Smart Technologies brings collaboration tools to ANZ

Smart Technologies has made its kapp product family available in the Australia/New Zealand region, recognising that both education providers and businesses are in the market for smart tools.

The kapp devices have been designed to take the place of traditional whiteboards and interactive displays, aiding greater collaboration in both the classroom and the boardroom.

The company says it has noticed distance learning and remote working are becoming more common trends, and there is a growing appetite for workplace and classroom collaboration.

The initial shipment will make two key products of the Smart kapp family available: Smart kapp, a digital capture board, and Smart kapp iQ, a plug and play solution that enables multi-way collaboration.

"With the rise of the millennial generation, remote collaboration is fast becoming one of the biggest trends in [the region]," says Ricky Butler, Smart kapp regional manager APAC.

"Driven by our 20 year history as the inventor of innovative smart boards, we are excited to introduce a product that is unlike any other to the ANZ market.

"We believe this will help propel Smart into broader industry sectors, as well as revolutionise the regular display and collaboration experience across all work spaces - classrooms to meeting rooms to home offices.

"Smart kapp will empower people to capture insights and share moments of inspiration easily and intuitively, across any computer or mobile device, with anyone, anywhere in the world," he says.

The first large-scale shipment of Smart kapp boards to ANZ will be resold via major partners such as Canon.

As one of the company's key resellers in the region, Canon provides the full range of Smart products - from hardware and software, to installation, service and ongoing support.

These allow for interactive collaboration, turning group work into an engaging and productive experience for students, teachers and workers alike, Canon says.

David Klineberg, Canon Australia Specialised Imaging Division senior general manager, says, "Smart Technologies' solutions are used in over 60% of schools across Australia and New Zealand.

"This is a great fit for Canon, as we continue to actively engage with schools and businesses to provide them with innovative imaging solutions.

"The partnership enables us to support the growing demand for collaboration within the classroom and office environments.

On the back of the successful partnership with Canon, Smart's channel strategy in the region will continue to focus on both service providers and managed service providers. Westcon Group remains Smart's associated distributor in the ANZ region.