T to the C to the O: Know your costs

So we’ve talked about ECM and MPS and DMS, but today let’s discuss three other letters I’ve gotten to know and love: TCO. Well, it’s not that Ilovetotal cost of ownership exactly. Rather, I like to help people determine, manage, and reduce their total cost of ownership.

For people like us, TCO usually comes into the picture when we’re looking at devices such as printers and fax machines. The folks over atPrinting & Imaging Innovations tell me that an important TCO consideration for printers is energy consumption, and that replacing a lot of desktop inkjet printers with fewer workgroup inkjet or laser printers can go a long way. Some other solutions they recommend to reduce TCO include installing a multifunction product (see my10 things to look for in an all-in-one printer postfor more on this exciting topic) and reducing unnecessary color costs.

Be on the lookout for output and device management solutions that can lower TCO in your workplace. These cost-cutting strategies could help your business:

1. Know the total cost of ownership of networked devices
2. Handle chargebacks to recover costs and increase accuracy of client billing
3. Automate meter reading
4. Track device usage and output and implement sophisticated device reporting features
5. Manage all reporting from a central location
6. Use monitoring and reporting features to determine optimal device positioning within your workspace
7. Improve document cost allocation by users, departments or clients
8. Increase uptime by matching the number and type of devices to the appropriate workload.

Oh, the possibilities! Technology is a beautiful thing.

(Source:Ricoh)