Mobility, cloud storage impacting printer industry

Category:: Industry News
Friday, July 20, 2012

It's understood that the rise of mobile technology and cloud services is having a dramatic impact on the traditional computing industries. This is true within both the enterprise and consumer sectors, as more professionals and people in general are now turning to smartphones instead of desktop PCs and cloud storage platforms to house all of their files and other digital content.

According to ReadWriteWeb, however, there is another area that is feeling the effects of the proliferation of mobile cloud computing: printers. Once a stalwart, sales of printers are on the decline as more people are changing their computing and collaboration habits.

Cloud-based sharing trumps printing

Instead of printing documents, people are now more inclined to simply share files online through cloud computing platforms. And the portability and user-friendliness of mobile devices means users can easily share information at any time and anywhere they choose.

Those in the printer industry have taken notice of this, as they're seeing more people rely on new technology to send and receive information.

"People who have home printers are printing less photos in their homes," HP CEO Meg Whitman said, according to ReadWriteWeb. HP, a major printer manufacturer, saw its printer revenue decline 10 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2012. 

Earlier this year, Data Center Knowledge echoed similar sentiments in a report that predicted big gains for both mobile and cloud computing technology in 2012. In addition to the wide availability of robust mobile devices — thanks, at least in part, to the rise of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend and consumerization in the enterprise — increasing standards for the mobile cloud is drawing in more companies.

According to Data Center Knowledge, better capabilities for online file storage, sharing and access have allowed more decision-makers to feel comfortable with employees leveraging company data through devices and the mobile cloud.

And the emergence of tablets as a viable business tools means the mobile cloud computing trend isn't expected to slow anytime soon.

Devices, the cloud now handle more tasks

It used to be, according to ReadWriteWeb, that employees would print copies of presentations and reports prior to meetings. Now, however, that's no longer necessary.

With mobile cloud computing, one employee can share appropriate information will colleagues, who can access it on a tablet and follow along during the actual presentation. This allows for better collaboration, ReadWriteWeb noted, as it's easier to incorporate others' ideas and input when everyone has the same access to certain files and documents.

In fact, there is a multitude of enterprise information that is moving away from hard copies and into the digital realm. These may include training manuals, employee records, customer order forms and meeting notes, just to name a few.

Paperless office is also to blame

For decades, companies have discussed the paperless office, an environment where employees rely solely on digital information instead of printed paper. However, actually achieving a paperless office has traditionally been viewed as more of a pipe dream than something that can be actually achieved. But new technology has changed that.

The blog the Ecopreneurist said the cloud and related technologies simplify paperless initiatives.

Digitization tools are more effective and efficient than ever, while cloud storage offers companies all the space they need to house and maintain electronic files. These files can also be shared through devices. Hosted services are also well equipped to provide the protection and security companies need for digital files, safeguarding them against breaches and disasters, both natural and man-made.