How Smart Can a Multifunction Printer Really Be?

Mar 10, 2016 — Multifunction, Software, Solutions

Xerox today announced it’s expanding what multifunction printers (MFPs) can do in the workplace through advancements to its ConnectKey® Technology. The 14 Xerox ConnectKey-enabled i-Series MFPs are equipped with ready-to-use apps to speed up paper-dependent business processes and make it easier for users to collaborate and work more effectively.

“Imagine an MFP that can translate a document into more than 35 languages, or be customized and built to meet customers’ particular business needs,” said Jim Rise, senior vice president, Office and Solutions Business Group, Xerox. “The ConnectKey-enabled i-Series MFPs provide those services and more. It allows businesses to go beyond printing, scanning, faxing and copying, and gives channel partners the tools they need to capture new recurring revenue streams.”

MFPs built on the ConnectKey platform – a combination of technology and software – provide a critical advantage to small and medium-sized businesses and enterprises. Xerox was recently recognized by research firm IDC for its ConnectKey-enabled MFP solutions.1

Expanded MFP Capabilities
ConnectKey-enabled i-Series MFPs adapt to the way businesses work – on-the-go, virtually and through the cloud – allowing companies to meet today’s business trends, challenges and opportunities:

• The new Xerox Easy Translation Service app helps partners and companies capitalize on the $38 billion market for language services and technology.2 The first-of-its-kind solution lets users scan a document through their MFP, snap a photo from their phone or upload it to a web portal. The service can then securely and quickly translate business-critical information to more than 35 languages, ultimately giving businesses a competitive edge and partners the opportunity to capture new revenue streams.
• Xerox App Studio 3.0 allows channel partners to build and tailor MFPs using simple templates that modify and customize the user interface to synchronize to their business processes. For more sophisticated customization, the Personalized Application Builder (PAB) program lets users connect with partners to build complex apps to meet their unique workflow requirements.

Making Mobile Workers More Productive
According to IDC, 40 percent of smartphone users and 35 percent of tablet users do not know how to print from their devices. However, mobile printing will grow dramatically over the next two years due to the increase in access to digital content for personal and business use.3 To give employees the tools they need to print from mobile devices, the ConnectKey-enabled i-Series MFPs are designed with ready-to-use MFP apps right on the user interface.

• With the @PrintByXerox App, a free mobile cloud printing solution, employees and visitors can securely print from any mobile or network connected device to an MFP by way of a single email address without IT support. 
• The QR Code App lets users connect and pair to a ConnectKey-enabled MFP with a simple scan of a QR code from their phone or tablet to effortlessly print and scan documents.

Easier Access to Cloud Services through Apps
The Xerox App Gallery is pre-loaded directly on the user interface to give users easy access to a variety of apps from Xerox and partners.

Now available on iOS and Android, the Mobile Link App lets users create one-touch, automated workflows on their mobile devices to remotely control a Xerox MFP and transmit documents to fax, email and cloud hosted services like Box, Dropbox and Google Drive. A new camera capture feature squares and straightens photos of documents taken with a mobile device, and workers can route them directly to relevant departments.

“To succeed in today’s business environment, partners must be able to provide their customers with services beyond hardware,” said Stefan Nilsson, CEO, Foxway International, a Xerox application development partner. “By integrating ConnectKey Technology and Foxway app cloud, built with the PAB program, our end-customers are benefiting from these extended capabilities and new functionalities.”

Improved Security
Xerox ConnectKey Technology continues to offer real-time protection from internal and external threats. Now with secure print and scan encryption, and print job deletion at power up, companies can ensure documents remain confidential, protecting themselves from data breaches.

Availability
New ConnectKey-enabled i-Series MFPs are now available to order worldwide.