When the term artificial intelligence is bandied about, it conjures images of free-moving robots taking the place of humans, summoning the need for actor Will Smith to save the day. OK, so maybe Hollywood has the penchant for embellishing reality, but AI and the Internet of Things are becoming increasingly prevalent in the lives of consumers (see Amazon Echo or Google Home). Not only that, but the future of workflow enhancements in the business environment also offers an endless array of tools designed to improve processes beyond mere voice commands.
Hiro Imamura, Canon Business Imaging Solutions Group
ENX Magazine sat down with Hiro Imamura, senior vice president and general manager of Canon U.S.A.’s Business Imaging Solutions Group, to clarify the role that artificial intelligence will play in the company’s Future of Work environment, detailing key partnerships in fostering integrated workflow technologies, as well as emphasizing the need for greater security tools. Imamura also examines the role millennials are playing in increasingly mobile-enabled technologies, along with Canon’s advisory role in helping end users and office technology dealerships map out their Future of Work game plan.
Tell us about your career path leading up to your current position at Canon BISG.
Imamura: I began my career in 1985 with Canon Inc. in Tokyo before joining Canon U.S.A. Inc. in 1992, working in a strategic planning management role in the Graphic Systems Division. After a brief return to Canon Inc. in 1997, I rejoined Canon U.S.A. in 2000, where I have held a variety of management positions within the Business Imaging Solutions Group over the past 17 years. In my current role as senior vice president and general manager of marketing for the Business Imaging Solutions Group of Canon U.S.A., I oversee all marketing activities for enterprise, desktop and production solutions, as well as strategic solutions, aftermarket products, and integrated marketing and marketing shared-services.
There has been much talk about the future of the office and the role that artificial intelligence will play in automating certain functions, alleviating employees to focus more on their core roles. What is Canon Business Imaging Solutions Group’s view of the movement toward AI?
Imamura: AI is at the nexus of global business growth. Investments in AI continue to pave new growth paths for global business. There is a fear that AI will detract from the human element in business – that the technology will replace people and their jobs. That is not the case. AI and the technological innovations that come from its capabilities will continue to make business processes easier, streamlining workflows so that employees can spend more time focusing on helping end users make smarter decisions faster. AI will also be crucial in helping to mine data and assess risks and opportunities.
Is there a need to strike a balance between people and technology in the approach OEMs and software solutions providers take in crafting future workplace automation tools?
Imamura: Yes. The biggest striking point will be improving how people interact with the new technology. Natural language processing and cognitive advances will make it possible for users to “command” their office tools to drive specific tasks. Eventually, through cognitive capabilities and AI, these tools will grow smarter and more efficient, helping drive proficiency and efficiency. In essence, we want our devices and equipment to learn the ways in which a particular user works in order to simplify the interaction over time and get the job done faster.
What tack is Canon BISG taking with its product and service offerings to address the needs of the Future of Work landscape?
Imamura: Integrating workflow technologies that can simplify communication and help to keep confidential information secure is a top priority for many businesses, including our own.
Canon’s recent partnership with Box and mxHero is an example in which the company augmented existing solutions to offer customers cloud-based capabilities that address security and accessibility – two hot button features of the office of the future.
Security, specifically, is a top priority for Canon, as evident through our uniFLOW platform and imageWARE Secure Audit Manager Express module. The uniFLOW platform is an end-to-end printing, scanning, and device management solution that can help improve the control and efficiency of the imageRUNNER ADVANCE and other compatible multifunctional printer devices. Its Secure Print functionality allows users to send sensitive documents to network printers from desktops and compatible mobile devices. When using this function, regardless of how users submit a print job, documents only print when the user is physically standing at the device and authenticates. Additionally, the imageWARE Secure Audit Manager Express module, available as an optional component within uniFLOW, is a network device security solution that delivers detailed oversight of an organization’s document-related activities on compatible devices. It can capture, archive and audit the activities and images that occur on Canon solutions, including compatible imageRUNNER ADVANCE devices, to ultimately enhance an organization’s document security.
With the millennial generation growing its influence within the office, how is Canon positioning itself to incorporate the growing need for mobile enhancements to access not only common office equipment such as copiers and MFPs, but also workflow systems?
Imamura: Canon is continuously improving its office solutions to answers the call for mobility and consumerization, and help optimize business processes for today’s workforce. There has been an increased demand for flexibility, customization, and convenience in the workplace, and providing a virtually seamless experience can be critical to helping achieve optimal productivity and results. For instance, we recently received and successfully executed a customer request to deliver our uniFLOW mobile printing app through enterprise mobility services company MobileIron’s MDM platform. Canon and NTware quickly and efficiently responded upon receiving the software development kit to build and deliver the mobile solution to meet the customer’s requirements. It is examples such as this that showcase how, as we further advance our offerings, we will continue to look to provide solutions that strike a balance between the unique needs of the modern workers and the larger business organization.
In an age of rampant data breaches, how is Canon approaching the continued need for security containment as the connectivity and networking of more and more devices grows?
Imamura: MFPs are the heart of an office. If they are not built with capabilities to help protect a business’ confidential information, the business is already at great risk. We help customers identify and combat potential pitfalls in the security chain by helping businesses build solutions portfolios that will provide multilayered security capabilities where they need it most.
Our solutions incorporate features such as user authentication, usage tracking, device fleet management tools, and centralized network security management settings into our connected devices. Canon was recently awarded with a BLI PaceSetter Award from Keypoint Intelligence, in the Document Imaging Security category, for the user authentication schemas in Canon’s latest imageRUNNER ADVANCE MFPs, as well as its uniFLOW platforms.
Talk a little about Canon’s role as an advisor and coach in laying out a technological blueprint for office technology dealerships and end users to follow as they embark on the future of work.
Imamura: Businesses today are looking for smart technology and less hassles. They want the most uptime possible out of their connected devices, because this ultimately bolsters employee efficiencies and productivity. Canon, therefore, is taking great initiative to embrace a preventative maintenance business model, developing a portfolio of solutions that are smart enough to detect when something is going wrong internally, before it even does.
Our service and support team works closely with our product engineers and developers to proactively provide our dealers and businesses with the technical guidance and support tools necessary to navigate the automated world, or the office of the future, with minimal constraints.
Back in March of this year, we introduced a new offering to our dealer channel to assist them in growing their solution participation rates by providing them access to Canon’s own top tier engineering resources during installation to learn best practices, gain confidence and contribute to the dealer’s professional services revenue opportunities.
What are your goals heading into 2018?
Imamura: Canon will continue to listen to its customers in order to bring to market innovative enterprise solutions that address the new demands of modern workflows. Employees seek seamless experiences in the workforce. And they can better accomplish that by working with office solutions that promote flexibility, productivity and convenience. Canon takes great care in designing and implementing enterprise workflow solutions, as well as expanding its relationships with like-minded and forward-thinking channel and alliance partners to help today’s offices stay on the pulse of innovation.
