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Samsung: Smart Printing for the Connected Workplace – Part 2/2

1st part to read here.

First among these is perhaps the growing importance of Mobility. For many workers, gone are the days when they went to the same desk in the same office every day. More and more people spread their work among multiple locations, including home and while they are travelling. To do this, they need technology which works equally well wherever they are, including the ability to share information and print documents while they are on the move. Mobile printing in particular, which started slowly, now seems to be really taking off.

Linked to this is the growing requirement to use the same devices and technology everywhere, and for personal as well as work purposes.

People will no longer accept that they have to switch to a different device or technology when they move from home to office.

In particular of course, this applies to smart phones and tablets, which are at the centre of almost everything people do, but it also extends to other devices and functionalities, including printers – and this will broaden to include many more types of devices, as the Internet of Things becomes a reality. This is driving the next big change in the way we work, which is the growing demand for customisation, and the flexibility for workers to adapt and personalise their own devices and technologies to work in the office, as well as handle their personal communications. Now the obvious and most common way of personalising devices is through the development and installation of apps.

 

For this to succeed will require apps which can readily be adapted to work across multiple platforms and tailored to meet individual users’ needs. It will no longer suffice to produce standard apps which work on only one type of device or operating system. This goes to the heart of the Samsung proposition for the connected workplace. As the world leader in mobile technology, they are perhaps uniquely well placed to spearhead a massive expansion in apps-led development and customisation of workflows. That is exactly what they are now proposing with their new Smart Services initiative, built on the Smart UX Center.

Samsung claims that this will:

  • Provide a complete platform to enhance workplace experience

  • Allow users to enjoy apps already developed, now and in the future

  • Customise workflows by creating new apps, or modifying existing ones

  • Support and make easy the development of new apps, making SDK available to developers – who, in the case of channel partners can also use this to build an important new revenue stream

Samsung say that this will make the whole process of app development much quicker and easier, using their vast experience in this area and allowing developers to use familiar tools such as Android. They say that the average development time for a Smart UX Centre app will be 30 days, compared to 9 months for typical embedded printer app, using current industry standards.

This is not just a theoretical concept. At Apps World Samsung was able to show some impressive apps and workflow solutions which are already working with customers. These included:

 

  • Remote Call – a solution for service technicians working in the field with integrated communications linking phone and online support, to help them deliver same day service to customers
  • MobiSystems Office Suite – providing one app to view and edit documents, working across Android/Dex and Smart UX
  • Massinelli – an instore retail marketing solution, facilitating the printing of on-demand flyers

 

There are also plans to take Smart UX to the next level, beyond traditional printing, with innovative solutions including:

  • Self-serve automated shipping system, linking weighing scales, bar-code scanner and NFC/card reader
  • Self-point health solution, linking medical scales, smart watch, and blood pressure measurements
This all looks very promising, but it is based on linking Samsung’s expertise in mobile technology with their print and workflow business. The big question now is how this will translate into the HP world, when the acquisition of Samsung’s print business is completed later this year. It appears to fit very well with HP’s own strategy of developing more sophisticated services and solutions. However, will HP be able to integrate and manage this initiative with their organisation and technology, and in particular with their channel?

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This article was written on 18 Jul 2017, and is filled under Point of View.

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