Editorials

Going Green Means Saving Money

Going green is a term that is being used quite a bit this day and age to describe a way of life for individuals and businesses that have become more conscious of the carbon footprint that we leave behind. As the science behind the movement becomes further solidified, more and more businesses are standing behind this trend not only to create a sustainable future, but also to cut costs in areas that were once overlooked. Business owners and employees will be surprised to learn that the techniques used to promote a green lifestyle also promote cutting costs and saving money.

In the past, creating a sustainable future was quite unheard of. Now that we have realized that our actions have a profound effect on future generations, we are becoming more careful than ever in how we conduct business and how we operate at the office. We have listed some easy ways that you can practice a green lifestyle at the office and cut costs while doing so.

Toshiba Launches Dedicated Services Organization

By George Mikolay, Senior Product Editor, A3/Copier MFPs, October 10, 2012

Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) recently announced the expansion of its core business with the launch of Toshiba Managed Business Services (TMBS) unit. The new organization, which will be self-sufficient, will look to strengthen the company’s present business services offerings in managed print services (MPS), managed document solutions (MDS), document security, workflow/capture and barcode printing systems. In addition, TMBS will look to establish a Toshiba U.S. market presence in the retail kiosks and digital signage business. Its primary focus will be on the financial, healthcare, education and retail markets.

The new organization, while having its own staff and operating separately from existing business units and channels, will also leverage existing strengths at TABS, according to Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions, TABS, and general manager of TMBS. TMBS will be housed at TABS’ new headquarters in Irvine, Calif., and co-located at TABS facilities throughout the country. The unit will leverage the existing Toshiba dealer network for break/fix operation, as well as Toshiba infrastructure for dispatch and billing operations.

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Konica Minolta’s Bizhub Series Recognised with Prestigious Award

With another brilliant display of melding beauty and functionality, Konica Minolta has won the coveted “The Good Design Award 2012”, which is organised by Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP). This honour was awarded to seven distinct models of colour multifunction printers that Konica Minolta offers the market. The award comes as no surprise, as Konica Minolta has always been well known as a steward of great design concepts that also perform very well in the field.

Specifically, Konica Minolta’s colour multifunction printer bizhub series was highly evaluated for the user interface of the device. This interface allows users to operate seamlessly and consistently among various devices making it outstanding in terms of both functionality and design. Paving the way for the future, Konica Minolta’s devices have always been staples of innovation and end-user compatibility.

The Pursuit of the Paperless Office

It is estimated that less than 20% of all records that have traditionally been paper-based have been converted to electronic formats. For example, according to AdvancedMD.com, only 10% - 15% of medical records are handled electronically. This statistic is especially interesting since the term “paperless office” was coined over 30 years ago with the development of the personal computer. In today’s terms, we call the “paperless office” document imaging.

There are many things that are preventing us from making the shift to a paperless office. Some of the reasons you may find in your organization can be as simple as your employees’ resistance to change or not having faith that technology will keep your documents safe and secure. Whatever your reason for resisting the move to a paperless environment may be, the bottom line is that it requires change to see the paperless office as a reality. Document imaging requires a fundamental shift in the way we do business.

Consolidate Your Office Devices Today

Consolidating the devices that you currently operate in your printer fleet is always a means of making your office more efficient and more affordable in the long run. Instead of walking into a crowded printer room full of outdated equipment, why not invest in a long-term strategy designed to promote cost savings and low-maintenance costs? It is becoming increasingly popular to rid the office of the “one machine for one job” mentality and switch to a multifunction system that promotes all the staples of office work into one functioning machine.

In short, printer and device consolidation aims to reduce and optimise the number of devices in an office’s printer fleet to decrease the cost of hardware, consumable products (paper, ink, toner, etc.), electricity, and overall maintenance. Even though this type of implementation may seem like a no-brainer, many businesses are still reluctant to the idea of consolidating their devices for easy and efficient use. What some businesses aren’t aware of is how small of an investment the switch actually is and how many benefits arise from making the switch to a multifunction system.

New Innovations from Canon Are Sure to Impress

Canon announced on September 17 that it is unveiling its newest product and adding to their already impressive digital imaging solutions line. The products are known as the PIXMA-PRO -10 and the PIXMA-PRO-100 and will be upgraded additions to the already well- established PIXMA-PRO-1. They are built with the same quality of design and output as the existing PIXMA-PRO-1, however, the new editions offer black and white printing like no one has ever seen. Canon has also improved the end-user compatibility of the workflow software and will be available with wireless capability and faster printing speeds.

So what does this all mean for the end-user? For one, it means that Canon is continuing to deliver quality products with innovation that is found nowhere else in the industry. It also means that they have an added feature referred to as PRO mode. This mode allows the device to map color gamut for unrivaled performance and balance of color. The color-printing mode has also been said to be able to make slight adjustments to the finished product that takes into consideration the characteristics of human perception. With these kinds of additions, many businesses will find it hard to resist upgrading to the new versions.

Cloud Computing on the Rise

There has been a lot of talk over the last few years about cloud computing. A system that integrates all of a company’s documents and files into an easy-to-use file sharing system that is remotely based rather than in a physical server, cloud computing is the next wave of technology to hit the data management industry.

The electronic storage of information on the Internet isn’t anything new. Companies that offer to store information in large online databases have been around for a few years now, boasting the safety of online storage vs. storing things physically. Their main selling point has always been the “peace of mind” approach (similar to insurance) in letting their customers know that their important information is protected against force majeure or other catastrophes.

Major Printing Trends Coming your Way

Companies are always looking for ways to cut costs and breed efficiency in the office. Sometimes an internal audit of systems and how things are managed can offer valuable information and insight on how things can be improved. It is becoming an important trend to alleviate expense in unnecessary areas, especially in an age of digital solutions and services.

One area that companies may be taking a look at first is how they are handling their inter-office printing strategies. Firms realize that there is a ton of money to be saved by just cutting down on the amount of printing that is done in the office. The major trends seem to point to more of an electronic data filing and storing method that eliminates the need of superfluous printing.

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Going Green Means Saving Money

Going green is a term that is being used quite a bit this day and age to describe a way of life for individuals and businesses that have become more conscious of the carbon footprint that we leave behind. As the science behind the movement becomes further solidified, more and more businesses are standing behind this trend not only to create a sustainable future, but also to cut costs in areas that were once overlooked. Business owners and employees will be surprised to learn that the techniques used to promote a green lifestyle also promote cutting costs and saving money.

In the past, creating a sustainable future was quite unheard of. Now that we have realised that our actions have a profound effect on future generations, we are becoming more careful than ever in how we conduct business and how we operate at the office. We have listed some easy ways that you can practice a green lifestyle at the office and cut costs while doing so.

What Next After Implementation? Challenges for the Informatics Communities

by William Hersch, MD
The Healthcare Blog

I had the opportunity recently to attend this year’s Healthcare Forum, put on by Xerox’s the Breakaway Group, an organization whose mission is to improve healthcare through optimization of the electronic health record (EHR). The forum brought together about 100 leaders from healthcare delivery organizations, academia, and industry. We had the great opportunity to take a break from our daily grind to step back and take a look at the big picture. Clearly much progress has been made, but there is still so much more to do to improve healthcare and its use of information technology.

In my reflection of the event, I had the opportunity to gather some thoughts on what the biomedical and health informatics (BMHI) field must do to contribute to the larger picture going forward. The last few years have been very good for those who work professionally and academically in BMHI, which I have defined as the field that is concerned with the optimal use of information, often aided by the use of technology, to improve individual health, health care, public health, and biomedical research [1]. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) Act has provided tremendous opportunity to expand the use of informatics systems to improve health.

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