High-Tech
On Dec 27, 2023
Hamburg, New Jersey-based The Cannata Report, a leading news source for the independent dealer channel in the office technology industry, has issued its 2024 WatchList highlighting trends, people, and companies that will drive office tech in the new year.
According to The Cannata Report, the following will shape the office technology industry in 2024:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) – The emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022 created a firestorm of interest in artificial intelligence. While many industries, including the office technology industry, were already incorporating elements of AI into their products, it’s time to brace ourselves for the many ways it will impact us in our personal and work lives in 2024.
- Cybersecurity – Here’s a trend with staying power. Cyberthreats are real and ongoing, and more office technology dealers will partner with companies offering cybersecurity services in addition to traditional IT services in 2024.
- The Cloud – Concerns about cloud security haven’t dissipated, and opportunities for office technology dealers selling cloud-based solutions remain.
- Cybersecurity – Here’s a trend with staying power. Cyberthreats are real and ongoing, and more office technology dealers will partner with companies offering cybersecurity services in addition to traditional IT services in 2024.
- E-commerce – many independent office technology dealers believe having an e-commerce presence is inevitable, even if they prefer how office tech has traditionally been sold for decades.
- Diversification – The only way to ensure long-term viability is by diversifying beyond traditional office imaging devices. The list of diversification opportunities is long and includes EV chargers, managed IT, UCaaS, label and barcode printers, document management, shredding services, mailing equipment, computers, digital displays, and production print.
- Inkjet – Inkjet printing has a bright future in the independent dealer channel. Whether it’s A3 or A4 or high-speed printers and duplicators, all the way up to production printing, dealers have plenty of inkjet printer options to satisfy customers’ diverse printing needs.
- A4 Multifunction Printers (MFPs) – This could be the year A4 MFPs experience a huge resurgence. Remote and hybrid work is here to stay, and if OEMs and dealers can offer more robust A4 printer offerings than what is available at online resellers and Big Box stores, this could be a very good year for A4 MFPs.
- Ricoh-Toshiba Technology Merger – This was the biggest story of the year in the office technology industry, and how successful it will be remains to be seen. The R&D partnership is expected to start in the first quarter of 2024, meaning the first round of products will arrive in 2025.
“We aim to provide a clear, concise overview of the significant developments and trends gaining the most traction in the independent dealer channel of the office technology industry in our Annual WatchList issue. Diversification in recent years has been noteworthy, and innovative technologies are propelling dealers in new directions that are redefining the traditional office tech business model,” said Scott Cullen, editor-in-chief, The Cannata Report.
In addition to highlighting trends, people, products, and companies in its WatchList, The Cannata Report also reviews 2023’s “greatest hits” in the office technology and document imaging industry – the introductions and initiatives from the leading office tech hardware OEMs that made a difference in 2023.
For more on the latest office technology trends and the companies and executives driving those trends, read The Cannata Report’s complete 2024 WatchList (https://www.thecannatareport.com/articles/2024-watchlist/).
The Cannata Report is the leading intelligence resource for the document imaging channel in the office technology industry, covering a range of topics, including managed IT solutions, managed print services, digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud communications, network security, production print, services and supplies, vendor finance, mergers and acquisitions, and more. Written specifically for the independent dealer channel, The Cannata Report, founded in 1982, has an audience that includes business leaders in the office technology industry’s hardware, software, IT, leasing, and supplies segments.
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