EDITOR’S COMMENT
EDITOR’S COMMENT
Faking IT: The real cost of
counterfeit print supplies
Mathew Thomas, Vice President and Managing Director of HP Middle East and Turkey.
C
ounterfeiting is big business and
a big problem. It not only affects
businesses and global trade
through lost revenue, reputation damage
and falling consumer confidence, but it
can also have a wider impact on society,
damaging employment and helping to fund
international, often organised, crime.
Unfortunately, the market for
counterfeit goods shows no signs of
abating. Europol has warned that the
production and distribution of counterfeit
goods is an increasingly attractive route for
organised criminals wanting to ‘diversify
their product range’.
It’s a problem acutely felt by printer
manufacturers worldwide. High demand
for print supplies has caused a marked
increase in the number of counterfeit print
products appearing on the market, and the
growth of online retail has only made it
easier for counterfeiters to operate.
The sad truth is that some consumers,
choosing to buy original ink and toner
made by their printer’s manufacturer,
end up as the victims of this crime, often
unwittingly until problems arise. Some are
mis-sold cheaper – but legal – alternative
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products and, at worst, some are supplied
completely faked branded goods. Attractive
deals advertising greatly reduced prices
online may save some money now, but
the consumer or business usually ends up
paying over the odds further down the line.
Firstly, using non-OEM supplies can
cause performance and reliability issues.
Should your printer break as a result of
using counterfeit printer ink or toner,
you could also have issues with your
manufacturer’s warranty becoming invalid.
The short-term gains simply aren’t worth
the potential long-term problems.
And counterfeiting can have a wider
impact on society, reaching far beyond the
end user. For example, approximately 2.5
million jobs across G20 regions have been
lost due to the growth of counterfeiting
and piracy, according to BASCAP
(Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting
and Piracy) estimates. On top of that, the
Imaging Supplies Coalition estimates that
counterfeiting has a global impact of $3
billion on the printing supplies industry
alone each year.
Those behind the sale of counterfeit
printer products often build their
businesses exclusively on counterfeiting.
In other cases, they mix illegitimate
and original products, and sell them
together at the same time, making it more
difficult to spot fakes. These sophisticated
techniques mean it’s getting harder
and harder to catch the culprits behind
the sale of these illegal products. This
is why printer manufacturers like HP
are actively involved in anti-counterfeit
measures. It not only helps channel
partners and customers ensure they are
selling the correct quality and legitimate
products, but also supports our society
in trying to eradicate this slice of the
counterfeiting industry.
We work with local law-enforcement
authorities across the globe to investigate
and seize counterfeit products, to help
keep customers safe from being sold
poor quality and unlawful goods. For
example, in just six months last year,
from May–October 2016, HP worked with
agencies across EMEA to seize 1.9 million
counterfeit products.
With the counterfeiting of goods,
especially printing products, growing
at an alarming rate, both businesses
and consumers need to be extra vigilant
about the ink and toner they’re buying.
Customers can identify counterfeit goods
in three easy ways:
1. Scan the box: Use your smartphone to
scan the QR code on an HP cartridge’s
security seal; you’ll automatically be
taken to our validation screen.
2. Check the labels: HP cartridges
are supplied with both a holographic
security label to validate authenticity,
and a tamper-evident label with clear
instructions to identify whether the
product has been inferred with.
3. Head online: You can also validate
serial numbers from our security labels
online at hp.com/go/ok
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NTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS
The Internet of Things:
The best is yet to come
T
he Internet of Things (IoT) is a
term that’s been bandied about
for a long time and we’re finally
at a stage where it’s coming more into
the forefront in terms of the technology
and consumer adoption. IoT is starting
to make a difference to many areas of our
lives. Connected smart meters wirelessly
track our domestic energy usage, while
smart watches and smart cars are playing
a small but influential role in the wider IoT
movement. And this is even before we get
started on connected home technologies,
ranging from security sensors to connected
light bulbs . . . and even smart toasters.
However, one question is still in the
back of my mind: “When will the Internet
of Things really hit the big time?” If we
accept that IoT’s moment is indeed yet to
come, then I’m glad to say we can put a
date on it at last. In our new international
study, The Internet of Things, Today and
Tomorrow, we asked 3,100 execs from 20
countries about IoT. The research found
a whole range of interesting ideas and
attitudes, but it also told us that 2019 will
be IoT’s breakthrough year. In fact, 85 per
cent of businesses plan to start using IoT
technologies by 2019. So, put a note in
your diary. What else did the study find?
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly:
• IoT is over-delivering. The survey
discovered an ‘expectations dividend’:
the real-world benefits gained from IoT
are exceeding original expectations in all
areas. In other words, believe the hype.
• ROI is looking good; very good.
Four fifths of companies that use IoT
technology report seeing an increase in
business efficiency, while the average
return on investment from an IoT
deployment is 34 per cent.
• A lot of people claim to know what
IoT means. But few really know. A
massive 98 per cent of those surveyed
up of the technology, compared to 60
per cent in APAC and 66 per cent in the
Americas. This could be from a lack of
preparedness and a lack of willingness to
explore IoT’s benefits.
IoT has already made its mark
Morten Illum, VP of EMEA, Aruba.
think they have the true definition, but
there’s no consensus. Keep reading:
we’ll come back to this in a moment.
• IoT has some hurdles to clear. IoT
has proven its value, but barriers still
exist. The cost of implementation (50
per cent), maintenance (44 per cent) and
integration of legacy technologies (43 per
cent) are the top three. But there is hope:
technologies are already available that
both cut infrastructure costs and smooth
the integration process.
• IoT brings incredible
opportunities, but also credible
threats. Alarmingly, 84 per cent
of organisations that use IoT have
experienced an IoT-related security
breach. As IoT continues to grow,
businesses need to take steps to protect
their networks and devices. Without
gaining visibility of IoT activities,
organisations are leaving themselves
open to attack.
Things vary across regions
Arguably, Europe and the wider EMEA
region have a more conservative approach
towards IoT, showing a 50 per cent take
We’ve already seen some fantastic
examples this year showing the impact
IoT is making on the world. From Ford’s
ten-million selling in-car SYNC system,
featuring an automated emergency services
link in the event of a crash, to the flood
of healthcare applications such as Boston
Children’s Hospital’s revolutionary use
of smartphones to help detect and fight
respiratory disease, IoT isn’t just for
the tech geeks, looking for a way to be
constantly connected to the Internet via
data sharing. It’s revolutionising how
businesses and public-sector companies
alike operate to make a real difference.
This means business
Which brings us neatly to what IoT means.
A single, coherent definition of IoT has so
far eluded companies across the world,
so who better to give the final word than
Kevin Ashton, a tech pioneer who coined
the phrase ‘Internet of Things’ back in
1999. In his new ebook, Making Sense of
IoT, commissioned by Aruba, Ashton offers
this as a definition: “What is the Internet
of Things? It is not connecting everyday
objects like toasters and refrigerators to
the Internet. Products like these exist, but
it is hard to see why. . . . What defines IoT
is data capture. . . . The ‘Internet of Things’
means sensors connected to the Internet and
behaving in an Internet-like way by making
open, ad hoc connections, sharing data freely
and allowing unexpected applications.”
In short, IoT is now serious stuff . . .
but just spare a thought for those poor
smart toasters.
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