Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - An update from Ricoh Australia

Australian businesses are embracing new ways of working. Leading the charge is Ricoh Australia, a company evolving rapidly to support the demands of digital workplaces.

Managing director Yasu Takahashi says Ricoh Australia is focused on empowering flexible and mobile workplaces. "We have a long heritage in supporting business with our latest and greatest innovative workplace technologies," he said. Operating with more than 500 staff and an extensive dealer network nationwide, Ricoh aims to help businesses connect, collaborate and thrive.

Ricoh's offering is much broader than its historical reputation for office equipment. Takahashi outlined how the company has moved from traditional product-based solutions toward a service-focused approach. "We find ourselves as actually a challenger brand in a myriad of new customer needs, evolving from product-based solutions and strategies into what we call the service-based model," he explained.

He described Ricoh Australia's business as concentrating on four key pillars: hybrid workplaces, workflow and automation, IT services, and cyber security. "Our key offerings in the IT and cyber security spaces include cloud migration management and optimisation, procurement and asset management services, managed IT and cyber security services, and technology-as-a-service," Takahashi said. He highlighted the company's strengths in networking, especially in SD-WAN and secure access service device solutions, and stressed that Ricoh partners with businesses not just to provide IT and cyber security, but to improve workplaces "holistically, end-to-end".

Staying ahead of security threats is a key theme. Takahashi discussed Ricoh's push to continually improve its IT and cyber security offerings, shifting from a reactive model to a more proactive stance. "Continuous improvement is at the core of our approach," he said. "We've recently shifted from being less reactive to more proactive - focusing more heavily on preventing and mitigating risks."

He emphasised there is no single solution for security, so Ricoh works to ensure that clients have the right tools and full visibility over their risk exposure. "We ensure our customers have the right solutions, the right toolsets, and essentially a single pane of glass so they can have end-to-end visibility on not only what their risk and exposure is, but also an ongoing security roadmap," Takahashi said. The aim, he explained, is for "people [to] aren't worried about how they respond to a security incident but rather how they prevent and mitigate the risk of having one at all."

Partnership is a foundation, with Takahashi pointing to alliances with technology leaders. "We've been partnering with industry leaders such as Cisco and Microsoft, offering best-of-breed solutions that cover a wide range of cyber security challenges," he said. The goal, he explained, is to make cyber security both "accessible and scalable" while removing complexity.

In the crowded and sometimes daunting technology market, Ricoh's experts work to clarify choices for Australian organisations. "There's so much choice in the market and we know how overwhelming that can be for customers," Takahashi said. He described his team as "subject matter experts" who assess the global marketplace, select only top solutions, and package them into easy-to-deploy, easy-to-understand offerings. "Our goal is really to cut out the confusion that exists in this space, so our customers don't need to wade through all of those confusing options themselves," he said.

Ricoh's commitment is to make it easier for Australian businesses to start and improve their security posture. "We are committed to really ensure that Australian business can easily fortify their operations with simple onboarding solutions," said Takahashi. From there, he explained, clients can progressively step up into more robust protections. "We're here to support our client to start that journey together."

Ricoh's infrastructure in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region is described as extensive and well-established. "We offer a 24/7 ANZAC service desk staffed by skilled IT engineers located across the country nationally," Takahashi said. Advanced professional qualifications across cloud platforms, networking, and security underpin the local team's work.

Backing the Australian operation is Ricoh's global reach, with remote operations support in Malaysia that enables round-the-clock coverage and world-class expertise. "Because we're a global brand, we also can leverage our remote operations centre based in Malaysia to give us robust coverage and access to our global IT expertise," Takahashi added.

The company's partnerships extend beyond the private sector, working closely with agencies like the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Takahashi said, "Every approach we have taken in our business is based on the framework set forth from the ACSC. Security is first in focus in everything we do; we apply this lens across our solutions portfolio."

He went on to describe Ricoh as "Australia's best kept secret when it comes to cloud IT infrastructure and cyber security." Ricoh currently manages and supports a large portfolio of customers, from small businesses to large enterprises, and even government agencies. Takahashi credits this retention to the high level of support, local experts, and the backing of Ricoh's global capabilities. "I think this is one of the greatest assets that we have as Ricoh as a global organisation, which not much of the other organisations can actually provide," he said.

For enterprise end users and organisations interested in engaging Ricoh for IT and cyber security, Takahashi said the company is uniquely placed to help customers of any size - from small and medium businesses through to top-end enterprises. "We have structured our entire team to meet the varied needs of our customers," he said, with specialist teams aligned by portfolio and market segment.

Ricoh uses a consultative approach, taking time to understand business objectives and pain points before developing tailored solutions. "We really work with our customers in a very consultative way to understand the true business objectives and what matters not just to them but also to their end customers," Takahashi said. The company remains closely involved throughout the entire engagement, supporting clients proactively.

Takahashi concluded, "If you face any IT or cyber security challenges, just reach out to us. Our highly skilled experts will assist and support you to overcome any obstacles together with you - so just reach out to us and we are here to help you."