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4 mins read

IT Voice Interaction with Mr. C Sukumaran, Senior Director- Product & Communication Centre, Canon India

Jahnavi- How does Canon see digital transformation as being essential to its long-term success and growth, and how is the company working to ensure it remains competitive and the role of innovation in an increasingly digital world?

Sukumaran– Technology, as we know, has come a long way and it is in a phase of constant evolution, with a major impact on our everyday lives. It is amazing to see how businesses have been able to leverage the latest technological innovations, moving towards a data driven business model. Canon India has been supporting businesses, irrespective of their size, in their pursuit of digital transformation. Our goal is to continuously introduce innovative products and technologies that simplify repetitive daily tasks, resulting in improved convenience, efficiency, and productivity across various industries.

Document management systems have become essential across sectors for documentation and compliance purposes, by simplifying and streamlining systems and digitizing all paper-based administrative tasks. Through our range of digital solutions such as document and cheque scanners, curated tools, cloud services, and document management solutions (DMS), we are revolutionizing the digital transformation journey for our clients, enabling them to enhance their operational efficiency. We have seen a significant surge in demand for our office automation tools and software solutions including Therefore, Uniflow and Kofax. These solutions are highly sought after as they play a crucial role in data analytics and assisting organizations on their digital transformation journey.

By introducing new products, we aim to enhance our business outlook and position ourselves as the ultimate destination for our customers’ printing and office needs. In the digital transformation era, our primary focus is on equipping our customers with the technological infrastructure they require to thrive.

Jahnavi- What has been the role of partnerships and collaborations in Canon’s digital transformation journey, and how have they contributed to the company’s success?

Sukumaran– The “new normal” has triggered a significant shift towards automation and digitization across various industries. The increased adoption of digital communication, cloud storage, and collaboration services has become crucial in meeting technology requirements. As businesses increasingly focus on resource optimization and automation, there has been a growing demand for operational efficiency, cost reduction, faster turnaround times, and improved serviceability.

At Canon, we believe that ‘Business Can Be Simple’ and it is our constant endeavor to support our customers with the best-in-class products and solutions. With each new offering that we launch, we aim to keep our customers’ needs in mind and introduce products that bring ease to their business operations. As part of our digitalization efforts, our cloud-based Document Management solutions assist businesses in managing routine communication, documentation, and more, along with providing relevant printing and cloud-based solutions to reduce workflow costs and efforts.

Our goal is for customers to look at Canon as a one-stop solution provider for all their office automation requirements. In line with this we have recently forayed into the cybersecurity domain by collaborating with ESET. With this addition to our portfolio, we are offering customers a complete range of printing, digitization and security solutions.

Through strategic partnerships like the one with ESET, we aim to strengthen our position as an industry leader by providing end-to-end holistic solutions that meet the evolving needs of customers.

Jahnavi- Can you provide more detail on the specific cybersecurity products and services that Canon and ESET will be offering as part of their partnership? What steps will Canon and ESET take to ensure that their end-to-end cybersecurity solutions are user-friendly and do not compromise the functionality or performance of Canon’s existing products?

Sukumaran– Canon India and ESET have formed a strategic partnership to offer a range of solutions, one of which is the ESET PROTECT platform. This platform provides robust protection against various cyber threats, including targeted attacks, ransomware, zero-day threats, advanced persistent threats, and phishing attacks. It is a versatile solution that can be deployed either on-premise or in the cloud, aligning with Canon India’s goal of facilitating digital transformation through office automation products.

Utilizing the ESET PROTECT platform enables businesses to strengthen their security and effectively safeguard their digital assets. Whether organizations prefer an on-premises setup or the flexibility of cloud deployment, this solution empowers them to enhance their cybersecurity defenses and stay ahead of evolving threats. ESET’s solutions offer multi-layered protection using technologies such as behaviour-based detection and cloud-based analysis, ensuring comprehensive security. These lightweight solutions also feature a user-friendly interface, intuitive security alerts, and notifications, including anti-spam, anti-phishing, and anti-theft protection, providing complete security for digital devices and data.

Through the collaboration between ESET’s cybersecurity expertise and Canon India’s extensive sales network, organizations of all sizes across the country can now gain easy access to enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions, as well as excellent customer support and enablement.

Jahnavi- Will Canon and ESET offer managed security services or support to customers who use their end-to-end cybersecurity solutions?

Sukumaran– Leveraging Canon’s expertise in data management infrastructure, office automation and end-to-end support services we will be providing professional consultation and seamless deployment, ensuring a smooth integration of cybersecurity solutions into the business environment of our customers.

Jahnavi-  Can you speak about the competitive advantage that Canon hopes to gain by offering an end-to-end cybersecurity solution, and how it fits into the company’s broader digital transformation strategy?

Sukumaran– As one of the leading players in the office automation segment in India, we have been the torchbearer in the country for over two decades now for simplifying the business requirements of our customers. With double digit growth year on year, we have been able to capture a major chunk of the market share along with customer appreciation. We had an exceptional performance in 2022 as well, where we played a crucial role in strengthening our B2B presence in the country. Through our unique proposition of ‘Business Can Be Simple’, we have carved a niche for our products and solutions in India, earning the trust of customers. It is a matter of pride for us to share that we consistently topped the charts in the overall Laser Copier Market (A3/A4 category). Our consistent industry leadership serves as a testimonial of our continuous efforts to create innovative products and deliver quality services to our customers in the MFD segment.

With the evolving customer expectations and transformations in the business landscape, at Canon, we use advanced technologies to understand and adapt to these evolving requirements. By developing products and solutions that meet these needs, we provide a seamless experience for our customers. Our expertise in offering a comprehensive officeautomation solution gives us an edge over our competition along with our nationwide service network. We are committed to supporting customers throughout their digital transformation journey with our unique portfolio, covering hardware to software solutions.

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