Konica Minolta Australia named cloud print leader again

Konica Minolta Australia has been named a Leader in Quocirca's Cloud Print Services Landscape 2026, marking the third consecutive year it has received the designation.

Quocirca cited Konica Minolta's cloud-first, security-led approach, which combines cloud print, workflow, fax, device monitoring and controls aligned with zero trust principles across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. According to the research firm, the offering brings print and document workflow together in a cloud-enabled multifunction printer ecosystem suited to regulated and security-sensitive organisations.

The recognition comes as cloud print management moves further into the mainstream. Based on vendor assessments and end-user studies involving several hundred IT decision-makers, Quocirca found that 78 per cent of organisations already use cloud-based print management at least in part.

Cost and Security

The study found businesses are reviewing print infrastructure through the dual lens of cost and security. Some 41 per cent of respondents named cost control as their biggest challenge, up three percentage points from the previous year, while the figure rose to 46 per cent among mid-market organisations.

At the same time, 37 per cent cited the cost of buying and maintaining on-premises print servers. Quocirca noted that local print infrastructure is becoming more difficult for small and medium-sized businesses in particular because of energy use, resilience concerns and administrative overhead.

Security concerns also remain prominent. The report found 38 per cent of organisations see securing and managing printing across a hybrid workforce as a major challenge, while 25 per cent identified improving print security as a priority for 2026.

Data protection is another barrier to adoption. Quocirca found 34 per cent of respondents viewed data security and privacy in the cloud as the biggest obstacle to adopting cloud print management, while 20 per cent of larger organisations most frequently cited concerns around data governance and sovereignty.

Against that backdrop, Quocirca said Konica Minolta's cloud print products support a zero trust approach through secure authentication, end-to-end encryption, continuous monitoring and automated security updates. Those measures are intended to help organisations protect print infrastructure in more distributed workplace settings.

Print and Capture

The report also pointed to growing overlap between cloud print and document capture. Quocirca found 28 per cent of organisations see better integration of print and scan workflows as a key priority, while 77 per cent expect cloud capture adoption to increase over the next 12 months.

It added that the shift is increasingly being shaped by AI-enabled tools that go beyond basic digitisation into intelligent document processing. Scan volumes are also rising, with 66 per cent of respondents expecting increased multifunction printer usage.

Quocirca said this points to greater consolidation of print and capture within a single AI-supported infrastructure. Konica Minolta said its cloud document and workflow products follow that model by combining cloud printing, document capture, document management, cloud fax and workflow services in a centralised environment.

The company highlighted products including YSoft SAFEQ Cloud and PaperCut Hive as examples of cloud-based print management designed to replace traditional print servers and reduce administration through central monitoring and management. Quocirca added that subscription pricing can make cloud adoption easier to scale and budget for.

Quocirca summarised its view of the offering in a direct assessment: "Konica Minolta helps organisations reduce costs, mitigate cyber risks, prevent unauthorised access, and streamline document processes."

Melissa Dempsey, Chief Marketing Officer at Konica Minolta Australia, commented on the latest ranking: "Being recognised as a Leader in Quocirca's Cloud Print Services Landscape for the third consecutive year is an important endorsement of the role cloud print plays in helping organisations modernise with confidence. In Australia, customers are looking for practical ways to reduce infrastructure complexity, strengthen information security, and support hybrid teams without losing control over cost, governance, or the user experience. Konica Minolta's cloud portfolio helps address these priorities by bringing print, capture, and workflow into a secure, scalable environment that can adapt as organisations evolve."