The Simply Smarter Blog

Just like leasing a car or a phone, it’s possible, and sometimes more beneficial, to lease office equipment. If your organization is thinking of upgrading an old copier or multifunction printer (MFP), have you considered leasing? While there are benefits of purchasing a new piece of office equipment, you could also be looking at higher upfront fees, costs for replacing and repairing parts, and being stuck using outdated technology with the rapidly evolving pace of innovation.

You know him.  He’s that guy in your remote meetings that just can’t get it together. You really can’t blame him. After all, he’s not used to meeting this way. Like most of us, ever since stay-at-home orders were announced, he’s been reluctantly living the work-from-home life. The conference room is now his bedroom, the kids are his new “co-workers” and his fur baby barks at every Amazon package delivered at the front door. Bless. His. Heart.

I must confess, I’ve been “that guy” more times than I’m willing to admit. Nevertheless, it’s important to uphold basic meeting etiquette. Learning from others’ mistakes is a powerful thing, so that’s why I’m sharing some remote meeting blunders from familiar characters you’ve probably met along the way.

When you think about securing highly sensitive documents, cybersecurity probably comes to mind first. And while protecting your digital files is significantly important, you also need to address the most basic security issues – such as inadvertently leaving important documents lying around on or near a printer – that could have an adverse effect on your business.  That’s exactly what one offshore drilling company was faced with when they approached their local Sharp dealer to upgrade their equipment once their lease was up on their high-speed, color multifunction printers (MFPs).

To lease or to buy? This is the question many small business owners face when the time comes to invest in a new copier or multifunction printer (MFP) for the office. Others, perhaps newer to business, may be surprised to learn that leasing is even an option. Isn’t leasing something you do with cars, not printers? But as you shop around and get familiar with the world of office equipment, you’ll learn that printers and copiers come at many different price points, and often it can make more sense to lease a device rather than to buy it outright. But when? It can vary from business to business, but here are some questions to ask when considering a lease.

As employees continue to do their jobs efficiently and effectively from remote locations, some companies are beginning to view the work-from-home model as longer-term, while others have embraced a hybrid model in which employees split time between home and office. While there are many benefits to remote work for both employer and employee, there are some downsides as well – and one of those is the need to provide IT services to a remote workforce. 

It is no secret that today increased security threats, such as phishing or ransomware attacks, are a very real concern. Almost all devices are prone to cybersecurity threats and office printers and multifunction devices (MFPs) are no exception.

There are several steps businesses can take to help ensure their network and all connected devices are secure. We’ve compiled a list of seven tips to help prevent your business from falling victim to cybersecurity threats.

When it comes to selecting the right printer for your office or organization, whether that’s at home or in an office setting, there are a lot of factors to consider. From cost and size to technology capabilities and color options, there can be a lot that impacts your overall decision. With so many variables, it’s hard to know which to choose. So, what are your options?

Cyberattacks can leave small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) exposed and vulnerable to going out of business. To better understand industry concerns on this topic, Sharp commissioned a cybersecurity study of 250 North American SMBs with Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). The results found that many SMBs are struggling to protect themselves. Almost half of all respondents said that their business had been the victim of multiple security incidents (averaging three) in the last year. While some of these incidents can be attributed to human error, many took place because the organization had a smaller IT team. In fact, 85% of SMBs surveyed said they have, at most, one dedicated security professional on their team.