Demand for scanning equipment is growing in the education sector, as teaching and admin staff alike have a growing need to digitise a range of documents, which presents plenty of opportunities for resellers.
Educational organisations may be embracing digitalisation, which presents opportunities in the IT channel, but paper is still a fundamental part of how they work, and documents increasingly need to be digitised, which mean demand for scanning solutions are increasing – presenting opportunities for resellers.
“Schools and universities are moving hard and fast into digital ways of working and learning, driven by a shift to hybrid learning in the curriculum as well as digital administration,” says Andrew Cowling, channel marketing manager at PFU.
“This helps create a huge potential growth opportunity for resellers. Today’s educational institutions aren’t just looking to replace like for like, they want a comprehensive solution which scans, stores, and is easy to use and secure that teachers, staff and pupils alike see the value of and want to utilise in their day to day working.”
Chris Bates, business unit director – print and supplies, UK and Ireland, TD SYNNEX, agrees that the move towards digital records, safeguarding requirements, student documentation, admissions processing and hybrid learning has kept scanning relevant.
“Schools and colleges have spent years digitising, but many are still sitting on a mountain of paper records that need managing,” he says. “What we’re seeing is a shift from customers asking for ‘a scanner’ to asking ‘how do I digitise this process?’
“The growth opportunity isn’t really the hardware; it’s the solution around it. Storage, document management, workflow automation and security are where the real conversations are happening. Universities tend to have huge volumes of paperwork spread across multiple departments, so the appetite for efficient capture solutions remains strong.”
Kerry Rush, product marketing manager at Sharp UK, agrees there is an increase in scanning requirements.
“Especially when cojoined with software, cloud storage and AI features that can help teachers and staff gain key efficiencies in productivity,” she says. “Schools, colleges and universities are prime examples of navigating the white space between online and in-person, where scanning has become an increasingly important part of day-to-day operations.”
Kevin Dobson, European product manager at Epson, adds that schools, colleges and universities can hold years of archival paper records alongside everyday administrative documents containing sensitive information. “As more attention is placed on GDPR and how that information is stored, accessed and protected, there is a growing case for digitising records that are difficult to manage securely in physical form,” he says.
What customers want
Customers in the education sector have distinct priorities for what they want in a scanner. “Teachers and staff are often switching back and forth between annotated copies, signed forms and written essays, making scanners the vital lever between physical and digital formats,” says Kerry. “The top priorities for educational customers are ease of use, speed, workflow integrations, media versatility and security. Educators need to work with ease and without error to ensure they maintain productivity.”
Resellers need to recognise that the back office and the classroom have different requirements, Andrew adds. “Admissions departments need robust, high-volume batch processing for student records, identification and forms. Meanwhile, the classroom needs fast, ad hoc scanning to quickly digitise handouts or student artwork right from the teacher’s desk.”
Kevin adds that ease of use is critical. “Educational establishments often have limited IT resources, so devices need to be straightforward to operate and easy to fit into existing workflows,” he says. “An institution working through years of archived records, for example, will also need a device that can process large volumes reliably without making an already time-consuming task harder.
“Cost will also be a major consideration, particularly for schools working within tight budgets, but that needs to be weighed against the scale of the job.”
Chris agrees that ease of use is a priority. “If staff need a manual to operate it, you’ve already lost,” he notes. “Reliability is also very important – nobody wants a paper jam while processing exam records or admissions paperwork. Speed matters too, especially in central administration offices dealing with high document volumes. Quality and accuracy – including for optical character recognition, so documents are searchable rather than just becoming digital clutter –are also key.
“Compact designs are increasingly important because desk space is at a premium everywhere, and integration with existing systems such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Workspace and student management platforms is often a consideration.
“The best scanner is often the one people don’t notice because it just works.”
Security priority
Security is a vital consideration for educational organisations, as schools and colleges are increasingly a focus for cyberattacks, and this must be factored into conversations.
“Security should be a priority, particularly when schools are handling personal and sensitive information and need to meet their responsibilities under GDPR,” notes Kevin. “Digitising appropriate archival and administrative records can reduce the risk of physical documents being lost, misplaced or left unsecured, but moving information into a digital format does not remove the need to protect it. Schools should look for scanning workflows that support measures such as user authentication, controlled access and secure storage, so sensitive information remains protected throughout the process.”
Kerry says that embedding and enabling security directly on the device, such as data encryption and erasure, user authentication, including sign-in with Microsoft Entra ID, and remote firmware updates ensures peace of mind for the sector. “Central management services also increase monitoring visibility, making sure any unusual activity can be detected straight away, while cloud-delivered updates mean staff can rest assured their devices remain protected,” she adds. “Additional security measures such as firmware checks and updates help to protect device integrity and support recovery when needed.”
Chris says customers should be looking beyond the scanner itself and considering the entire document journey. “Key security features include user authentication, encrypted data transfer, secure cloud connectivity, automated deletion of cached data, regular firmware updates and integration with existing security policies,” he says.
Range of options
Educational organisations have a range of scanning needs, but there are plenty of options out there to choose from.
As Kevin notes, there is unlikely to be one scanner that suits every requirement. “High-volume archiving may call for a fast, robust sheet-fed device, while reception or administration teams may need something smaller that can comfortably handle everyday documents and ID cards,” he says. “The important thing is to start with the task itself and choose a device around the volume, document type and people who will actually be using it, rather than trying to find one scanner that does everything.”
Kerry notes that educational customers may wish to differentiate between devices that scan for administrative and teaching tasks. “However, versatile devices can be used for both,” she adds.
“The first step is to decide what the priority is for each device, be that footprint, speed, security, or document management. Then, match the priority to the right product and accompanying services, such as cloud document storage, to best suit the needs of the learning environment. Safeguarding and secure record management are of upmost importance in education, and the right device can help make this easier for staff and teachers.”
Chris says a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. “Small workgroups may only need a desktop scanner that can quickly digitise paperwork. Larger administrative teams often require production-level scanners designed for high-volume workloads. Library, archive and specialist departments can have unique needs around document preservation and image quality. Some customers will benefit from distributed scanning across multiple locations, while others prefer a centralised scanning hub.”
Andrew adds that hardware is only half the story. “To truly add value, resellers should also highlight how intelligent software, like Ricoh’s PaperStream, transforms chaotic paperwork into usable data,” he says.
“In a school setting, staff are constantly dealing with challenging documents; faded worksheets, pencil-written exams, or crumpled permission slips. PaperStream automatically cleans up these difficult images, ensuring crisp, readable digital files. More importantly, it automates the heavy lifting because the software can recognise document types, extract key data, and route files directly into the school’s existing document management system or cloud storage.”
Reseller conversations
In conversations about scanners with educational customers, there are certain facets resellers should highlight.
Kevin says resellers should begin by understanding the workflow. “What information needs to be digitised, how much there is, who will use the device and what types of documents are involved,” he explains. “The aim should not be to digitise paper for the sake of it but identify where scanning can make archival and administrative information easier to manage and protect. From there, resellers can recommend a solution that balances usability, security, speed and cost.”
Kerry says resellers should highlight the next generation of devices as the heart of the connected school, college or university. “Most importantly security is critical, older devices may not support modern security methods such as authentication, encryption or have the most up-to-date communication protocols across networks,” she adds.
“Devices also offer increased efficiencies available with faster scanning speeds, and ease of connectivity including mobile and BYOD. In complex and varied educational environments, intelligent scanning is fundamental in ensuring smooth, efficient and productive operations.”
Chris says the biggest mistake resellers make is selling a scanner. “The real opportunity is selling a complete document capture and management solution,” he explains. “If you’re only talking about pages per minute, you’re having yesterday’s conversation. If you’re talking about workflow, automation, storage, and security, you’re having tomorrow’s conversation. That’s where the value is, and that’s where customers are heading.
“Don’t lead with speeds and feeds – start with the problem they’re trying to solve. Focus on reducing administrative burden, improving access to information, supporting flexible and hybrid working, enhancing security and compliance, reducing storage costs, and improving efficiency for staff and students.”
Andrew adds resellers should focus on solutions that offer encrypted direct-to-cloud routing and locked-down user profiles.
“This is to guarantee that confidential data never goes astray, ensure you’re offering solutions that offer redaction for sensitive data, applies retention periods to ensure nothing is kept longer than it needs to be and speedy and accurate compliance to the GDPR,” he explains.
“Hardware specs like DPI, form factor, speed, saved document size have their place but resellers should talk about time saved and how that time can be used for more valuable activities within the educational setting, talk about space that can be saved and how it could then be utilised, talk about productivity, empowerment, engaged students who are learning on tech they know and love at home. Show educators how modern scanners integrate seamlessly with digital ecosystems they already rely on, like Microsoft Teams or Google Classroom.”
This article first appeared in Print in the Channel magazine issue #40.
