Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. has announced it has been named a "Major Player" in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Security Solutions and Services Hardcopy 2022-2023 Vendor Assessment (doc #US48851622, January 2023). The report notes Konica Minolta's Intelligent Connected Workplace business philosophy as a key strength in the company's offerings. The study assessed the market for security solutions and services hardcopy through the IDC MarketScape model, which factors in both quantitative and qualitative aspects that position vendors for success in this important global market.

The Intelligent Connected Workplace is a customer-centric distributed-work model to enable both onsite and mobile work with 24/7 access to data anytime, from anywhere, to help customers on their digital transformation journeys. As part of the Intelligent Connected Workplace, Konica Minolta has combined its print and IT services businesses and views print products as other internet of things (IoT) devices that are part of the IT framework. The MarketScape report states, "[Konica Minolta] takes a holistic view of security and includes print assets within the construct of an overall view of IT security."

"We believe that security in today's workplace has never been more important," said Chris Bilello, vice president of business solutions development, Konica Minolta. "Organizations in every sector are still determining the best ways to work following all the disruption and changes the pandemic required. Based on the growing incidence of security breaches, we're focused on delivering the best products and services with essential security features to help protect our customers' businesses."

Many of these security features are delivered as embedded, device-level technology, offered as standalone offerings as part of managed print and document services (MPDS). The IDC MarketScape states that "Konica Minolta's roots in print and document security date back almost 20 years, when the firm decided as a print device manufacturer that it would offer essential security features such as hard drive encryption and hard drive overwrite to meet military defense standards." In keeping with the advances in storage technology, Konica Minolta has migrated its product line to solid state drive (SSD) storage, which provides enhanced security such as "always on" self-encryption.

The IDC MarketScape report also notes that the company's focus on security includes cloud printing and management with its cloud solutions and platforms, as well as its ability to host the services. In May 2022, Konica Minolta debuted Shield Guard, a new cloud service for remote security monitoring and management of bizhub MFPs. Shield Guard is a centralized, cloud-based platform that provides automatic notifications and remediation so that businesses can control the security status of their fleets from anywhere. It offers a graphical dashboard for at-a-glance status monitoring that includes all relevant KPIs and enables easy device and policy management for network administrators.

"Managing the security settings of multiple MFPs can be difficult," Bilello said. "Network administrators often struggle with setting and remembering strong passwords. Shield Guard, together with bizhub SECURE and bizhub SECURE Platinum or bizhub SECURE Healthcare, makes it much easier to manage security policies, group devices or set policies for individual devices and create reports that can be exported and distributed internally. In addition, alerts notify the administrators of at-risk devices, unsecured MFP settings and device and policy assessments as they happen — right from the dashboard via security alert pop-ups and automatic emails when a device falls out of compliance."

For Shield Guard or any of its offerings, Konica Minolta starts engagements with a consultancy process that also encompasses "a 360-degree view of discovery" from a security perspective. The company's related services portfolio offers managed print services, infrastructure managed services, cloud services, managed content services, workflow and automation, and managed security services. Together with its print devices, including its bizhub multifunction printers (MFPs), Konica Minolta can provide its customers with start-to-finish solutions that also provide essential security.

The IDC MarketScape notes companies should consider Konica Minolta because, "Konica Minolta's vision for the Intelligent Connected Workplace provides a solid foundation for those organizations looking to implement security as part of a modernized approach for print and document infrastructure."

In addition, the report notes "Konica Minolta should also be on the short list of vendors for those companies looking to implement globalized services with consistency across multiple geographic locations."

In other news, Konica Minolta has been honored by Hyland with three awards for its continued work helping customers digitally transform using the OnBase content services platform. The awards, an annual recognition of service excellence within the Hyland global partner community, were recently presented as part of the Hyland Partner Virtual Event Series. The program considers criteria such as training, support, customer retention and number of customers served.

Konica Minolta received the Platinum award for sales performance and excellence through new customer acquisitions while expanding and retaining existing customer relationships. It also received the Diamond Support award for going above and beyond to make sure customers consistently receive the highest level of support. Lastly, Konica Minolta was named Business Planning Partner of the Year for demonstrating extraordinary alignment with Hyland in establishing a joint business plan for its go-to-market strategy.

"As a key component of our Intelligent Connected Workplace model, OnBase provides best-in-class intelligent information management solutions to help guide and support our customers' digital transformation journeys," said Sam Errigo, president and CEO, Konica Minolta. "Our 10-year partnership with Hyland, based on shared values, dedication to continuous innovation and commitment to customer success is unwavering. As an authorized OnBase solution provider, we are proud of this recognition and look forward to our continued partnership."

"Our partner program features industry leaders that provide cutting-edge technology to streamline processes, empower employees and enhance customer connections," said Bob Dunn, vice president of global partner programs, Hyland. "We congratulate Konica Minolta's dedication to customer success and outstanding achievement as a Platinum, Diamond Support and Business Planning Partner award recipient."