Sign up for The Key Point of View, our weekly newsletter of blogs and podcasts!
Bringing a sense of inclusivity and closeness to a big, in-person event—certainly one that fills out a large cinema—is a fine balancing act. But MyQ managed just that with charm, generosity, and ease. Hosted in the company’s beguiling home city of Prague, MyQ’s Showtime was both a celebration of the company’s 30-year meteoric rise in the print management industry, and a way to pay homage to valued partners and associates who have travelled with them on that journey along the way.
MyQ’s mantra of “respect people” was the silver thread running through the whole day. A thoughtful and generously curated program of events greeted a selection of invited partners, distributors, associates, and industry analysts from around the world. Talks, workshops, and demos were the order of the day at MyQ’s headquarters, culminating in the pinnacle Showtime presentation held at Prague’s glitzy Cinema City complex. As we took our seats alongside MyQ’s small army of family and friends, there was a palpable sense of bonhomie. We were in for something special.
Showcased Solutions
With MyQ’s offerings, the thing that jumps out for me as the key differentiator is the UI design and user-friendliness. If something looks good and is good to use, then your customers are hooked from the get-go. Combined with some pretty impressive and powerful features, you are on the home straight to land a top podium finish. And a platinum rating is exactly what MyQ X Enterprise and MyQ Roger have scored apiece in Keypoint Intelligence’s recent software assessment. Announced from the stage, the news was greeted with generous applause from the audience.
 |
Keypoint Intelligence’s recent software assessments have resulted in
Platinum ratings for MyQ Roger and MyQ X Enterprise. |
MyQ stressed its ongoing commitment and pursuit of partner growth, as well as adding value to the solutions portfolio, by unveiling new initiatives, strategies, and product enhancements. We were treated to a rundown of the upgraded features for MyQ X’s next version, with 10.1 timed to release in 6 to 12 months.
Earlier that day at MyQ HQ, General Manager of MyQ UK Nigel Eaton walked me through some of the changes:
- Improved UI colour palette of red and shades of grey
- Improved keyboard navigation and screen readers
- High contrast themes to boost best practice accessibility
- Optimized search features for faster data lookup
- Microsoft Azure Active Directory and single sign on support
- Improved hybrid cloud service to eliminate the need for VPNs (saving cost and time)
- Print job encryption for files stored in the printer server which, when combined with secure print spooling and secure release, provides end-to-end job encryption
- Toner replacement recognition thanks to 10.1’s new algorithms, providing users with an overview when toner was installed, replaced, and the number of pages printed (for one or multiple devices) that is customizable by date range
New icons and rounded buttons on the home screen add a sleek ergonomic touch. Among the planned in functions, Easy Print and folder browsing are worth a mention here. Easy Print enables users to browse their files stored in the cloud (or in network folders) directly on the device and change settings before releasing them to print on the device. “this process is MyQ-driven, not native device-level control panel function. And if a policy is enforced, we can control to a certain degree what the users can or can’t see, options will not be selectable,” says Eaton. Workflow interactions are boosted with new folder browsing support added to Easy Scan function. Individuals can scan and send the file to their cloud account as well network folders.
 |
The MyQ X 10.1 embedded terminal has had a facelift, with new icons and rounded
buttons on the home screen for a more aesthetically appealing look and feel. |
Significantly, job preview has been added, enabling users to zoom in, view more pages, delete, and change print settings before releasing the job. This was one feature that we wanted to see in 10.0 for the simple fact that it can help to reduce waste as the user does not print pages they no longer need. It also streamlines work processes and supports the end user as much as possible. Eaton explained that “any document that’s needed to be printed on a regular basis, be it a timesheet or expenses form, can be saved as a favourite against a user’s individual profile and accessed via the My Jobs button anytime. There’s no need to action it from the desktop; this is universal print—the holy grail for large enterprises. Any employee can walk into any company building and be able to retrieve and print documents.” Job preview is also available in the MyQ mobile app.
 |
| Job Preview |
 |
UI high-contrast themes for the desktop and mobile
versions of MyQ X boost best practice accessibility. |
Turning eyes to MyQ Roger, this prime product had signalled a shift in strategy. MyQ started as pull print, security, and print monitoring solution concerned with placing restrictions and tracking activity. Now the focus is shifting to creating solutions that will simplify processes for users and keep up with evolving workflow trends. Remote working and co-share space working are clearly here to stay, which means there is a deep need to provide a fluid workforce with the right, collaborative solutions that can maximise productivity.
Launched in 2020, MyQ Roger is built around central principle of “mobile first” and is designed to help people with printing as well as defining scan workflows with little need for technical skills or IT support. Running from a mobile phone, the user can create a PDF/A file on the fly, send it to a pre-defined destination, and have it ready to be released at a time of choosing. Seeing it work close up was pretty smart and, with many workers now choosing to work remotely, MyQ Roger undoubtedly helps workers achieve what they need to do, wherever that may be.
Looking Ahead
With two class-leading products under its belt, MyQ is not resting on its laurels. MyQ neXt is being lined up to launch late 2023 and MyQ Product Manager Petr Hacmac took us through the nuts and bolts of it at the event. The solution is based on four pillars: central management; active-active cluster (which elicited a good response from the audience); Software as a Service (Saas), now with central management you can set up, configure, and control in the cloud; and IPv6 support to bring added benefits to security.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
By virtue of its strong solution portfolio, MyQ can only go from strength to strength. It’s a company that’s constantly excited, building with one eye on the future (MyQ neXt) and the other trained on refining and boosting already premium offerings (MyQ X and MyQ Roger). Perhaps its strongest differentiator is the foundation the company is built on—the core quartet that took a vision and made it a reality.
Those who subscribe to Keypoint Intelligence’s Production Workflow Advisory Service can read more analyses, show reviews, and research concerning similar solutions. Or, if you subscribe to bliQ, you can compare MyQ solutions to others within the market. If you’re not a subscriber, send us an email at sales@keypointintelligence.com for more info.
