Pioneering Digital Transformation and Operational Excellence

CIO Bulletin has named Canon Business Process Services (Canon) as one of the “Top 10 Service Providers 2025.” This is the third time that the publication has recognized Canon for its comprehensive business process outsourcing methodology and expertise in digital transformation and intelligent automation services.

Many industries face challenges driven by rapid technological advancements, requiring them to innovate while holding down costs. The rise of automation and AI demands operational efficiency, but companies struggle to adapt. Companies are also grappling with how to effectively leverage their vast, disparate data assets for strategic decision-making. Customer expectations for seamless experiences put pressure on businesses to digitally transform their systems and integrate technology effectively. Employees are demanding hybrid or fully remote options, which put additional pressure on companies to have the security and IT resources to build the robust systems required. Amid these challenges, the priority at many companies is to leverage automation and AI to build a more resilient business that can thrive in a competitive and fast-changing landscape.

We at CIO Bulletin had the great privilege of interviewing Mark Walker, President of Canon Business Process Services. Here’s what he had to say:

“By focusing on automation and digital transformation,” said company President Mark Walker. “We help our clients unlock the full potential of their data, enhance operational efficiency, and deliver exceptional experiences. We strive to equip businesses with the workforce and tools needed to grow in today's digital landscape while preparing them for the future with a more resilient business.”

What Makes Canon a Best-in-Class Service Provider

Canon Business Process Services has focused on building innovative end-to-end solutions that enable business growth and deliver cost efficiencies. The company achieves this by combining workforce management expertise with analytics, cognitive technology, automation, and an experienced team backed by Six Sigma expertise. Canon’s flexibility in leveraging its people, processes, technology, and data enables clients to improve their business operations in ways that are sustainable over the long term.

This approach continues to garner industry recognition for Canon. For example, the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) included Canon in its 2024 Global Outsourcing 100 list for the 18th consecutive year. According to IAOP, the Global Outsourcing 100 is an essential reference for organizations seeking relationships with the best outsourcing companies.

Canon earned additional IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 recognition by receiving top honors in four special judging categories. These categories include “Programs for Innovation,” which recognize a company’s ability to implement solutions that produce new forms of value for customers.

How Canon Delivers Operational Excellence

Canon differentiates itself from competitors by delivering operational excellence and integrating more tightly with the client’s culture and technology when implementing a solution. The company’s innovative approach and customized solutions include a flexible, integrated global service delivery model that enables Canon to manage services on-site at the client’s location, off-site, and offshore. Canon combines this adaptable methodology with the latest technologies to automate business process workflows and support digital transformation initiatives.

Canon is also a proven on-site logistics excellence provider in hospitals, aerospace companies, pharmaceutical companies, and manufacturers. It offers a groundbreaking approach to optimizing internal logistics for manufacturers and is on-site at hospitals delivering clinical supplies and logistics expertise. Canon solves labor challenges with its deep expertise in recruiting, training, safety, and has a proven record of developing high-performance teams. This approach to workforce management sets Canon apart from staffing agencies and 3PLs and enables companies and healthcare facilities to meet their objectives and grow.

Canon Is an Established Business Services Provider for 65+ Years

Canon Business Process Services has its origin and roots in New York City. Incorporated in 1959, the business began as a messenger service and, over a 38-year span, evolved into a leading provider of corporate mail, reprographics, records management, and office management solutions. An inflection point came in 1997 when Océ NV acquired the company, then called Archer Management Services, marking an entry into the U.S. business support outsourcing market. In 2009, Canon's acquisition of Océ Business Services created the industry's leading presence in the printing sector, combining its history of technological innovation and commitment to excellence. In 2013, the company was rebranded as Canon Business Process Services, reflecting a highly trusted and established brand with an expanded focus on designing and managing critical business processes and workflows.

Getting Your Digital Transformation Journey Started with a Digital Mailroom

An example of driving innovation and value for clients is Canon’s digital mailroom services. Canon’s solution helps companies navigate the hybrid workforce, improve response times, enhance compliance, and gain visibility and insight into the mail they receive.

Based on Canon’s experience implementing digital mailroom systems for clients, many companies have a significant opportunity to leverage digitization for productivity gains and cost savings. The Canon turnkey solution enables the consolidation of physical and digital correspondence into a single process flow, allowing employees to receive information quicker and the business to work faster. Canon’s end-to-end service includes mail center staff, digital mailroom system and installation, imaging hardware, mail processing workflow design based on Six Sigma methodology, return mail cost savings, customer service support, and comprehensive reporting. Among the benefits are:

• Speed: A friction-free document workflow and processing can quickly generate productivity gains by cutting time from paper-based processes. The system can go live in four to six weeks.
• Simplicity: Because the system does not require code, it can be implemented with minimal disruption. Your teams can work anywhere on any device, and the user-friendly system requires minimal training to go live.
• Security: The digital mail system can reduce the risk of loss, fraud, failure, and penalty.
• Scalability: Canon’s agile architecture allows you to grow at your own pace with no constraints on volume.
• Visibility: All physical and digital correspondence can be integrated across all data management systems, including your CMS, HCMs, ERP systems, and more.

Canon offers three different business models for their digital mailroom service offering. For the SaaS-only model, Canon manages the implementation of a digital mail system and then provides continuous support for the business. Canon also has an on-site approach, rightsizing and managing the staffing and technology, which can integrate with client data management systems. Lastly, Canon can provide offsite services by allowing all incoming mail to be scanned and managed at our business processing centers. U.S.-based processing centers can deliver a secure, data capture, and document scanning operation to jumpstart automation initiatives and reduce your real estate footprint. Canon can streamline your processes while providing robust security protocols.

Facilitating Growth with Intelligent Automation

Technologies such as robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are creating opportunities to automate repetitive processes and more efficiently achieve clients’ business goals.

Many enterprises still rely on repetitive, manual processes to get work done. Intelligent automation tools are changing this scenario, freeing employees from such inefficient approaches by deploying software robots to manage them. For instance, when a new employee joins a company, IT managers need to update the employee information in numerous systems, entering and copying the data from one platform to another. Or consider managers in human resources who create candidate offer letters and onboard new employees following structured processes. These are examples of clerical tasks that employees perform every day—tasks that are routine but demand a significant amount of time.

Intelligent automation is enabling organizations to release workers from time-intensive manual processes to focus their talents on more strategic activities that can drive the business forward.

Meet the President

Mark Walker, the President of Canon Business Process Services provides the strategic vision and leadership that fuels Canon’s long-term growth. With over 30 years at Canon, Mark has been instrumental in transforming the business, most recently as Chief Operations and Technology Officer. In this role, Mark spearheaded initiatives to streamline operational efficiencies and elevate client service delivery, laying the foundation for sustained growth and innovation. 

Renowned for his ability to lead large, diverse teams, Mark combines deep expertise in digital technologies with a results-driven approach, positioning the company as a leader in business transformation. His forward-thinking leadership continues to shape the future of the organization.