Konica Minolta named a major player in IDC MarketScape for worldwide security solutions and services hardcopy

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 journey. As part of the Intelligent Connected Workplace, the company 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.”
 

Many of these security features are delivered as embedded, device-level technology that are 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 April 2022, Konica Minolta debuted Shield Guard, a new cloud service for remote security monitoring and management of bizhub MFPs. Shield Guard is a centralised, 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,” said Olaf Lorenz. “Network administrators often struggle with setting and remembering strong passwords. Shield Guard, together with bizhub SECURE and bizhub SECURE Platinum or bizhub SECURE Ultimate, 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, managed IT services, cloud services, information management services, workflow and automation services and security services. Together with its print devices, including its award-winning 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 organisations looking to implement security as part of a modernised 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 globalised services with consistency across multiple geographic locations."
 
Download here the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Security Solutions and Services Hardcopy 2022-2023 Vendor Assessment 
 
About IDC MarketScape
The IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilises a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weakness of current and prospective vendors.