/EINPresswire.com/ -- RAMSEY, NJ--(Marketwired - December 27, 2016) - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), is pleased to announce that the company's bizhub MarketPlace has been honored with a prestigious Pick award for "Outstanding MFP App Ecosystem" from the analysts at Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI), the world's leading independent evaluator of document imaging software.

To take full advantage of its leading-edge bizhub MFPs, Konica Minolta developed the bizhub MarketPlace to serve as an online store for licensing and deploying time-saving apps designed for use on the MFP. The bizhub MarketPlace apps help streamline workflows and improve efficiencies and also host a user interface (UI) customization studio where customers can create and deploy control-panel UIs personalized to the needs of their users.

BLI recognized the platform for its many strengths, including:

• Tools that allow administrators and other users to easily create customized control-panel UIs and remotely deploy them via the bizhub MarketPlace portal
• A wide library of productivity-enhancing apps for scanning, printing, cloud access, communication, security, and more that extend MFP functionality and the user experience
• Easy customization capabilities to best suit a company or specific department's workflow
• Cost-saving print management features that can be deployed via the custom UIs
• Enterprise management features, including simplified app and MFP UI licensing across a fleet of MFPs from the bizhub MarketPlace admin portal

"This award is the recognition of Konica Minolta's commitment to providing the industry with innovative solutions for ready-to-use business applications," said Dino Pagliarello, vice president, Product Planning and Konica Minolta. "With the bizhub MarketPlace, we have delivered the most modern platform available to our users."

IT personnel (and others with a bizhub Marketplace login) can browse and deploy any of the listed applications to extend the features and functionality of their compatible bizhub MFPs. Administrators can utilize a web-based, intuitive drag-and-drop tool to create and deploy customized user interfaces. MFP UIs can be populated with specific features needed by the customer to tackle desired workflow processes -- thus simplifying use, reducing errors and making it easier for staff to work more efficiently at the MFP. In addition to the DIY capabilities of the UI Builder tool, Konica Minolta also offers professional design services through its Solutions Engineering Center to create custom UIs for customers. A key feature of the bizhub MarketPlace Chameleon is that users have the ability to customize the UI to conform with company branding.

"Konica Minolta's bizhub Marketplace is at the forefront in the growing trend of MFP 'app' stores, and its added Chameleon features are particularly impressive," said Jamie Bsales, director, Office Workflow Solutions Analysis at BLI. "You can build custom UIs that will turn multi-step processes into one-touch processes, which will save time and reduce mistakes for users at the MFP."

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is a leader in information management focused on enterprise content, technology optimization and cloud services. We are reshaping the Workplace of the Future^™ (www.reshapework.com). Our portfolio of offerings deliver solutions to improve our customers' speed to market, manage technology costs, and facilitate the sharing of information to increase productivity. The All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, project and cloud computing solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has won numerous awards and recognition, including placement in the Leaders Quadrant on the Gartner 2014 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) and Managed Content Services (MCS). Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for nine consecutive years. Konica Minolta, Inc. has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for five years in a row. For more information, please visit: www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter@konicaminoltaus.

About BLI Picks
With its annual document imaging solutions Pick awards that recognizes the most impressive solutions evaluated during the previous 12-month test cycle, BLI gives special recognition to the software products that provided the most outstanding performances. Software products submitted for testing undergo an in-depth hands-on review that focuses on key attributes for a solution's target market and compares how well the product stacks up against leading competitors. Pick winners rise above the competition in key areas such as feature set, ease of use, ease of administration, software integration and value. Consequently, a BLI Pick is a hard-earned award that buyers and IT directors can trust to better guide them in their acquisition decisions.

bizhub and Workplace of the Future are registered trademarks of Konica Minolta, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

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