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Enabling you to work as you want. Working for you—on your terms. Free. Empowered. Connected. Sounds good? It is.
In these times of ever-increasing data volumes and highly complex technologies, your business faces a range of challenges, as your employees’ work becomes more mobile, data security standards are tightened up, and different systems need to be updated on a regular basis.
And what if your business experiences a system breakdown?
Being prepared for every possible issue relating to your IT environment will give you peace of mind – as well as more energy and time to focus on the tasks that really matter for your business.
Until now compatibility between systems has been one of the great obstacles to productivity at work. By uniting the different parts of workplace IT infrastructures, Workplace Hub removes this barrier and provides intelligent-based services. It makes it easier to plan, manage and grow the IT environment that organisations need and want. It enables people to work smarter from any device or location. It puts people in control of their technology. It’s IT on your terms.
Workplace Hub consists of multiple tools you can use to enhance your IT management. It combines management, collaboration, technology and support in one complete IT ecosystem. The IT services platform was developed by Konica Minolta with the goal of offering businesses efficient, effective collaboration, together with strong technology partners such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Sophos and Microsoft.
Optimise your IT expenditure
Stay safe with all your data
Reduce IT complexity
Enhance your team efficiency
Workplace Hub is an ecosystem that can manage and coordinate IT infrastructure and services across existing and future IT systems, devices, and services. This can be done via a central dashboard that shows IT usage patterns across the whole business, enabling simple management and optimization of systems.
We helped by installing Workplace Hub ‘Edge’, an all-in-one IT solution. This includes the world’s most advanced server technology from Hewlett Packard Enterprise as well as leading security services.
Following an initial crypto virus attack, ADP Laboratoire contacted Konica Minolta for help. Given ADP Laboratoire’s equipment was obsolete, the only guaranteed solution was to replace their entire IT system.
Following an initial crypto virus attack, ADP Laboratoire contacted Konica Minolta for help. Given ADP Laboratoire’s equipment was obsolete, the only guaranteed solution was to replace their entire IT system. Konica Minolta installed Workplace Hub ‘Edge’, an all-in-one IT solution. This included the world’s most advanced server technology from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, providing leading security with Sophos XG Firewall.
Konica Minolta installed Workplace Hub ‘Edge’, an all-in-one IT solution. This included the world’s most advanced server technology from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, providing leading security with Sophos XG Firewall. ADP Laboratoire was hit by a second cyber-attack that they resolved quickly without loss of data or disruption to work. As a result of this second attack, they decided to take advantage of Konica Minolta’s Managed IT Services. They now have a proactively managed IT service that automatically monitors the system and provides an additional level of security and reassurance.
With Workplace Hub, all of Durand Eroles Castagnet’s data and applications are automatically backed-up to Konica Minolta’s local data centre. This meant key Information was easily transferred onto a temporary server, enabling Durand Eroles Castagnet to continue operating with minimal interruption.
Durand Eroles Castagnet relies on a server to manage their database and accounts, and two printers to process orders. A recent fire destroyed part of the business including their server and printers.
When a recent fire destroyed part of our business, we lost our server which had all our data and applications saved locally. Now with Konica Minolta’s Workplace Hub, everything is automatically backed up – no more interruptions and worries
M. Durand & Ms. Castagnet,
Co-Directors
Durand Eroles Castagnet relies on a server to manage their database and accounts, and two printers to process orders. A recent fire destroyed part of the business including their server and printers. With Workplace Hub, all of Durand Eroles Castagnet’s data and applications are automatically backed-up to Konica Minolta’s local data centre. This meant key Information was easily transferred onto a temporary server, enabling Durand Eroles Castagnet to continue operating with minimal interruption.
With Workplace Hub, all of Durand Eroles Castagnet’s data and applications are automatically backed-up to Konica Minolta’s local data centre. This meant key information was easily transferred onto a temporary server, enabling Durand Eroles Castagnet to continue operating with minimal interruption.
Mohyla relies on its IT infrastructure to provide a high standard of accounting services. They needed a new robust IT system that gave them 100% security with the ability to backup data on their own virtual servers. The challenge was that they did not have much space for any IT equipment. Building on the print service already provided, Konica Minolta was able to offer Workplace Hub with proactive monitoring – a complete IT solution from the same space that used to be their multifunction printer.
As a small business, we don’t have much space for IT equipment – but we rely on having a robust IT infrastructure to provide a high standard of accounting services. With Konica Minolta’s Workplace Hub, we now have a complete IT solution from the same space that used to be just a printer! Even better, is that the system integrated seamlessly with our existing virtual servers, to protect, secure and store all data
Petr Mohyla
Owner, Mohyla CZ s.r.o.
Mohyla relies on its IT infrastructure to provide a high standard of accounting services. They needed a new robust IT system that gave them 100% security with the ability to backup data on their own virtual servers. The challenge was that they did not have much space for any IT equipment.
Building on the print service already provided, Konica Minolta was able to offer Workplace Hub with proactive monitoring – a complete IT solution from the same space that used to be their multifunction printer. The system integrated seamlessly with their existing virtual servers to protect, secure and store all data. Konica Minolta is now taking care of the whole IT from print to digitization and all business data processing.
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IT infrastructure was never in the centre of too much attention in DuoBad’s daily business. This changed, though, when the IT’s age and limitations started to become a constraint. Much of DuoBad’s IT infrastructure, software and support was reaching end-of-life. DuoBad was also seeking to modernise its IT in order keep up with its growing business. Workplace Hub is now at the heart of DuoBad’s IT, integrating and maintaining all systems the company needs. Combined with Konica Minolta as a single point of contact, the company now has an enterprise quality ‘Intelligent Connected Workplace’ at its disposal, while being able to focus its investment in staff and skills needed for the core of their business.
As a small business, DuoBad focusses all of its resources on delivering exceptional products and customer service. This means, however, that its IT infrastructure was never in the centre of too much attention in the company’s daily business. This changed, though, when the IT’s age and limitations started to become a constraint. Much of DuoBad’s IT infrastructure and software was reaching end-of-life: support for the existing systems was running out. DuoBad was also seeking to modernise its IT in order keep up with its growing business. Further, it should provide its employees with a modern working environment – a truly digital workplace with easy and secure access to information from wherever and whenever they needed it. The customer’s Microsoft Office solution was running towards its end-of-life as well and did not reflect those new needs anymore. For its e-mails, DuoBad was using one by its internet service provider and looking for a solution to integrate a mail server into its systems. At the same time, the company was searching for a solution that was easy to manage and able ensure protection against data loss with an automated, reliable backup solution in place.
With regard to connectivity, DuoBad struggled with an additional challenge small and medium-sized business outside larger metropolitan areas face in particular: “Our location initially didn’t have a local fibre connection. We therefore were very reliant on having a local IT infrastructure in place,” explains DuoBad CTO Rikard Karlsson. Poor connectivity could otherwise translate to interrupted, unreliable workflows, if significant amounts of data would have to be quickly accessed from clouds systems, for example. “We were relying on a local HP server, running with Microsoft Windows Server. Both hardware and software were approaching end of life, however”, says Karlsson.
With only one team member dedicated to maintaining the IT of the business, having one partner taking over responsibility for the IT and providing a fully functional, holistic solution was key for DuoBad. “We are a small, specialised company and appreciate a strong IT partner with a local service team and shared values,” says DuoBad CEO, Niklas Hult. Having a single point of contact was also important to the company as they wanted responsibilities to be bundled in one place.
The company was an existing customer of Konica Minolta, working with bizhub MFP devices for over 14 years. It was a positive relationship that had endured through much of the company’s history. During this time a strong foundation of trust and mutual respect had grown. “We have an Account Manager at Konica Minolta that we know and trust. He knows us, too, and understands our business very well”, says Niklas Hult, who also appreciated that Konica Minolta shares his company’s deep commitment to sustainability. “Konica Minolta has done a great job during time we have cooperated in the past. It is important to have this local knowledge on hand when we need to address our technical challenges.” So, when it came to finding the right partner for the implementation of the new IT solution, DuoBad relied on its existing partner Konica Minolta.
“From a day to day perspective, the technician I work with has a lot of knowledge and I have a lot of trust in him,” explains CTO Rikard Karlsson. “As he’s part of Konica Minolta, I also know that my contact can draw on this wider pool of skills and experience whenever needed and will always get back to me quickly with solutions.”
Konica Minolta was able to provide exactly what DuoBad was searching for: The IT services expert proposed Workplace Hub Advanced as a modern and future-proof all-in-one digital workplace solution that would be an ideal fit for DuoBad’s needs. By integrating the previously separate server, software, and MFP, this Workplace Hub implementation provides DuoBad with a digital workplace solution – from a single trusted supplier, just as DuoBad was aiming for. “If we encounter a challenge or have a question, I instantly know who to call,” Karlsson points out.
Following further consultation with Konica Minolta, DuoBad agreed to proceed with the implementation at the end of 2019. The solution runs a Windows Server 2019 installation to fulfil File/Print/AD server roles. In terms of security and resilience, the solution also includes Konica Minolta Remote Care Antivirus and the Acronis Backup Service. The project started at beginning of 2020 and moved into its final phase within three months.
As DuoBad faced the challenge of not yet having a fibre connection, the hybrid nature of Workplace Hub helped to address this challenge: With a hybrid solution, data that needs to be quickly and reliably accessed locally is stored on-site. At the same time, a connection to the cloud makes external access to information possible, for example from a vendor’s or supplier’s office. This is a quite common scenario for many businesses that do not have broadband connectivity. DuoBad’s situation exemplifies how many SMEs can use a hybrid solution – not forcing them to choose either an on-site or a cloud solution. In DuoBad’s case, the mission critical GARP business system, which incorporates ERP, CRM and ECM functions, remains on premise. The same goes for the company’s file and print functions.
As a company we have a dedication to only choosing the best vendors, otherwise how can we provide our customers with the best? So when it came to upgrading our IT, quality was of the upmost importance to us. Konica Minolta’s Workplace Hub was the perfect solution for our needs: a simplified but robust architecture that will continue to evolve with us.
Niklas Hult
CEO, DuoBad AB, Sweden
A refresh of the company’s outdated mail system as well as Microsoft Office solution is delivered as a second phase of the project. The cloud-based Office 365 Business Premium solution that is rolled out once the fibre connection has been installed at the company premises, providing DuoBad’s team with the modern work tools the team needs in its daily work. It further runs the company’s mail servers, integrating them seamlessly with the other applications in place and replacing the mailboxes at the internet service provider. The migration to Office 365 will also give DuoBad’s employees access to improved remote working and collaborative possibilities. “Mobile access is certainly vital, as it is important to be able to work offsite and still use our main systems remotely,” explained Niklas Hult. This capability could also prove transformational. DuoBad is keen to explore new ways of working made possible by modern collaboration solutions such as Microsoft Teams.
Recognising the possibilities offered by Workplace Hub, DuoBad expanded the initial scope of the project to also include a remote desktop solution to empower system administrators and to facilitate offsite working. With the installation of fibre, the company is also able implement the Arconis Backup Service: a cloud-based disaster recovery solution – and a very important step for DuoBad. “Thankfully, we did not suffer a catastrophic data loss in our company’s history, yet. However, our design files, our customer, logistics, supplier and stock – all this data is absolutely business critical for us, and we simply cannot afford to lose it in case of a fire, for example,” explains Karlsson. With the disaster recovery system in place, an automated process will generate a regular backup of this critical information, making quickly accessible, if the original data is lost.
Further, thanks to Konica Minolta’s 24-hour managed IT services, the company now has a dependable solution at its disposal, ensuring smooth operations around the clock. With only one team member responsible for IT at DuoBad, this provides considerable peace of mind and greatly increases the company’s resilience. Similarly, the ability to pay for leading edge services on demand via Workplace Hub allows DuoBad to access Sophos XG Firewall as part of a monthly subscription. This world-class solution has stepped up the company’s security, minimising risks as the company’s sales force connect remotely via VPN. Threats and hidden risks can quickly be identified and neutralised, infected systems are automatically and instantaneously isolated.
Workplace Hub is now at the heart of DuoBad’s IT, integrating and maintaining all systems the company needs. Combined with Konica Minolta as a single point of contact, the company is now has an enterprise quality ‘Intelligent Connected Workplace’ at its disposal, while being able to focus its investment in staff and skills needed for the core of their business. “We are very excited to further explore the full potential of Workplace Hub,” concludes Niklas Hult.