Print

Comment

Email

Digg

Del.icio.us

Reddit

Twitter

They are ubiquitous, yet they have remained in the periphery for a long time. But in the last few years they have been given their due across the world. We are talking about IT peripherals-for long subjected to step-motherly treatment by IT managers. But, not any more. Today most enterprise have, or are planning to have a peripherals management strategy, more so due to escalating costs in managing the plethora of peripheral devices-printers, scanners, monitors-in the organization. Why is effective management of peripherals devices vital for the enterprise? For one, the critical enabling roles these peripherals devices play are indeed many. And the key is choosing the right technologies that will help enterprises to effectively manage the devices, we look at the various devices and how to choose the right technology appropriate to the needs.

Monitors: The Big Picture
Over the years CRT monitors have been on top. But in recent times, LCD technology is gathering momentum. According to experts, monitors, though default peripherals devices come with PCs, but should be given due attention. Any enterprise going in for a large deployment of desktops should ideally choose an LCD monitor as it brings to table defined benefits in terms of power consumption.

For labor-intensive industries like BPO, the employee base runs into thousands where space is premium. Here, LCD becomes an ideal option. If we look at the last two years, enterprises are going for LCD monitors in a big way, and more industries and offices are opting for the same keeping in mind its obvious benefits over CRT, such as minimal desk space, less power consumption, no radiation, and better durability. Analysts say that the LCD market would surge ahead driven by widespread awareness, acceptance and affordability of the technology. Consumer markets should pick up due to aggressive promotions, attractive exchange offers, and increasing awareness about utility. In the enterprise segment, there should be huge replacements due to falling prices.

LCDs are seen as the next logical evolution in display devices, and from a thing of luxury they have now become mainstream. If we look at the enterprise monitor buying patterns, it favorably tilts toward LCD monitors, given that they provide CIOs greater RoI in terms of power savings. The LCDs uses Thin Film Transistor (TFT). The power consumed in the LCD is less because it requires only a small power to energize the tiny transistors. The key parameter one should look for before buying an LCD monitor is the presence of dead pixels. Which will bring down the display quality.

Printers: Making Impact
In the recent times printers have become a key peripherals device. The two dominant technologies here are the impact and non-impact printers. Impact printers use the Dot Matrix technology. Vendors like TVSE, Epson, WeP and Lipi have large mandates on the DMP technology.

Looking at its evolution, Digital Equipment Corporation launched one of the first fully commercial DMPs called the LA 30 in the 70s. But the main drawback was that it could print only 80-columns of uppercase and on a custom specific paper size. In 1974, Digital launched the LA 36, which took the columns up to 132. In the 1980s DMP was the only established print technology that found its way into many enterprises. By the late 80s DMP technologies also started maturing and from the initial 9-pin, the number of pins scaled up to 18 and 24. Since the early 1990s the popularity of DMPs started thinning down in the West as non-impact printers now started making inroads. The non-impact technologies scored over impact on many counts like-ease of operation, noiseless printing, speed and overall print quality. However, unique application scenarios continue to drive the DMP market: needs like bill printing in point-of-sale terminals and ATM machines and the likes.

When we look at the non-impact technology, the dots are multi-colored and are able to produce quality images. A laser printer produces far more superior image capabilities. While acquisition cost of the laser printer is high, running costs are low. Over the years inkjets and lasers are dominating the printer market. Now, over the last four years, multi functional printers (MFD) are increasingly coming into the mainstream, providung convergence capabilities. There are two types of MFDs-copier-based and printer-based. While the copier-based uses the drum and toner technology, the printer-based uses cartridges. If the printer requirements are huge, experts advise it appropriate to go in for copier-based technology. For workgroup-based printer needs, A4 MFD will be ideal.

In all, printers need to be selected depending upon the need and requirement. For mass printing needs DMPs are an ideal fit that offer best cost per printed output. These are most suited for printing bills, receipts, account statements and reports. Inkjets are more polarized toward individual users and their presence in corporate environments is less. Lasers are the most sought after in the corporate set-up and offer the best fit for wide ranging enterprise print demands. If the enterprise print needs are diverse, then MFDs are ideally suited.

Scanners: Going Niche
Scanners, once the hot peripherals, are rapidly losing their sheen with the advent of MFDs, but still have a market. However, while buying scanners enterprises buyers have to look at certain key factors: There are two types of scanners-Flatbed and Sheet-fed. The flatbed scanner is the most popular in the big market capable of producing good quality images. In sheet-fed scanners, unlike in the flatbed, the paper moves across the stationery head, hence it is difficult to scan subjects like books and certain documents. Experts suggest that if the enterprise has good scanning needs it must go for flatbed scanners. Scanning today has become a niche application. For high-end professional needs for verticals such as media, production scanners from vendors like Kodak offer high speed suiting a wide range of scanning requirements.

Whether buying monitors or scanners, enterprises need to understand their unique needs and select the right peripheral device.

Shrikanth G
shrikanthg@cybermedia.co.in

Page(s)   1