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IKON Introduces Integrated Solutions Portfolio, Driving Efficiency Throughout Document Lifecycle
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. --(Business Wire)-- Sept. 7, 2004 -- IKON Enterprise Services Outlines Comprehensive Document Management Strategy for Office and Production Environments
Bringing greater cost savings, increased efficiency and integrated document management capabilities to customers of all sizes and across all industries, IKON Office Solutions (NYSE:IKN), the world's largest independent channel for document management systems and services, today announced the launch of a comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end solutions designed to address document management needs at all phases of the document lifecycle: capture, workflow, output and retention.
The portfolio combines today's leading document management equipment and software with Web-based tools backed by IKON's best-in-class, objective approach to document management. Through the pre-tested, pre-configured and tightly integrated portfolio of solutions, IKON Enterprise Services - IKON's global services organization - will deliver document management solutions that address the specific business problems and document challenges of both office and production environments.
IKON Enterprise Services will offer these solutions through expanded and new relationships with leading technology providers, including EMC Corporation for its EMC Documentum ApplicationXtender 5, which manages content from capture to storage and archival; Kofax for its information capture application; Captaris for enterprise fax and e-document delivery solutions; Notable Solutions (NSi) for distributed capture and document workflow; Electronics For Imaging (EFI) for web submission and workflow tools; Equitrac for document accounting solutions; and Objectif Lune and Solimar Systems for output and distribution software.
Also employed in the portfolio are IKON-exclusive solutions, including IKON PowerPress, a front-end system designed to streamline document workflows; IKON PowerPort, the newly available print-transform software solution that simplifies the processing of legacy data streams; and IKON DocSend, a document capture-and-delivery system that converts hard copies to digital files for easy delivery or storage.
"IKON's value is in the breadth of its equipment offerings and document services, its extensive partnerships, its objectivity to customers, and its ability to seek out the best hardware and software solutions available to meet customers' needs," stated Keith Kmetz, Director of Hardcopy Peripherals Solutions and Services, IDC.
IKON selected products for the portfolio based on a flexible, open architecture and standards-based technologies to ensure interoperability as well as extensibility of functions between new and existing systems. This approach enables IKON Enterprise Services to implement high-value solutions that support tight integration of products in the portfolio, as well as leverage existing IT and equipment investments to increase efficiency, productivity and cost savings for customers. This combination of hardware and software - combined with IKON's ability to integrate, implement and support solutions through IKON Enterprise Services - strategically positions IKON to take advantage of the document management software and services market which represents the fastest growing segment of the document management industry.
"Our customers are under immense pressure to cut costs while increasing the effectiveness of their existing systems without interrupting business operations," explained Michael Kohlsdorf, Senior Vice President of IKON Enterprise Services. "We have dedicated significant resources to researching, testing and evaluating solutions, ensuring customers' current investments can be optimized by complementing them with the right mix of technologies within one, single solution."
The solutions delivered in the integrated portfolio will be customized to fit customers' document management needs and specific business challenges based on IKON's objective assessment services. IKON's Document Output Strategy Assessment is an output-oriented service that gives customers a clearer understanding of how they currently use copiers, printers, faxes and/or multifunctional devices; the optimal mix and location of these output assets; and ways to cut costs and improve workflow productivity. A more comprehensive assessment service is IKON's Document Lifecycle Strategy Assessment, which closely examines the entire document lifecycle within a customer's unique business processes in order to match mission-critical documents and workflows to end-to-end solutions that measurably improve business results.
"Today's most sophisticated organizations see document management vendors as IT partners who help them align their document strategies with their IT and business strategies. Especially important is the critical role these vendors provide in assessing an organization's output, assisting in the management of all their assets, and providing the right solutions in a unified way," said Don Dixon, Principal Analyst, Gartner. "As midsize and large organizations increasingly tie documents to business systems and practices, they must evaluate their needs by looking at the entire document lifecycle."
Supporting more than 5,000 sales professionals, IKON's team of 1,000 Professional Services specialists can assess, customize, install, manage, service and support end-to-end solutions throughout a company's document lifecycle - allowing customers to take full advantage of the cost efficiencies and quality of service benefits that come from dealing with a single solution provider. IKON's integrated suite of document management solutions covers all critical areas of need for customers - from capture and imaging to workflow, output to storage and archiving.
"The end-to-end solutions delivered by IKON Enterprise Services are designed to help customers ensure the highest level of document efficiency and reliability from the point of creation to archive. Decades of experience implementing, integrating and supporting best-in-class solutions allow us to offer our customers innovative, yet practical document management systems that give them a competitive advantage," concluded Kohlsdorf.
About IKON
IKON Office Solutions (www.ikon.com) integrates imaging systems and services that help businesses manage document workflow and increase efficiency. As the world's largest independent distribution channel for copier and printer technologies, IKON offers best-in-class systems from leading manufacturers such as Canon, Ricoh and HP and service support through its team of 7,000 service professionals worldwide. IKON also represents the industry's broadest portfolio of document management services: outsourcing and professional services, on-site copy and mailroom management, fleet management, off-site digital printing solutions, and customized workflow and imaging application development, as well as equipment lease financing. With Fiscal 2003 revenues of $4.7 billion, IKON has approximately 600 locations throughout North America and Europe.
This news release includes information which may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the ability of IKON, IKON Enterprise Services and document management products and solutions to meet customer needs, improve productivity, reduce costs and/or increase efficiency. Although IKON believes the expectations contained in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove correct. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current plans or expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: risks and uncertainties relating to conducting operations in a competitive environment and a changing industry; delays, difficulties, management transitions and employment issues associated with consolidation of, and/or changes in business operations; managing the integration of existing and acquired companies; risks and uncertainties associated with existing or future vendor relationships; and general economic conditions. Certain additional risks and uncertainties are set forth in IKON's 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a consequence of these and other risks and uncertainties, IKON's current plans, anticipated actions and future financial condition and results may differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.
(GIKN)
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