the benefits associated with cloud and mobile printing.
The e-STUDIO5055C series incorporates a suite of elite security features. A Self-Encrypting Drive featuring the company’s Wipe Technology, allow the MFPs to comply with the highest security protocol available. If an e-STUDIO hard disk drive is removed and installed into another MFP, all of its data automatically erases. Additional security features within the company’s newest models include secure PDF with 128-bit AES encryption, IP/Mac address filtering, Role Based Access Control and SNMPv3 protocol.
To improve color reproduction while minimizing energy costs, the e-STUDIO5055C line integrates the company’s new low-temperature fusing toner. For greater energy savings, Toshiba Encompass Analysis provides users with a comprehensive understanding of their print-related eco footprint while providing solutions to help them reduce environmental impact.
2013 MPSA Leadership Awards Winners Announced
July 22, 2013 – The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) has announced the winners of its 2013 MPSA Leadership Awards. The MPSA Leadership Awards were established in 2010 to honor those companies that have excelled in various areas related to managed print. Winners serve as shining examples to the community of their commitment to and expertise in managed print services (MPS).
Awards submissions were vetted and scored by an esteemed judging panel of nine industry leaders chosen from the call to membership, led by a member of the MPSA Standards Committee who ensured impartiality and adherence to guidelines. The company scoring highest in each category was deemed winner of the respective award.
“This is far and away the best run, most contested MPSA Leadership Awards, ever. It’s a credit to the MPSA membership and our evolving industry on a global scale,” said Greg Walters, MPSA president. “If one wishes to see the future of MPS, just look at the list of winners.”
The 2013 MPSA Leadership Awards winners are:
- Best MPS Innovation: Print Audit, printaudit.com
- Direct Managed Print Services Plus Provider: Ricoh, ricoh-usa.com
- Independent Managed Print Services Provider: Flo-Tech, flotech.net
- Independent Managed Print Services Plus Provider: Xtandit, xtandit.nl
- Managed Print Services Infrastructure Provider: Supplies Network, suppliesnetwork.com
- Professional Services Provider: Photizo Group, photizogroup.com
- Software Provider: Office Document Consulting, officedocumentconsulting.com
- Regional Managed Print Services Provider: Xtandit, xtandit.nl
Winners will be officially recognized and awarded crystals at the MPSA Leadership Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at CompTIA’s ChannelCon event at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Fla.
Revamped Print4Pay Hotel Website Provides Members with Added Features and Value
June 18, 2013 – Art Post, founder and proprietor of The Print4Pay Hotel www.p4photel.com, has announced the rollout of the new and improved Print4Pay Hotel Website. The original Website, which was designed by copier and MFP professionals for exchanging information among colleagues in the imaging industry and storing industry knowledge and information, has been enhanced with additional features and functionality with the look and feel of a social networking site.
The new Print4Pay Hotel site still offers the popular Forums that have been so critical to members for exchanging ideas and best practices, but now provides members an opportunity to have their own “wall” where they can upload videos and audio, post photos, post on each other’s walls, and send private messages to one another.
“It’s now more of a social site and is a hybrid between Facebook and LinkedIn for users in the imaging industry,” says Post. “I wanted to develop a unique user experience for imaging professionals in our industry.”
A new feature is “Grind My Gears,” a 15-30-second audio clip where once every two weeks Post will rant and rave in an audio file about something in the industry.
As with the original Website the revamped site will include weekly blogs, which are now available in a printable format. In addition, the site now features videos about hardware and solutions, and starting in 2014, the site will feature training videos for new salespeople.
Another new feature allows the user to elect to receive either an immediate verification whenever anybody posts a comment or replies to a post or just a notification when they log onto the site. The site also includes clip sets of images related to the imaging industry along with sales documents, photos, videos, audio files, and printable blogs as well as quotes or proposals shared by members. Members can also track street pricing, including information on what a machine was sold for or leased for, and the current cost per page on the maintenance agreement.
The Print4Pay Hotel currently has more than 2,300 members. To become a member visit: http://www.p4photel.com/join
Print Audit Releases Significant Update for Print Audit Secure
July 15, 2013 – Print Audit, the print management company, has released a significant update for its secure release and pull-printing solution, Print Audit Secure. Print Audit Secure 1.2 features compatibility with Windows 8, as well as several user interface and administrative enhancements. Print Audit Secure is a print management service which helps organizations eliminate stacks of unclaimed print jobs and increase their document security, without any modifications to their print environment. The program allows users to release their print jobs at any networked printer with their smartphone or a Web-enabled device. Secure and the latest update are available immediately to Print Audit Premier members worldwide. The administrative improvements in Print Audit Secure 1.2 include enhanced options for expiring print jobs as well as support for alphanumeric Printer ID’s of up to 50 characters in length. The interface changes include the ability for users to register themselves as a new user via a swipe card at the device.
Secure 1.2 also contains several other new features, including the ability to run the Secure Client on Windows 8. Visit the following link to upgrade to Print Audit Secure 1.2 or to learn more about what is new in this release: http://www.printaudit.com/software-updates.asp?id=12
DocuWare 6 Named Outstanding Document Management Solution
July 16, 2013 – DocuWare has been selected as having the outstanding document management solution by Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI) winning their Summer 2013 “Pick” Award in that category.
This award acknowledged DocuWare 6 as the top-performing document management solution. Testing on all 3 platforms of Version 6 demonstrated a very complete set of features including a new cloud-based service with highly automated capture and search capabilities.
Copier Careers Publishes 2013 Sales Manager Salary Survey Results
July 16, 2013 – Copier Careers , a Minneapolis-based retained recruiting firm serving the Document Imaging Industry for over 25 years, just published their eleventh Annual Sales Management Salary Survey. Since 2002, Copier Careers has published an annual survey for service techs, sales managers, and service managers. The surveys track a wide variety of data which summarizes how well copier professionals are compensated, how happy they are in their current positions, and how well their employers are meeting their needs. This year’s survey reflects the responses of 1,033 copier sales managers who work for independent dealerships, regional dealerships, national sales & service organizations, and OEMs. Highlights include:
- Average total compensation for sales managers is up 5 percent since last year, with increases in both base pay and commissions.
- As sales managers have begun to realize the full depth and breadth of solutions, many have adopted a greater interest in cutting-edge technology; some have even left the industry to pursue careers with other types of IT service providers.
- For sales managers who have failed to come to terms with new technology, recruiting quality sales staff has become increasingly difficult — young reps know how much money they can make selling professional services and are reluctant to work for dealerships that don.t support a wide variety of solutions.
Visit http://www.copiercareers.com/salary_survey/2013_sales_mgr_salary_survey.pdf for the entire 10 page salary survey.
OverstockPartsNetwork.com Frees Up Cash for Dealerships
July 15th, 2013 – The newly formed OverstockPartsNetwork.com (OPN) announced June 1st, 2013 has hit the ground running, according to a news release from BEI Services. In 45 days the increased membership has led to the acquisition thousands of parts accounting for nearly $80,000 worth of inventory from dealerships nationwide. “The overwhelming success of the program required us to increase our warehouse space an additional 20% percent to stage the incoming parts until we could validate and record them into our ecommerce system.” says Scott Morgan, president of Recycled Parts. Formed by collaboration between BEI Services, Inc. and RecycledParts.US, the OPN has proved to be the answer to the question plaguing office equipment dealerships today, “how do we better manage parts obsolescence?”
Participation in OPN allows dealers to sell obsolete parts inventory to the network, while allowing dealers still actively using those parts to purchase them at significantly discounted prices. “Benefits to becoming a member are threefold,” says Stacey Romak, customer care specialist at BEI Services. “Members are getting cash for parts that will most likely never be used, saving cash on new parts purchases, and are also given access to Advanced Inventory Management (AIM) reporting helping them increase profits through improved inventory management.”
AIM provides a number of beneficial reporting tools to help identify inventory that is becoming, or has become obsolete, compare part yields against national averages and better understand under stocked items saving dealerships thousands of dollars in shipping. Other essential reports are also available to help dealers reduce part cost and improve service performance.
Participation in the OPN and access to AIM is free of charge. The majority of the industry’s ERP systems (OMD, LMS, eAutomate, MacTracks) currently provide the extract files required to join the network. If you do not use an ERP system, BEI Services also offers a Service Reporting Software (SRS) solution free of charge to collect the parts and service history information needed for participation in the network.
To join today contact BEI Services at (307) 587-8446 or e-mail sales@beiservices.com
Ricoh Makes Strategic Investment in Avanti Computer Systems Limited
July 11, 2013– Ricoh Company, Ltd. has announced that it has made a multimillion dollar investment in Avanti Computer Systems Limited, a provider of Print Management Information Systems (MIS) solutions for the print industry. Avanti provides Print MIS software that helps commercial and in-plant printers streamline their workflow, resulting in greater productivity, customer satisfaction, and improved profit margins.
With hundreds of installations throughout the commercial print and in-plant marketplace, Avanti will now be able to bring its MIS tools, including job costing, tracking and billing, scheduling, CRM, inventory management, warehouse and direct mail management, to an even broader global market. Avanti’s core technologies are uniquely positioned to complement Ricoh’s offerings with advanced solutions for mixed environments with wide format, digital cut sheet, continuous forms, offset, and fulfillment and kitting operations. Ricoh is committed to providing printers with alternative solutions that support open industry standards and connections to key production print technologies across vendors.
This is the most recent investment by Ricoh to expand its reach across the print industry in an effort to ensure customers have access to the critical information they need, when they need it. Ricoh previously invested in PTI Marketing Technologies, a leading provider of marketing automation solutions for both enterprise users and print service providers. Ricoh is continuing to make these investments to further enhance the development of new management tools to help enterprises and commercial printers on their continued path toward efficiency and growth.
Print Audit Continues to Improve its Local Tracking with Facilities Manager
July 9, 2013 – Print Audit has improved its local tracking in Facilities Manager with the ability to track detailed information from locally connected HP devices. HP’s free SNMP Proxy Agent enables the Print Audit Information Collection Engine (ICE) to gather details such as remaining toner levels, page counts and the device status from PC-connected HP devices and upload the information into Facilities Manager.
Print Audit Facilities Manager is a managed print services tool designed to remotely collect meter reads, automate supplies fulfillment, and report service information for managing fleets of printers, copiers, fax machines and multi-function devices. The product is currently used by over 900 dealers worldwide and boasts a 40 percent market share in the United States, according to Print Audit. The HP SNMP Proxy Agent is a client-based software tool created by HP that allows device monitoring systems to discover and manage devices that are not connected directly to the network. The Proxy Agent is able to poll PC-connected devices for the same type of information that is requested from network-connected devices by the Print Audit ICE. When the Proxy Agent is used in conjunction with Facilities Manager, MPS providers can now gather significantly more detail from local devices than what has been possible in the past.
For more information about using the HP Proxy Agent with Print Audit Facilities Manager, contact: http://www.printaudit.com/contact.asp
For more information about Print Audit Facilities Manager, visit:
http://www.printaudit.com/facilities-manager.asp
Samsung Announces Technology Partnership with Perceptive Software
July 9, 2013 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc. has announced a technology partnership with Perceptive Software, creator of process and content management products and solutions. With Perceptive Software, Samsung is now able to equip its multifunction printer customers with secure access to content using Perceptive Software’s enterprise content management software, Perceptive Content. Samsung MFP customers in a number of industries will now be able to easily manage the entire lifecycle of their documents and information, and even gain access from mobile devices. Samsung developed a connector that allows users to integrate Perceptive Content directly into their MFPs through Samsung’s eXtensible Open Architecutre (XOA) platform. A great fit for higher education, healthcare and retail audiences, users are able to put documents in workflows to allow people to work and access from their mobile phones and PCs.
Supplies Network Now Offers West Point Products
July 10, 2013 – Supplies Network has announced the addition of West Point Products to its product lineup. This premium replacement cartridge line offers a broad selection of supplies for most major brands, including Brother, Canon, Dell, HP, Lexmark, Panasonic, Samsung and Xerox.
West Point Products recently introduced a new standard in color quality and performance with its ColorLogic Technology. Using next-generation technology, high-quality chemical toners and components as well as proprietary robotics and automation, West Point Products provides an advanced and true alternative to the OEM, according to a Supplies Network press announcement. Plus partnering with Supplies Network provides an extensive network to help the dealer promote and market the product.
Dealers have the opportunity to deliver this product line via Supplies Network national distribution centers within 1-2 days and receive same-day shipping, order aggregation, end-user shipping confirmations and drop-ship capabilities featuring the reseller’s brand. In addition, this product line can be custom branded for the reseller partner via Supplies Networks Private Label Program featuring the reseller’s brand, marketing tag lines and contact information.
Kyocera Teaching Assistant Update Brings Educators Enhanced Benefits
July 10, 2013 – KYOCERA Document Solutions America has announced an upgrade to Kyocera Teaching Assistant, a business application designed to streamline classroom workflow, reduce teacher workloads, and boost student achievement.
A device-based application, Teaching Assistant enables teachers to automatically print, scan, grade and analyze student’s test scores right from a Kyocera MFP. The new version of the application integrates fully with Microsoft Excel 2010 or later and allows users to modify grading, add extra credit grades, and even add in essay question grades in addition to the bubble-sheet forms. It also prints test sheets with student names pre-populated, and outputs comprehensive analytics as a printed file or PDF—or CSV for import into MS Excel.
Teaching Assistant is a HyPAS application. As such, it is compatible with most Kyocera TASKalfa and ECOSYS MFPs. It is available through authorized Kyocera dealers at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $899.
TGI Office Automation Opens Second State-of-the-Art Distribution Center
July 15, 2013 – TGI Office Automation, one of the nation’s leading technology providers, has announced that it will be opening a new distribution facility in West Caldwell, New Jersey to better serve their customers nationwide. Enlarging the firm’s footprint to 7 offices will provide quicker product delivery to its customers. The 20,000 square foot facility is scheduled to begin operation on July 15, 2013. The new location will serve as a warehouse and sales center with a state-of-the art technology showroom showcasing TGI’s latest business solutions.
“The new facility is an investment that will improve the cusomter experience,” says Frank Grasso, TGI’s CEO. “This additional distribution center enhances TGI’s customer-centric focus of providing rapid response and quality service to keep our customers operating efficiently.”
TGI will deploy a state-of-the-art racking and picking system designed to streamline line order fulfillment, improve part distribution to their field service organization, and enable TGI to fully leverage distribution capacity all resulting in more timely deliveries to their customers.
Acsellerate Releases Series of Enhancements to CRM
July 10, 2013 – ECi Software Solutions (www.ECiSolutions.com), a provider of industry-specific information technology solutions, has announced a series of enhancements to ECi Acsellerate’s CRM application. Over the last year, Acsellerate has introduced a spectrum of key functionality that helps independent businesses manage their customer relationships and prospect pipeline.
Acsellerate’s latest features include the introduction of its mobile CRM Web application, and automatic email association from Outlook and other mail clients. These enhancements reportedly help users save time as they document customer interactions, whether in the office or in the field. The most recent release of Team Task Assignment allows business executives and managers to create strategic tasks for their sales team, closing the loop on marketing campaigns and other strategic business initiatives.
The Acsellerate team worked with key accounts and groups of beta dealers, listening carefully to ensure they were focused on the most important items. Over the past year, more than 15 new features were released for CRM alone, significantly streamlining and transforming the capability of the application while adding important new capabilities that support customers’ mission critical priorities.
Bay Copy Honors 34-Year Employee Ron Cichowski on His Retirement
July 10, 2013 – Longevity is something not in short supply at Bay Copy (www.baycopy.com), which celebrated its 41ST anniversary this year. Recently, the company also honored 34-year employee Ron Cichowski, their technical director, who retired in June after 34 years of service to the company.
Bay Copy CEO Ray Belanger, in honoring his veteran employee’s many accomplishments, quipped, “Ron’s been here longer than I have!” Cichowski, a Carver resident, first joined Bay Copy in December of 1979 as a copier technician, armed with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. Through the years, he advanced through different positions in the company to senior technician, service manager, and finally director of technical services.
Throughout his career (he is self-described as a lifelong student of technology), he has also had a few other positions in addition to Bay Copy. He is a Class A Master Mechanic, and also has some background in the manufacturing of pottery; he ran his own retail store in Provincetown.
His hobbies are even more diverse than his adaptation to the world of technology. Interests include photography and bicycle racing (he is an endurance bicycle racer who has designed and built a recumbent bicycle), fishing, and an all-around outdoor enthusiast.
Bay Copy honored Cichowski at a luncheon at their facility. Visitors included State Representative Rhonda Nyman, who presented Ron with several official commendations from the Legislature, from her office as well as from Representative Susan Giffords, commending him on his years of service.
ITsavvy Partners with Toshiba America Business Solutions
July 10, 2013 – In a strategic move to better serve its customers, ITsavvy has joined forces with Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS) and signed on as an independent dealer of TABS’ entire array of e-STUDIO multifunction products (MFPs) and thermal barcode printers. Featured on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 list the last four years, ITsavvy is one of the fastest growing distributors of technology hardware in the U.S. and exemplifies the high caliber company Toshiba seeks when considering a new dealer relationship.
“ITsavvy is a clear leader in serving the small-to-medium-sized business (SMB) market throughout Illinois, which speaks to the company’s commitment to technical and customer service and support,” said Larry White, vice president, sales, TABS. “Toshiba’s independent dealer network is a very important element of our company’s success, and as such, we choose only to partner with the best each market has to offer.”
By offering TABS’s full line of A3 and A4 MFPs, ITsavvy now offers color and monochrome products to meet the diverse document management needs for SMBs.This business segment should welcome the vibrant print quality and leading security features available within TABS’ award-winning array of e-STUDIO products. The adoption of Toshiba’s Self-Encrypting Drive throughout its line of MFPs will help ease information security concerns of ITsavvy customers. Featuring Toshiba’s unique Wipe Technology, e-STUDIO products provide an elite level of data protection.
To best address its current and future manufacturing, logistic and retail clients, ITsavvy also offers TABS’ full array of thermal barcode printers. These products blend broad web connectivity, superior print speeds and long battery life within a rugged industrial design for premium asset tracking.
Toshiba America Business Solutions Names New President
July 1, 2013 — Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS) (http://business.toshiba.com) has appointed Scott Maccabe as its new president and chief executive officer replacing interim president and CEO, Noboru Sawada. Maccabe has held a variety of senior sales and general management positions during his 37-year career in the IT industry, including roles at Quantum, Vangard, Fujitsu Computer Products, and StorageTek. Most recently, Maccabe served as senior vice president at Toshiba America Electronic Components and general manager of its storage products business unit where he oversaw the organization’s performance and led its expansion into new geographies and business segments.
In a separate move, Bob Greenhalgh has been named senior vice president of TABS and president of Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS) – the company’s network of wholly owned subsidiaries. Greenhalgh began his technology career at Xerox, and held several senior leadership positions with Apple Computer and Danka Industries before founding his own successful office equipment business. He joined the Toshiba team in 2001 when his company was purchased by Toshiba, most recently serving as TBS regional president, where he oversaw the growth and development of TBS’ largest region.
Ricoh Builds New TotalFlow DocEnhancer Verification Feature
July 1, 2013 – Ricoh Production Print Solutions has announced that it has further expanded its critical communications suite of solutions, empowering printers of all sizes with easy-to-use, cost-effective tools and solutions that verify that each piece was printed and track that each piece was confirmed with limited manual effort. The newest enhancement to RICOHTotalFlow DocEnhancer is the Verification Feature. This feature enables customers to very simply add a unique barcode to documents that identifies each piece within a PDF file, and then integrates with scan or camera technology to track and report that each piece was properly produced – adding a level of integrity, which is particularly necessary when government regulations or privacy issues require perfect output.
TotalFlow DocEnhancer is an Adobe Acrobat plug-in that enables customers to edit print-ready PDF files instantly directly on the shop floor. Now with the Verification Feature, printers can scan the barcode at any point during the production process to track progress, create a visual report showing the percent of job completion, reconcile pieces that are missing, and initiate a reprint job.
Other new features that have been added to TotalFlow DocEnhancer PDF plug-in include:
· Rules Manager: offers enhanced conditional logic by allowing customers to easily build and edit complex statements. The rules can be applied to or extracted from the original PDF, allowing for greater flexibility with the data
· Expanded font support: gives the ability to add text to PDF documents, utilizing any fonts installed on the operating system. TotalFlow DocEnhancer will embed the appropriate fonts in the enhanced PDF, maintaining portability of the document across systems and through the entire production process
· Easy-to-use interface: gives users access to a drop-down menu of Adobe Acrobat Pro adding a new level of simplicity
With TotalFlow DocEnhancer, changes that previously took longer periods of time can be handled immediately, including:
· Set up page groups that mark the individual mailings within a single PDF file, edit the first group and apply edits across all groups
· Nudge an address block so it lines up with the envelope window
· Add Optical Mark Readers (OMR) marks, barcodes or Quick Response (QR) Codes
· Hide data or images
· Add text or images using conditional logic, so additions are placed only on the appropriate pages
· Update signatures on notification letters
TotalFlow DocEnhancer is a component of Ricoh’s Critical Communications suite of solutions. The suite allows customers to automate document communications, simplify regulatory compliance and security, optimize distribution and mailing processes and utilize multi-channel delivery. More specifically, the Critical Communications suite of solutions delivers the ability to offer Automated Document Factory (ADF) capabilities to PDF files, support native PDFs without the need for transforms, improves the management of PDF files in mixed environments and much more.
Click here to watch a video tutorial on how to use TotalFlow DocEnhancer.
Find more information about Ricoh’s critical communications suite of solutions here: http://www.infoprint.com/internet/ipww.nsf/vwWebPublished/solos_commercial-print-critical-communications_en
Toshiba Announces New Helping the Helpers Winner
July 1, 2013 — On Friday June 28, Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (http://business.toshiba.com) delivered $31,000 worth of its latest technology equipment and services to Honolulu nonprofit, Habilitat for winning its Helping the Helpers Technology Makeover contest. To acknowledge the nonprofit winning Toshiba’s contest while commending the positive impact of Habilitat and other worthy organizations in the Aloha State, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie is today proclaiming Helping the Helpers Day. Founded in 1971, Habilitat is one of the nation’s foremost residential substance abuse treatment programs.
To help celebrate the nonprofit’s technology windfall while recognizing its great work, U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Hawaii State Representative Jessica Wooley and Toshiba executive, Greg Valen joined Habilitat’s staff for an 11 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time ribbon-cutting at the nonprofit’s headquarters. Congresswoman Gabbard and Rep. Wooley also presented the organization with congratulatory certificates at the event.
The nonprofit receives a prize package of Toshiba products and services including a new e-STUDIO3040c multifunction product, all-in-one desktop computer, Protégé laptop, LED HDTV, CAMILEO camcorder, Excite tablet, memory cards and even energy-saving LED light bulbs to help them reduce costs, streamline operations, and conserve resources.
Square 9 Unveils Hire to Retire Human Resources Solution
June 25, 2013 – Square 9 Softworks has announced the release of Hire to Retire, a new Web- enabled solution designed to streamline document centric human resource processes. Hire to Retire has a distinct purpose as an end-to-end solution specifically designed to enhance human resource management from the initial onboarding phase and throughout the employee’s career.
With the introduction of an interactive Web form interface, organizations not only eliminate paper, they also benefit from the re-purposing of captured data, according to a Square 9 press release. Hire to Retire reportedly significantly improves all human resource activities, including document creation, storage and retrieval while overseeing retention policies, and adherence to federal and state compliance requirements.
As a potential employee moves through the hiring process, Hire to Retire allows pertinent information to be captured off a Web-based employee demographic form. Data elements are then repopulated into required onboarding forms such as I-9 and state and federal W4s, avoiding repetitive data entry. The flexible workflow of Hire to Retire manages future activities like interview scheduling, while providing notification of post-hire activities including periodic reviews, benefits activation, and credentialing.
As a touch-friendly mobile solution, Hire to Retire fully supports the application of signatures through a mouse or touchpad enabled device. The use of electronic signatures enables employees to digitally execute government-required forms without the need for printing or scanning. As the Web forms are finalized, Hire to Retire automatically creates and files a PDF version including any digital signatures in adherence to government required compliance regulations.
To see Hire to Retire in action, a three-minute video is provided at www.square-9.com/hire-to-retire.
