Rico Says Selling Print And a Paperless Services is Not Contradictory

[Anonymous]

Rico Says That Selling Print And a Paperless Services is Not Contradictory
'If we just put a box in the corner with a 'print' button then we deserve to fail', according to CIO Ian Winham
By Gaurav Sharma

Selling printing and paperless solutions in tandem is not a "contradiction", as both aspects of the business must be managed in a digital age, says Ian Winham, CIO and CFO of RICOH Europe.

Speaking to CIO UK, Winham said: "The reality of today is that not only are clients printing less, but we ourselves are printing less as a business. As a CIO, I dream of running a paperless office, but being pragmatic I do not see it happening tomorrow.

"By that argument, if we are selling digital invoicing solutions or print platforms to achieve the same objective, I'd say that's transitional rather than contradictory."

Furthermore, a CIO in his line of work needs to deploy an "eat what you sell" philosophy, Winham says. "Our internal experience of a gradual move away from paper is reflected in pitches to clients. If we just put a box in the corner with a 'print' button then we deserve to fail."

Winham, a regional "techno-finance chief" himself, also waded into the ongoing debate about finance and IT roles coming together under CFTO C-suite role describing it as a sign of times. "The increasing use of technology and processes in support of finance are going to mean that the two jobs will get more and more aligned as time goes on."

As for the age-old question of whether he is a disruptor or innovator as CIO, Winham likes to think he's both.

"In our line of business, we accompany clients on their journey of process improvements and evolution. We then evolve along with their needs as external influence and internal evolution come together in moving forward. Now is that innovation or disruption? I am not sure which one is the right word but it is certainly helping us do business."

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March 11, 2014 at 11:57 AM