Until you truly go deep, you'll never discover what lies below the surface.

Perhaps caving's (or spelunking's) greatest allures is exploring everything that's impossible to see on the surface. The thrilling discoveries lie in making the unknown known, of pursuing the depths below because, ultimately, you don't know what's there until you dive deep.

Mexico's Sistema Huaulta, one of the world's largest and deepest caves in the Western Hemisphere, was recently discovered to be even deeper after a team from the National Speleological Society and the United States Deep Caving Team discovered a connecting cave that added 4.3 miles to the system's length.

Datamax Discovery – it’s a similarly deep exploration into the underbelly of our clients’ workflow and infrastructure. This process is a multi-faceted enterprise technology assessment system designed to help identify opportunities for streamlining business process, maximizing productivity of technology assets and people, and improving total cost of technology ownership.

Vice President of Marketing Robert Caldwell takes the concept of Discovery a step further, one that involves a unique thought process of eliminating any assumptions we - or the customer - may have. In other words, seeing what's already visible in a new light.

"Discovery is not only seeing something never seen before, but as stated by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893 - 1986)  'Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought," Robert says. 

So, What is Datamax Discovery?

1. It’s a Necessary First Step.

Datamax Discovery is an important first step to developing relevant technology recommendations and producing raving results.

2. It’s a Mindset.

Datamax Discovery a begins with the word RELEVANT – an emphatic acknowledgement that “it’s about a holistic approach to business needs discovery supported by useful, expert consultation – not about a quick quote,” as quoted in the Datamax Little Blue Book.

3. It’s a true Competitive Advantage.

A differentiator is not a differentiator unless it’s relevant to the customer. Datamax Discovery exists so that we can dive deep and uncover relevant solutions.

A Deep Approach: 3 Keys to Datamax Discovery

1. A Collaborative Approach

Solving problems and developing processes involve discussions and planning on both sides of the table. It’s our mission to help discover and develop technology recommendations that are relevant to specific corporate client needs. Without regular collaboration, it’s difficult to truly uncover real needs and challenges.

More often than not, solutions don’t fit in a box. Customers need a custom blend of products and services tailored specifically to their needs. A true partnership involves stepping across departmental aisles, across the organization, to develop cost-effective solutions.

2. A Holistic Approach

In the business technology profession, a holistic approach to understanding a client’s workflow means assessing documents from their origin to their final destination: documents come from printers, printers connect to networks, and networks connect users.

Additionally, we must holistically identify cost paint points on all levels of the organization, because they are different: A CFO may be less concerned with the soft costs related to fleet management than an IT manager does, while an end user may simply cringe at walking across an office to pick up his or her printout.

3. A Trusted Approach

Do our clients trust us? Any proposed changes mean nothing if you do not have solid relationships with the people that we serve. People (end users, executives alike) will not want to grow if they do not trust the person that is asking for potential changes to their day-to-day operations.

A Deep Methodology: A Refresher on the Datamax Assessments

1. Workflow Assessment for Document Management and Workflow

• Analyze key document and information-based processes that drive the business Document workflow, infrastructure and people within the processes
• Recommend streamlined processes, enabling technology and staffing
• Optimize continuous improvements, leverage investments in technology and people

2. Print Assessment for Managed Print Services

• Suspend buying new equipment until you develop a print strategy
• Discover print devices, usage volume, print applications, and hidden print costs
• Develop and deploy print strategy
• Optimize and balance fleet deployment, streamline print workflows, minimize carbon footprint, and improve Total Cost of Ownership

3. Network Assessment for Managed Network Services

• Scan, assess, document, and score infrastructure for manageability, scalability, and effectiveness
• Review findings, educate on deficiencies, and decide on actionable recommendations
• Plan, prepare end users, prepare infrastructure, and onboard services
• Manage, review client service levels, plan and seek ongoing optimization