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Keep your business one step ahead

Brother Laser Printers

Whether it’s a business contract or your latest promotional leaflet, having a high-quality printer you can rely on is essential to keep business moving in the right direction.

We understand that your time is precious, and you don’t want to waste it dealing with printer issues. That’s why our mono and color ranges meet the needs of businesses like yours. They are efficient, compact and quiet – designed for the home and office. They’re here not only to save you time and hassle, but money too, so you can get on with doing what you do best.

Introducing the benefits of our ranges:

  • User-friendly
    All our printing devices are quick and easy to set up. With a large in-box toner giving you up to 2600 pages* straight from the box, your new machine is ready to get working for you straight away.
  • Fast
    If speed and volume is important to you, our devices won’t disappoint. You can get up to 28 color pages per minute or 34ppm for mono.
  • Efficient
    With some models featuring paper trays that hold 250 sheets, you can spend less time refilling paper. Plus, if you opt for the high yield cartridges, you can print up to 3000 black / 2300 CMY pages on our color printers or up to 3000 on our mono printers, giving you maximum productivity and a lower cost per page. Most models also offer an automatic 2-sided print option to further reduce your costs.
  • Multi-taskers
    Many of the printers in our business range can do the job of four machines: print, scan, copy and fax. Having all this functionality in one compact desktop printer not only saves you time and money, but office space too.
  • Impactful
    Color is a great way to make even everyday business documents more dynamic. Our color laser printers offer up to 2400 dpi print quality and uses LED laser technology to produce high quality professional prints.
  • Economical
    With our new color laser printers, you also have the option to buy a toner value pack.  Buying four toners in a bundle will save you money and mean you’ll always have genuine supplies to hand when you need them.
  • Quiet & compact
    Our printers are built to be as unobtrusive as possible. As well as being small enough to fit on a shelf, desk or cabinet they also help you maintain a quiet workplace with low-noise printing that doesn’t sacrifice speed or ramp up costs. Our L2000 and L3000 ranges operate at the lowest decibel in class (under 50dB).

Discover our range of print devices for your home or office.

*On selected mono laser products

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7 ways print technology can nurse healthcare systems into better shape

Print and Label Solutions for the Healthcare Sector

Efficient healthcare systems are critical to the provision of excellent patient care, yet too often technical siloes and weaker process links mean they can benefit from a health check. 

From the ambulance to admissions and the ward to the pharmacy – Brother is highlighting seven ways print technology can be used to remedy healthcare processes for the benefit of patients. 

1. Easing pre-admission

Even before patients arrive at hospital, technology can be used to make processes faster and safer. Ambulance staff can, for example, print out patient information en-route using small, lightweight portable printers. Doing so significantly improves readability as hand-written notes from the back of a speeding ambulance may not be legible.

On arrival, print technology saves precious, potentially life-saving time handing over to hospital staff. It also creates a precise record of treatment given, drugs administrated and patient details, which are essential for any emergency.

2. Fast efficient admission

Digital processes can improve organisational wellbeing by enabling overstretched hospital administration staff to simply scan printed patient records onto their database management system. With the touch of a button, they can then match their details to the patients’ data.

Processes can be quickened by creating labels using a dedicated labelling printer which doesn’t require the use of a computer. Individual patient barcodes can be applied to files to mitigate errors while also eradicating the risks of illegible handwriting

3. Clever clinical care

In time critical environments, human errors can occur, but they can be eliminated by introducing simple, effective technology.

Labelling printers can be used to create barcodes for patient wristbands, generating a digital ID linked to a database containing the patient’s records. This ensures correct identification at every step of the patient journey and removes the risk of manual handwriting being mis-read. This all increases patient safety as bands can clearly display vital information such as allergens and details of medication or administrated drugs.

4. Healthy hospital wards

Print security is now more crucial than ever for hospitals due to the introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any breach of personal data loss can affect both the hospital and the patient.

Using an NFC (near field communication) card or PIN activation ensures documents can be accessed and retrieved only by the individual who initiated the print. This stops sensitive documents being obtained by unauthorised people.

To give administrators full control, staff can be added or removed via a digital profile. This not only enhances security but can also reduce wastage and cost.

5. Safer signage

Technology can benefit asset management as staff can quickly create durable, laminated, self-adhesive identification labels and equipment warning signs. Using labels can not only reduce theft, but also boost safety by providing reminders of dates for equipment checks and highlight warnings.  

Brother laminated P-touch labels are durable and can withstand harsh chemicals, abrasion, extremes of temperature and sunlight making them ideal for the healthcare sector. Readable long-lasting labels that withstand any condition are essential for patient safety.

6. Seamless laboratory management

Putting lab processes under the microscope could help prevent costly or critical mix-ups. Sample identification can be strengthened by scanning patient wristbands as they give the sample, and immediately printing a coded label to be placed straight onto the sample tube.

This process delivers full traceability, creating a digital footprint at every step to ensure patient care and safety is optimised. It also offers improved accuracy over handwritten labels whilst saving time.

7. Positive pharmacy procedures

Hospital pharmacies are busy departments with fast turnaround. Technology can become the heartbeat of the department’s processes, by saving valuable time.

Patient prescriptions can be received electronically from care givers, and dispensed medication labels can be printed and attached to medications with accurate patient details and prescription information.

To prevent critical mix-ups, clear patient identification barcodes on medications can be printed. Printed labels eliminate the risk of misread handwriting and are a safer solution as allergens can be clearly shown using color coding.

Brother’s comprehensive healthcare solutions brochure contains many more insights to help you develop more efficient and secure processes throughout the patients’ journey.

Find out more detail solutions here.

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Life hacks: top 10 tips and tools for mobile workers and freelancers

Top 10 tips and tools for mobile workers and freelancers

Thanks to constantly evolving technology, business on the move is now easier than ever for mobile workers and freelancers.

Reflecting the shift away from the ‘traditional’ office, technology is continually developing to accommodate workers on the go.

Here are our top 10 tools, technologies and life hacks to help support you on your solo working journey.

1. Get on top of your time tracking

For remote workers, managing time efficiently is a crucial part of the job. An excellent way of staying on top of jobs and maximising billable hours, is to download a time tracking app. This gives you real-time visibility of projects and let you know when you reach capacity.

2. Stay connected with instant messaging

If you’re based outside of the traditional office, it’s easy to miss important pieces of information which might have an impact on your work. Stay on top of the latest updates and news by getting an instant communication tool. It can help remote workers and freelancers quickly send private messages or communicate with a whole team. Designed to move away from lengthy email chains, the software is direct and efficient.

3. Strip out social

If distractions are impacting your productivity and limiting your impact on projects, consider downloading a website and social media blocking app to limit what you can access during working hours.

4. Opt for cloud document storage

Keeping documents secure yet remotely accessible is vital for remote workers and freelancers. Losing documents could prove costly, so consider using cloud storage to back up your important work. Doing so means you can rest assured that your documents are safe in case of a technical glitch.

5. Digitise to save space

The home office is incredibly important for all remote workers, so the last thing you want is clutter from outdated files. Brother’s ADS-1200 scanner are compact yet powerful portable devices – just a little wider than an A4 sheet of paper – which can fit seamlessly into any working environment. Digitising your documents brings many benefits beyond space saving, as it creates a record of documents forever.

6. Bring the meeting room to you

For freelance and mobile workers, keeping in touch with clients, suppliers and teams is crucial. Using video conferencing for virtual meetings makes it more personal than an email or telephone call, whilst saving time and the expense of travelling to various meeting locations.

7. Print and scan on the go

With more mobile devices than humans in the world, it’s no surprise that smartphones and tablets dominate the world of business. Working from mobile devices is even more hassle-free when you eliminate the need for a computer by printing or scanning directly using Brother’s iPrint&Scan app.

8. Get to grips with task management

If you work solo, then you’re responsible for everything – including vast to-do lists. Keep on track of things with a task management tool which helps you to organise your documents, create a to-do list, plan your day and provide you with deadline reminders. Our top tip – color code items according to the task or client.

9. Take your printer out on the road

Workers on the move still need to print. Instead of waiting until you get back to HQ or your home office, use compact and lightweight printers that fit into any vehicle boasts attention to detail and intricate printing all from the comfort of your car.

10. Don’t lose it, label it

If you’re working at home, it’s likely that you’ll be restricted on space. Keep your working area organised by labelling files and folders, to ensure all your paperwork is kept in order, making finding that all-important document a simple process. Brother’s Label printer series creates stand-out labels that can be printed in a whole spectrum of colors.

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What is pull printing and how does it improve security?

Data security is high on every business agenda, yet despite greater spend and compliance requirements, breaches remain common.

Illustrating the risks, to access confidential information, all a threat would need to do is leaf through stacks of uncollected documents that are too often left beside office printers.  

Prevention of a breach like this often takes the form of ‘pull printing’. The term may be familiar to many, but how exactly could it help your business?

Pull printing explained

When you send a document to a print on a device that doesn’t feature pull printing technology, it will come out right after you click print.

With pull printing technology however, software holds print jobs in a secure virtual queue until the user that ‘pushed’ the job to print is physically at the printer and confirms they are ready to collect their print-outs. The device then releases or ‘pulls down’ the pages for printing.

Physical authentication can be handled via PIN, username and password log-in, an NFC-enabled ID card, mobile app or QR code.

However, with pull printing currently only adopted by 40% of businesses1, solutions like Brother’s Secure Print+ software which enables NFC print protection, can bring pull printing authentication to existing networks.

How does pull printing improve security?

Malware is perceived by business as being the greatest risk to security. However that accolade actually goes to internal users who cause 32% of data breaches. Printing and scanning contributes to this problem with 11% of all security incidents being print-related1.

Printer user errors are common, whether it’s confidential papers left unattended on the printer (35%), printouts not being collected (34%) or employees picking up confidential documents that aren’t theirs (27%)2.

Combatting these risks and improving security, pull printing ensures users authenticate themselves at the machine and prove they have adequate permissions.

This spells an end to physical document risks associated with uncollected print jobs.

Cutting costs by preventing misuse

Besides security there are many advantages to pull printing. With unreleased print jobs remaining digital, waste is drastically reduced with lower paper, ink or toner consumption making it a greener business solution. Files that aren’t collected after a set time then get removed from the printer’s memory reducing network security risks.

And because users know their printing and scanning is now being tracked, other print-related abuses stop too, whether that’s printing for personal use or scanning and copying sensitive material.

A vital tool in your security toolbox

Pull printing may only be one variable in the print security equation but it’s a vital one. It helps to lower the risk of losing sensitive data, restores management control, reduces costs and conserves resources.  

With in-house print security skills often lacking, utilising a managed print service (MPS) is often the path taken by companies classed as print security leaders.

Whether you manage the transition in-house or opt to work with a partner – pull printing is an essential pillar of data and document security.

For more information about Brother’s managed print solutions please visit https://www.brother.ae/en/contents/business-solutions/printer-solutions.

1 Quocirca Global Print Security Landscape 2019

2 Savanta, Future proofing your business, 2019

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Your guide to managing print across multiple sites

Print management across multiple sites can be a challenge for even the most advanced businesses. With so many things to consider, from the type of hardware and software used to the people using it, it’s crucial to have a detailed, effective strategy to follow.

To help you get the best service, here are some key considerations when implementing managed print services (MPS) across several locations.

1. Define key requirements up front

You’re not expected to have all the answers, but to best prepare it’s a good idea to detail as many of your requirements as possible, so that your provider can respond with a comprehensive solution that addresses your specific needs. Some considerations might include what software your service needs to interact with and what your key business workflows are. By making a concrete list of your SLA requirements, implementation milestones and reporting requirements upfront, you can ensure you don’t run into issues with your print solutions later.

2. Find the right fit

While you can ensure consistency of service across multiple locations, it’s unlikely that every office will have the same physical dimensions. An ill-fitting printer can be surprisingly disruptive to productivity, so it pays to understand the exact spaces your printers will be occupying. You can then meet the unique needs of each office while still providing the control and economies of scale you require centrally. At Brother, we offer guidance and carry out assessments for multiple locations and numerous devices, so that we can ensure that printers are put in the most efficient location.

3. Do your analysis

A managed print service should create efficiencies in as many places as possible – especially around your staff’s time and output. A good supplier will ensure in the assessment phase that you are not over-specifying printing requirements and adding cost. A multifunction device with lots of finishing options could confuse and disrupt users with basic print requirements and minimal training. Through analysis and user testing, you can introduce cost-saving ideas while making sure each part of the business has its needs met. Brother’s tailored approach to providing print management solutions ensures you get the performance you need without paying for unnecessary functions or investing time in unnecessary training.

4. Report and reconfigure

Take advantage of print management software to gain complete visibility of usage across all of your sites. That way, you can keep track of uptime and costs, making sure everything is running smoothly. A huge benefit of print management is that it can pay for itself; the more you learn from reporting, the more you can tweak your service to both improve performance and increase cost-efficiency. Print management software can also give you better control of your fleet. Printer management functionality allows you to set and adjust permissions, like color printing for key times of the year, all from your central location.

5. Keep every site secure

Handling and transferring confidential personal documents can bring with it complicated security and privacy issues. If you choose a managed print service with the ability to digitise documents direct to secure network folders, you can ensure confidentiality across the board. It also means an end to the cost and risk of posting or emailing sensitive documents between locations. Brother can even create bespoke workflow buttons, accessed directly from the machine’s touchscreen, to speed this up.

You should also take advantage of printing solutions such as secure function lock, which give you the ability to restrict certain functions to specified devices and counteract external cyber security threats. These can be combined with pull printing that only releases documents once an ID card or user-specific PIN is used. As well as reducing wastage, this helps you track usage so that every printed page can be accounted for across every location.

Then prepare with the right partner

A managed print service benefits your entire organisation, but the right preparation is key to a successful roll out. That calls for the right partner. You need somebody who will work hard to understand the exact needs of your business and tailor a unique solution to them. They then need to be on hand to help you tweak and optimise your service. At Brother, we begin with a structured consultation with one of our managed print services specialists to ensure your solution gets off to the perfect start.

Brother provides technology solutions for businesses of all sizes and across a wide range of sectors. Our three-phase Assessment, Transition and Optimisation approach to managed print services delivers improved efficiency and productivity for multi-site businesses. All of this comes with an unrivalled dedication to personal service and support.

Find out more about Brother managed print services today by email us bicgulfsolution@brother.ae for free assessment of your office.

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Your three-point checklist for buying the best printer toner

When looking to purchase printer toner, there is a very important distinction between cost and value. Achieving genuine business value means looking beyond the headline price and yield figures.

To help businesses avoid falling into a false economy toner trap, we’ve identified three essential pillars of print value to help focus business procurement efforts.

The three pillars of print value

  • Quality – Corners can’t really be cut in printing. After all, you can’t share documents that are smudged, blurry, faded or illegible. Without the full spectrum of manufacturer and machine know-how, output quality of third-party toner often declines steadily throughout the print cycle, necessitating early cartridge replacement. Reduced quality can also be evident from the first page. This very quickly unravels claims of high yield and any initial cost savings. High quality from first page to last is essential.
  • Reliability – Non-genuine toner cartridges may promise comparable performance, but this often hides a picture of reduced reliability. Common issues that can arise include non-compatibility, toner leakage and maintenance issues such as jams and parts damage that create downtime. Avoid time spent fixing print problems by opting for original manufacturer toner as it is engineered and optimised for your specific print device.
  • Yield – After cost, the number of printed pages available in a cartridge is an essential consideration for businesses. But if viewed alone, yield can be misleading. The true picture of print value can only be determined by taking quality and uptime into consideration. If declining quality and illegibility prompt you to change the cartridge early, it hasn’t achieved close to its headline output figures. Likewise, if the product has a compatibility issue, leaks or causes a jam, yield figures become the least of your concerns amid the rush to fix the machine.

If any of the above pillars of print value are weak or missing, the longevity of your toner cartridge will be impacted. Ultimately for businesses, this results in downtime, increased maintenance costs and a higher cost per page.

Swapping low cost for high value

To ensure the toner model you use outputs its promised print volumes, delivers on quality from first page to last and minimises maintenance issues – Brother advises opting for genuine supplies.

In a series of gruelling tests conducted Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab, 10 widely available alternative toners were pitted against a genuine model for the Brother HL-L6400DW.

Where “all other brands experienced at least one fault that resulted in early toner replacement or unexpected maintenance”*, “Brother genuine toner produced both the highest total output, the highest average output”* and came top on every test metric.

“When comparing the average across all third-party brands, Brother toner produced 57% more output”*, revealing the hidden costs and quality compromise of opting for non-genuine supplies.

Brother engineers its toners to work reliably and optimally with specific printers to ensure full yield and ideal image quality from first page to last.

*All quotes taken from Keypoint Intelligence / Buyers Lab’s March 2018 Custom Test Report entitled ‘Brother Genuine Toner Cartridges for Brother HL-L6400DW versus Ten Third-Party Brands’.

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10 easy ways to help the environment

At Brother we work constantly to reduce our impact on the environment.

In fact, we were the first printer manufacturer to receive Blue Angel certification on inkjet devices. A Blue Angel label signifies long service life, low energy usage and minimal environmental impact.

As part of our environmental policy we are also committed to helping our customers to do their bit. We all want to be greener, and we’re here to help. That’s why we’ve come up these top 10 easy environment tips that can help you make a real difference.

10 ways for a happier planet

1. Recycle your Brother print cartridges

Just package them up and send them back to us, free of charge, and we’ll do the rest. Doing this also supports our work with the environmental charity Cool Earth.

2. Print double sided

A simple change to your print settings can halve your paper usage in a single click.

3. Only print the pages you need

It sounds obvious, but we’ve all printed 30-page documents when we only actually want a couple of pages!

4. Don’t leave computers and other appliances in standby

According to the Energy Saving Trust, up to 16% of domestic energy consumption is caused by appliances left in standby mode*.

5. Buy from companies with eco-friendly policies

If customers support greener ways of doing business, more companies will adopt them.

6. Recycle your old or broken printer

Old printers don’t belong in your bin! It’s easy to find your nearest recycling center online.

7. Use newer, more energy efficient machines

When you’re buying a new printer, look for its energy rating and environmental credentials.

8. Print grayscale

If you’re printing a black & white document, go to settings and click on the ‘Grayscale’ option. It can help reduce the amount of ink you use.

9. Consider your print quality settings

Adjust your print quality settings when printing draft documents. Lowering the resolution will save you ink and time.

10. Use genuine supplies

Using original ink cartridges and toner cartridges minimises your energy consumption. Brother printers are designed to work with your genuine supplies to reduce waste and the impact that you have on the environment.

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Brother P-touch office labelling hacks

From chaos to calm: Our top 10 office labelling ideas

With long to-do lists and looming deadlines, life in an office can be very busy. A day without any problems or glitches is rare, but extremely welcome by every employee.

Technology plays a big part in keeping workers busy as it brings so many elements of our life to our fingertips. The benefits don’t stop there. Tech can also help bring order to day-to-day office life.

It’s a simple process: Introducing labelling can make the workplace much more efficient, saving you time and reducing stress along the way.

Here are 10 of our top life hacks on how label printers can turn office chaos into calm.

1. Labelling unplugged

Ever unplugged your computer thinking it was something else? Research has found that 32% of us have lost work due to computers being accidentally unplugged1. Prevent this potential office disaster by labelling all plugs in the workplace. It’s a move that could save time and prevent arguments.

2. Visitor badges

Say goodbye to unprofessional hand-written visitor books. Now you can streamline operations with a labelling visitor management solution. Such systems impress guests and enable you to pinpoint visitors on site at all times – ideal for security.

3. Important documents in an instant

Save time when looking for that all-important document by labelling files and folders. Provide extra stand-out by labelling private and confidential files with red and black text. As time is money, it’s an investment worth making.

4. Safety first

At work, safety labels are crucial and could prevent serious accidents and injuries. Bright and colourful labels can be created to warn people of any dangers or encourage them to wear appropriate safety equipment.

5. Protect your possessions

Did you know that 78 million working hours are lost every year as workers search for stolen items? And that 26% of office disputes are caused by items being stolen? Keep the peace and reduce the risk of both deliberate and accidental theft simply by labelling items. This can be anything from staplers and calculators to notebooks and laptop chargers.

6. No cause for alarm

Making it obvious when essential equipment such as fire alarms need replacing is crucial to keeping your employees safe. By simply labelling the equipment with the expiry date it provides a very visible reminder of the deadlines you can’t afford to miss.

7. Ease recycling

With more of us becoming conscious of our impact on the environment, labelling devices can be used to identify recycling bins. Now the office staff can see where their plastic, paper and other recyclables need to go without confusion.

8. Labelling food

With food allergies posing a life-threatening risk and dietary preferences ever changing, having clear information labels is essential when providing food to colleagues or clients in the workplace.

9. First class post

Labelling post can make parcels and letters look more uniformed and professional. The extra benefit of this is that labels are more legible than handwritten. This helps to ensure that the mail gets to the right place without delay or ink smudging in the rain. To save time, a template can be created for people sending mail regularly, meaning that standardised labels can printed in just a few clicks.

10. Push or pull?

When walking towards a new door, we all have the same thought – is it push or pull? Labelling your doors will prevent any embarrassment and potential accidents for your visitors. As a result, these labels can help stop any damage to your doors.

For over 30 years, Brother has been passionate about providing go-to labelling solutions for customers in a range of sectors.

Our range of labelling devices reflect Brother’s business motto “At your side” and act as a personal PA for our customers. Their versatility throughout the office has helped to take many businesses from chaos to calm.

Find out more about our range of label printers here.

If you’re in need of full office printing solutions, view our best printers for business and email us bicgulfsolution@brother.ae for more detail solutions.

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The future of plastics – 10 hacks to reduce plastic waste

Tired of the negative headlines about plastic being incinerated, landfilled or polluting our oceans, the world is waking up to the plastic problem.

Building on recent positive developments, including the launch of the first-ever mission to rid the oceans of plastics by a Dutch non-profit organisation, and the European parliament’s vote to ban a wide range of single-use plastics by 2021 – charities, businesses, politicians, governments and international bodies are all now becoming drivers of change.

However, perhaps more important than any of this, consumers are keen to take action. So as individuals, what can we do? To help, here are 10 life hacks to reduce everyday plastic use.

  1. Shop with fabric or biodegradable bags – fabric bags are known for being sturdy and reusable. Meanwhile, biodegradable shopping bag alternatives are also on the rise. They are as versatile as plastic bags, but being compostable can also be used as food waste bin liners.
  2. Give food containers a quick clean – across Europe, food residue is a major prohibitor to recycling. If you clean plastic food containers properly, you could help to turn the tide on needless incineration and landfill.
  3. Buy a reusable water bottle – unlimited refills not only help to slash waste, your reusable bottle offers a great way to bring excitement to your water by adding fruit, herbs or natural ingredients such as lemon, lime or ginger.
  4. Switch to bamboo toothbrushes and earbuds – make positive change a daily routine. These pioneering eco alternatives are made from organic materials and can be composted.
  5. Say no to plastic straws or use a paper version – if you order a drink, say no to plastic straws or request a paper one. They are strong, biodegradable and a great alternative to plastic.
  6. Goodbye cling film – wrap sandwiches in vegan wax film. It is malleable, water-resistant, airtight and food stays fresh.
  7. Shop locally to avoid pointless packaging – nature is great at packaging and its solutions are planet friendly. If you shop at local, organic stores where fruit and vegetables are loose, you can take exactly what you need while avoiding needlessly or excessively packaged items.
  8. Switch to a reusable coffee cup – contrary to what many people think, take-away coffee containers are not made from paper, but plastic and they are not recyclable. Bringing your own cup can also lead to discounts and rewards in certain coffee shops.
  9. Refuse plastic cutlery – instead of accepting disposable cutlery when you buy a takeaway lunch, keep a metal set in your desk drawers.
  10. Avoid microbeads – products such as face washes often contain abrasive micro plastics for exfoliation. These make their way directly into the water cycle and are extremely damaging to marine life. Either avoid microplastics or opt for products that use natural alternatives, such as nut shells.

Brother is passionate about improving its plastic footprint and is working towards the circular economy principles of reduce, reuse, refurbish, repair and recycle.

Our return and recycle scheme enable customers to send us their used printer toner cartridges for remanufacturing or recycling at no cost.

Beyond this, when you return your printer cartridges you are also helping our charity partner Cool Earth protect endangered rainforest, meaning recycling with Brother has the double benefit of tackling plastic waste and funding environmental protection. 

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How IT-led collaboration will define the post-COVID-19 office workplace

COVID-19 has resulted in huge changes and IT challenges for businesses to navigate. Many organisations have been forced to manage a quick transition to working from home and transform normal office tasks to new virtual processes.

It has allowed time for reflection, and businesses large and small have re-evaluated their digital solutions. Employees, decision makers and IT departments have adapted their mindset, with many working from home missing office-based technology – including access to print – in a way that they wouldn’t have imagined previously. We’ve also helped office spaces use Brother labellers to print highly visible COVID-19 health and safety signs.

In order to support productivity and allow businesses to thrive in a new way of working, we believe there needs to be greater digital collaboration, with IT departments leading the way, speaking to employees and management to understand and implement their digital and remote working needs.

‘Customer’ satisfaction

Staff have increasingly become more like customers of IT departments than colleagues, meaning IT teams must focus on ‘customer satisfaction’. This approach is new territory for some IT departments, and it will require them to adapt their skills and develop a customer service-led approach.

What users want versus what they need requires evaluation to ensure that digital solutions are delivered to achieve the best results and within budget. Consideration needs to be given to both the IT department – as their roles and responsibilities are continually evolving – and the strains on employees as they adapt to a new way of working.

Of course, there are a lot of complexities to consider when developing solutions, such as the increased use of remote working versus the need for on-site printing. In this case, decentralising print to avoid users congregating at one machine in the office, not only supports social distancing, but also increases employee productivity.

IT decision makers will still need to use their expert knowledge to lead a technology roll out, but a collaborative approach using methods such as staff surveys, brainstorming sessions and online courses, could be the most successful way to develop new ways of working and future processes that keep everyone happy and, more importantly, safe.

How in tune are IT departments and employees?

Research1 conducted pre-COVID revealed that IT decision makers and employees had contrasting viewpoints when it came to digital solutions – an opinion gap that could have shifted during the pandemic.

According to the Quocirca Print 2025 Phase Two Report commissioned by Brother – just 36% of office workers believed that by 2025 print will be very or quite important to their business, compared to 65% of IT decision makers.

It’s an opinion that’s likely to have changed from recent experiences, as staff may not have valued print when it was available at their fingertips. Working without easy access to printing services is likely to have made staff realise its importance in the workplace.  Whether it’s for filing away important documents or using print as an easier way to proofread or printing for a meeting so you have everything to hand, it’s an important tool to have.

The research also revealed that office workers (62%) see far greater importance in collaboration tools such as instant messaging, screen sharing and audio and video conferencing, compared to 45% of IT decision makers.  

With the huge transition to working from home, it’s likely again that IT teams’ opinions on collaboration tools has shifted, given that employees now see so much more value in online tools. As such, the IT department needs to collaborate with decision makers and implement the most successful measures, even trialling different methods to see which is the most successful for the business.

Future printing

It’s expected that the aftermath of the pandemic will mean that life in the office as we previously knew it will change forever and it will be interesting to see how businesses adapt to the ‘new normal’.

There are predictions that there will be a greater shift towards working from home and that virtual meetings and conferences will replace the traditional face-to-face approach in some circumstances. For future printing, businesses could be considering decentralising printers or even introducing business printers at employees’ homes, a solution that Brother has introduced for some large and medium-sized businesses.

Hyper-distributed printing provides employees with the same benefits and printing functionalities at home as in the office, whilst maintaining the control and management protocols established by the company.

With approaches to work ever changing, the outlook for the office of the future is uncertain.  However, it’s imperative for IT departments to continually engage with their employees and work in digital collaboration to develop solutions that are the most cost-effective and efficient for businesses and best suited to the future needs and security of teams.

Email us today at bicgulfsolution@brother.ae for more detail solutions that can help your businesses.

1 Quocirca Print 2025 Phase Two Report commissioned by Brother