Canon uniFLOW Online is a titan among cloud-based print management solutions, and its update for Q1 2022 adds even more improvements and new features. There are far too many features to list in a short blog post such as this, so here are a few of our favorites.
No-Password Access to User Accounts
It may sound like a recipe of disaster, but uniFLOW Online’s no-password access doesn’t mean anyone can waltz into your account. NT-ware (Canon uniFLOW’s developer) has responded to customer feedback that logging in with a username and password was cumbersome (as was the extra step of two-factor authorization) and that admins were inundated with password reset requests. The company has come up with a new system of logging into its web portal, mobile apps, and Chrome extension. All non-privileged, regular users now enter their e-mail address at the web utility and then click a link that is sent to their inbox to enter their uniFLOW Online account. The link expires after one hour. NT-ware says this method also reduces the risk of being hacked, stating that “81% of data breaches involve weak, default, or stolen passwords.”
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No more never-ending password resets
thanks to no-password logins |
Custom Metadate Design for Scan to Local Folder
Although a Scan to Folder option was included in uniFLOW’s 2021.3 release, it was only available with a fixed metadata template. The 2022.1 update now lets administrators create custom metadata files that provide the exact metadata that a document management system (DMS) requires. This means users can enter metadata such as an invoice number or order number at an MFP, and then scan a document that is then placed in a DMS solution’s hot folder with metadata that lets the DMS handle the scanned document correctly. NT-ware says this will help businesses to increase productivity and reduce errors.
Enhanced Therefore Online Support in Filing Assist
Users can now not only view all Therefore fields, but they can search for entries using data known to them—such as a name or date of birth. Users could only see one attribute before uniFLOW Online 2022.1, and could only see full data for each entry (or tuple) as a single line of data, not as individual fields. Even better, administrators can now rearrange the order of the Therefore metadata fields and hide or display them as they see fit.
Redesign of the Secure Print Applet
Something that we hope to see in uniFLOW Online 2022.1 (but may not see until a little later) is a redesigned user interface for the embedded applet. New elements include the applet displaying the total cost of selected jobs; the most important print options for a job such as price, duplexing, color mode, page size, and cost; and the ability to swipe right to release a print job or swipe left to delete it. The ability to swipe the screen to perform actions brings interaction with the applet in line with modern touchscreen practices, such as those used by dating apps (so I’m told), so it should feel more natural to younger users. NT-ware says it’s also made it easier to select multiple jobs for release, change finishing options, and switch print queues such as switching from a list of jobs already released to new print jobs.
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| Swipe left to delete, swipe right to print |
From Strength to Strength
As our recent report shows, Canon uniFLOW Online was already a go-to print management solution, and this latest update cements uniFLOW Online’s reputation. Other features/improvements include the collection of fleet management data via MFPs’ embedded applets, the ability to change the content type for SharePoint post-scan so that different metadata fields are seen, and a new Scan to Myself workflow that sends a link to a user from which they can download the scan file—meaning users can scan files to themselves that would otherwise fall foul of e-mail servers’ document size restrictions.
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