{"id":49490,"date":"2022-04-14T09:16:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T16:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=49490"},"modified":"2022-04-14T09:16:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T16:16:07","slug":"managed-it-purveyors-talk-workflow-software-and-the-laborious-journey-to-the-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2022\/04\/managed-it-purveyors-talk-workflow-software-and-the-laborious-journey-to-the-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Managed IT Purveyors Talk Workflow, Software and the Laborious Journey to the Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It is not enough for dealers to simply be providers of managed IT, software and workflow solutions to their client base. They need to be coaches, teachers, confidants and soothsayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, there is a psychology to workflow solutions and a dealer\u2019s role in shining the light on the fact that on-premise servers are not a requirement for 21st-century office employees. Even as many end-users have been pushed remotely\u2014and are far more hesitant to return\u2014dealers must continue to case-build the big picture of efficient operations through the cloud. It is a battle they seem to be winning on the whole\u2026but it\u2019s a battle, nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software and workflow solutions have provided ample opportunities for U.S. Business Systems (USBS) to engage deeper with clientele, notes Ron Hulett, project manager for the Elkhart, Indiana-based dealership. While there is a variety of software in USBS\u2019 base offering, workflow can be somewhat more complex, depending on the business process that\u2019s being addressed. This can lead to a bit of hand-holding for USBS, according to Hulett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ron Hulett, USBS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also absolutely necessary to define what the scope of these projects are, or they will creep to where you may never get to the finish line,\u201d Hulett remarked. \u201cI like to work through the same steps as managed IT, only treat them as project-based work that has a stopping point per phase. By separating major components into separate phases, we can accomplish something and agree that we did before moving on to the next phase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the benefits of leveraging the cloud have been driving forces for its growth. Hulett\u2019s caveat is that it requires subject matter experts to articulate those benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnless you\u2019re going to farm out all your work (and your margin) to a third party and hope they get it right and treat the customer the way you do, you must have the expertise in-house,\u201d he added. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t come cheap, but again we believe that it\u2019s worth the investment. Especially as the transformation continues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shining a Light<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dean Swenson, president of The Swenson Group in Livermore, California, pointed out that his dealership was in the process of hosting a document management\/electronic workflow webinar with one of its key partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dean Swenson, The Swenson Group<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the hybrid world, companies realize they need to digitize their information in order to have better access, improved security, etc.,\u201d he said. \u201cAdditionally, they are looking for ways to move from people-based processes to more automated, scalable electronic processes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a post-pandemic landscape, flexibility is of utmost importance to end-users, notes Michelle Shepard, vice president of sales for Systel Business Equipment in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The ability to work from anywhere with immediate access is a must-have expectation in the eyes of clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, scalable workflow offerings built within a cloud services platform are becoming more sustainable for small and large businesses,\u201d she said. \u201cI also believe that cloud acceptance is growing in popularity among all sizes of business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
TJ DeBello, Stargel<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

TJ DeBello, vice president of sales for Stargel Office Solutions-Star Managed Services, has witnessed a growing acceptance of cloud-based solutions. That has helped the dealer push deeper with the Microsoft platform, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have seen a transition from our workflow software like DocuWare move from traditional on-premise to cloud-based,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also sell higher levels of Office 365 licensing that includes access to SharePoint and OneDrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaining Ground<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Document management tools have become more important to end-users looking to keep workflows humming along for those at-home employees, notes Tom McHenry, vice president of managed services for Definitive Technology Solutions (DTS) in Bloomington, Minnesota. DTS offers a number of document management titles that have dovetailed nicely with client workflows, as many employees find they are more productive in a remote fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tom McHenry, DTS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Comfort with the cloud is not always an easy sell. Still, DTS is gaining more traction as existing servers reach the end of their rope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe talk about solutions in every quarterly review, and (clients) didn\u2019t always take it to heart,\u201d McHenry said. \u201cA lot of them want to keep their workflows on-premise. But as we\u2019re seeing servers reach end of life, we\u2019re moving them more readily to the cloud to make their employees more productive, no matter where they\u2019re working. That\u2019s been a big change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Usherwood Office Technology of Syracuse, New York, the cloud progression has taken hold with many end-user clients, notes Lindsay Usherwood, general counsel and corporate secretary for the firm. The workflow and software needs may no longer require on-premise servers, and the dealer is able to replicate their processes with an integrated Microsoft 365 and Azure solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lindsay Usherwood, Usherwood Office Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Part of the challenge is getting clients to understand that the cloud is not a built-in panacea for security threats. That is why the dealer crafts a solution that can mitigate security failures and protect clients from one of their biggest threats: themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA common misconception for business owners is that if their data is in the cloud, it is safe from cyber threats,\u201d Underwood noted. \u201cAccording to Gartner, over the next three years, `at least 95% of cloud security failures will be the customer\u2019s fault.\u2019 This decentralized approach does not negate the need for cybersecurity and other network controls. Our experts design a custom solution that considers cloud shared responsibility, so we can close the gap on any cloud security failures.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is not enough for dealers to simply be providers of managed IT, software and workflow solutions to their client base. They need to be coaches, teachers, confidants and soothsayers. Yes, there is a psychology to workflow solutions and a dealer\u2019s role in shining the light on the fact that on-premise servers are not a requirement for 21st-century office employees. Even as many end-users have been pushed remotely\u2014and are far more hesitant to return\u2014dealers must continue to case-build the big picture of efficient operations through the cloud. It is a battle they seem to be winning on the whole\u2026but it\u2019s a battle, nonetheless. Software and workflow solutions have provided ample opportunities for U.S. Business Systems (USBS) to engage deeper with clientele, notes Ron Hulett, project manager for the Elkhart, Indiana-based dealership. While there is a variety of software in USBS\u2019 base offering, workflow can be somewhat more complex, depending on the business process that\u2019s being addressed. This can lead to a bit of hand-holding for USBS, according to Hulett. \u201cIt\u2019s also absolutely necessary to define what the scope of these projects are, or they will creep to where you may never get to the finish line,\u201d Hulett remarked. \u201cI like to work through the same steps as managed IT, only treat them as project-based work that has a stopping point per phase. By separating major components into separate phases, we can accomplish something and agree that we did before moving on to the next phase.\u201d Meanwhile, the benefits of leveraging the cloud have been driving forces for its growth. Hulett\u2019s caveat is that it requires subject matter experts to articulate those benefits. \u201cUnless you\u2019re going to farm out all your work (and your margin) to a third party and hope they get it right and treat the customer the way you do, you must have the expertise in-house,\u201d he added. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t come cheap, but again we believe that it\u2019s worth the investment. Especially as the transformation continues.\u201d Shining a Light Dean Swenson, president of The Swenson Group in Livermore, California, pointed out that his dealership was in the process of hosting a document management\/electronic workflow webinar with one of its key partners. \u201cIn the hybrid world, companies realize they need to digitize their information in order to have better access, improved security, etc.,\u201d he said. \u201cAdditionally, they are looking for ways to move from people-based processes to more automated, scalable electronic processes.\u201d In a post-pandemic landscape, flexibility is of utmost importance to end-users, notes Michelle Shepard, vice president of sales for Systel Business Equipment in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The ability to work from anywhere with immediate access is a must-have expectation in the eyes of clients. \u201cTo me, scalable workflow offerings built within a cloud services platform are becoming more sustainable for small and large businesses,\u201d she said. \u201cI also believe that cloud acceptance is growing in popularity among all sizes of business.\u201d TJ DeBello, vice president of sales for Stargel Office Solutions-Star Managed Services, has witnessed a growing acceptance of cloud-based solutions. That has helped the dealer push deeper with the Microsoft platform, among others. \u201cWe have seen a transition from our workflow software like DocuWare move from traditional on-premise to cloud-based,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also sell higher levels of Office 365 licensing that includes access to SharePoint and OneDrive.\u201d Gaining Ground Document management tools have become more important to end-users looking to keep workflows humming along for those at-home employees, notes Tom McHenry, vice president of managed services for Definitive Technology Solutions (DTS) in Bloomington, Minnesota. DTS offers a number of document management titles that have dovetailed nicely with client workflows, as many employees find they are more productive in a remote fashion. Comfort with the cloud is not always an easy sell. Still, DTS is gaining more traction as existing servers reach the end of their rope. \u201cWe talk about solutions in every quarterly review, and (clients) didn\u2019t always take it to heart,\u201d McHenry said. \u201cA lot of them want to keep their workflows on-premise. But as we\u2019re seeing servers reach end of life, we\u2019re moving them more readily to the cloud to make their employees more productive, no matter where they\u2019re working. That\u2019s been a big change.\u201d For Usherwood Office Technology of Syracuse, New York, the cloud progression has taken hold with many end-user clients, notes Lindsay Usherwood, general counsel and corporate secretary for the firm. The workflow and software needs may no longer require on-premise servers, and the dealer is able to replicate their processes with an integrated Microsoft 365 and Azure solution. Part of the challenge is getting clients to understand that the cloud is not a built-in panacea for security threats. That is why the dealer crafts a solution that can mitigate security failures and protect clients from one of their biggest threats: themselves. \u201cA common misconception for business owners is that if their data is in the cloud, it is safe from cyber threats,\u201d Underwood noted. \u201cAccording to Gartner, over the next three years, `at least 95% of cloud security failures will be the customer\u2019s fault.\u2019 This decentralized approach does not negate the need for cybersecurity and other network controls. Our experts design a custom solution that considers cloud shared responsibility, so we can close the gap on any cloud security failures.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":49491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1878,80,1650,82,1638,4039],"tags":[1011,1986,3932],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49490"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49490"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49493,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49490\/revisions\/49493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}