Don't Ignore The Value Of Your MFP

No doubt that your local copier dealer took the time to introduce you to a shiny new MFP (multifunction peripheral) when it came time to renew your last copier lease. MFPs have become a staple in businesses of all sizes — and markets — over the past few years. If you were among the early adopters of these devices, chances are your dealer rep came at you with a sales pitch focused on speed and price, and maybe a word or two about the affordability of color output and integrated fax capability. You may have also been subject to the obligatory afterthought of, 'Oh yeah, and it scans, too.'

So, that was then. Fast-forward to today and stop ignoring the potential of your MFP as a means to introduce (or extend the scope of) a complete document management solution. According to several scanning industry analysts, the proliferation of MFP devices in office environments across the board, from SMB to enterprise, has increased the accessibility of scanning. In fact, a report released by InfoTrends earlier this year (US Document Image Scanning Report 2007) illustrates the trend very clearly. Of the companies surveyed, 70% of those that were scanning documents at all reported that MFPs were being used to handle a portion of the scanning processes within their organizations. Of these, 56% expect their company's MFP scanning volumes to increase.

The early days of MFP evolution saw 'scan to email' and 'scan to file' functionality. This has expanded into a trend to embed office productivity applications, such as indexing and scan routing, right into the control panel of the MFP. The concept is much like the one-button features being incorporated by most traditional scanner vendors — and very much for the same reason. The idea is to create a walk-up user interface that is simple and intuitive, while allowing the everyday knowledge worker to scan documents into a wide variety of back end applications. For example, an MFP can be preconfigured to enable a knowledge worker, such as an accounts payable employee, to simply walk up to the MFP and press a button on the large LCD display panel that says "invoice." That worker is immediately scanning into whatever AP (accounts payable) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) application the company uses.

If you already have a scanning solution in place, consider integrating your MFP into the mix. At the very least, integration will offer your staff increased flexibility when it comes to capturing vital business information. Compare it to walking through your own kitchen. Chances are you own a stove, a microwave, and a toaster oven. Each of these devices perform the same basic function, but having all three means you'll always have the option to use the device you know is the most reliable and produces the best results for the task at hand.