By Frank Edmonds, senior vice president, Global Paper and Supplies Distribution Group, Xerox

You have probably heard by now that Xerox is selling its branded paper business in the U.S. and Canada to Domtar Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of paper in North America. What you may not have heard yet is why and how this is an across-the-board win.

While we have never manufactured paper, Xerox has long distributed through its brand name a broad range of coated and uncoated papers and specialty print media including business forms as well as carbonless and wide-format paper. Effective June 1, 2013, Domtar will hold exclusive rights to market and distribute Xerox-branded paper and print media products in the U.S. and Canada.

So why do I say this is a win for all sides?  This agreement brings together the well-respected Xerox brand with the scale and efficiency from Domtar’s manufacturing capacity, broad portfolio of products and extensive distribution network.  As a result, the paper-purchasing process and access to Xerox-branded paper products will be more streamlined – a simpler way for our customers to work. Our respective clients get a simplified, one-stop experience.

It’s also important to note that this transaction has no impact on customer relationships with Xerox for our document technology and related consumables, like toner and ink.  Xerox will continue to provide direct support for consumables and Xerox Replacement Cartridges.

We will be working with Domtar to ensure a smooth transition of the business and no disruption to our customers.

As we broaden our business to focus more on services and innovative document technology, we saw an opportunity for our paper business clients to be better served by a leader in the industry.

This begs the question then that as Xerox scales it Services business, should we expect to see more divestitures in our Document Technology business? The answer is that acquisitions and divestitures are part of our ongoing business strategy.  For example, we recently announced the acquisition of Impika, a manufacturer of digital production presses that helps us expand our business in production inkjet printing.

For now, it’s business as usual.  Until the close, Xerox customers may continue to order paper and media through Xerox Supplies sales representatives or on line to keep their MFDs and production printers printing.

By Sophie Vandebroek, chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Engineering Week than by receiving the fantastic news that our CEO, Ursula Burns, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).  Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. With just 2,250 U.S. elected members since it was founded in 1964, the Academy is highly selective.

Ursula is cited for her “technical and business leadership of the renaissance of a global services and technology company.”  It is so good to see the NAE recognize her passion to lead Xerox’s transformation leveraging our strong innovation culture.

The NAE elects people who made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education,” and who “pioneer new and developing fields of technology, or are making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering.” It is a great way to describe what we, Xerox engineers and researchers, do every day.

Let me give you a few examples:

We are mining hospital records to detect hospital-acquired infections early on, and to help hospitals run efficient and effective operations. We are applying mobile imaging to monitor vitals and diagnose diseases. We are helping companies anticipate consumer satisfaction and buying behavior. We are creating greener cities by mining traffic data and adjusting mass transit schedules or parking pricing to minimize unnecessary driving. We are enabling justice faster by preventing fraud and by enabling lawyers to mine huge amounts of documents in a touch less way.

We’re proud of our strong tradition of innovation and our on-going commitment to innovation.

Another interesting fact is that the NAE has inducted amazing Xerox women to its ranks before. Esther Conwell, a Fellow at our Xerox Research Center in Webster, NY from 1972-1998, and Lynn Conway, a Research Fellow at the Palo Alto Research Center from 1973-1983 were also awarded this distinction. We do have our share of Xerox male alumni elected to the Academy, including John Dessauer, an early leader of Xerox R&D and former CEO Paul Allaire, as well as a several prominent Xerox researchers.

Please join me in congratulating Ursula and in celebrating National Engineering Week.

While Sophie leads the Xerox research labs across the globe, she remains an engineer at heart. She has a passion for encouraging young people, especially girls and minorities, to pursue careers in science and engineering.

By Karen Arena, vice president, Global Public Relations, Xerox

Editors at MIT Tech Review chose Xerox for creating disruptive innovations most likely to change our lives. For the issue, editor Brian Bergstein interviewed our CEO Ursula Burns about Xerox’s heritage and earnest efforts to help change the world through technology.

As I listened to Ursula explain Xerox’s effort to help workers better share information and how we’ve maintained that effort for more than 70 years, I had to wonder how we decide which innovations to pursue, and which to leave behind. Ursula points out that a lot of our work is driven by our desire to tackle complex problems for our clients and operationalizing our results through common themes. Beyond that, we are looking around corners and creating new paths.

Xerox researchers that were once obsessed with “marks on paper” are now applying that same technology to healthcare, using imaging technology and predictive analytics to make the administering and delivering of better health outcomes for premature babies. It’s heartwarming to know we’re disrupting the status quo in infant care.

I’m one of those people who drives in the city often, with my driving/parking strategies in place well before I set out. As a business services provider, you wouldn’t think of Xerox doing R&D to help me grapple with traffic congestion, including parking and highway issues, but yep, we’re there solving tough problems to help people drive, park and use public transit more efficiently.

And, you might not think of a call center as an innovation hub. We’re there too, applying technology to make the experience better for call center agents on the front lines of problem-solving, and making life a little less tedious for customers on the other end of the line.

Xerox’s impressive patent portfolio isn’t what drove MIT to select us, but as they so aptly highlight, it’s those disruptive technologies that are life-changing in simple, but important ways. Thanks MIT for recognizing Xerox in this realm.

By Christa Carone, chief marketing officer, Xerox

It’s no secret that we’re big tennis fans here at Xerox (speaking for myself, make that “big fan, horrible player”).  We partner with the US Tennis Association to help them put on a world class grand slam each year at the US Open. And, just last week, we took our love of the game to a new level by announcing a multi-year, global partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association.

The WTA is the governing body for all professional women’s tennis and is the host of dozens of tournaments across the globe. So, while some of the world’s top female athletes are serving aces on the court, we’ll be behind the scenes simplifying the back office tasks that keep the WTA’s massive global operations running – from IT support and HR services to producing game day documents and much more– so they can focus on delivering a remarkable fan experience.

The thrill of a heated match and the fact that we’ll be supporting some pretty high-powered women (we’re used to cheering on a few of our own here at Xerox), aren’t the only reasons we see value in partnering with the WTA. The WTA’s tournaments take place in some of the cities where we – and our customers – do business. Istanbul, Paris, Budapest, Acapulco, Brussels, Cincinnati and many more. Xerox people and products will be there alongside our new partners at the WTA. And, our presence gives us a really relevant way to connect with our stakeholders and show them what we really do – on the spot. And by connect, I mean in person – yes the actual shake hands, face-to-face greetings of the good old days that are more powerful than ever in a hyper-connected world. With Twitter feeds, Facebook friends and endless email blasts, it seems like in-person meetings are becoming a lost art form these days. But, although we’re known as a B2B brand, we’re really all about bringing our business solutions to people. The B2People approach is what reminds us that relationship-building is and always will be job number one.  We’re happy to get “thumbs up likes” but we’re more delighted when we can shake clients’ hands and thank them for the trust they place in us.

A high octane sport, powered by real business simplicity and personal stakeholder connections. Xerox and the WTA – it’s a perfect match.  (Sorry, just can’t resist the tennis puns.)

Stay tuned for more details. We’ll be sharing postcards from the road with stories from on and off the court.

By Barbara Basney, vice president, Global Advertising, Xerox

When I say Xerox – can you guess how much of our revenue comes from the business process services we provide customers today?  If you guessed more than half (and I bet most of you didn’t) then you are correct!  In fact, 52 percent of our $23 billion in annual revenue comes from the back office solutions and services we provide companies, governments and municipalities around the world.  What does that mean exactly?   Well…it means that we are behind the scenes helping simplify the way work gets done for customers in areas like Human Resources, F&A, Healthcare,  Customer Care, Public Transportation and Document Management.

Are you surprised that this is what Xerox is all about?  If so, you are not alone, as the majority of people don’t know Xerox is a leading provider of business solutions and services.  The opportunity to convey what today’s Xerox does for customers became the strategic and creative insight for our new  “Made Simple by Xerox” advertising campaign. Watch our new commercials here:

It is bold, fresh and unexpected.  And we tell our story using some big “factoids” that powerfully convey the scale and scope of what we do for our customers.  Such as collecting 37 billion public transit fares annually, handling 1.6 million customer care interactions daily and processing 900 million health insurance claims every year.   And, there’s more — did you know that we handle $421 billion in accounts payables annually, manage benefits for over 11 million employees and reduce document-related costs by up to 30 percent?   These are some big numbers, and speak to the fact that we have been doing this for a lot of customers and for a long time.

This new  “Made Simple by Xerox” ad campaign debuts today – so check out the Wall Street Journal, and other leading business publications for our print advertisements. And, look for us on network and cable TV programming. If you are on the road and on the run, use your mobile device to check out our new RealBusiness.com site which provides a deeper level of information about our services capabilities and what we do for customers today.

There are many ways that we’re helping our customers around the world simplify the way work gets done, so they can focus on what really matters. In fact, there are almost too many to count – but for this new advertising campaign, you can see that we did!

When she isn’t  looking after global advertising for one of the world’s most iconic brands, Barbara is known for her love of all things energetic, athletic and organic. Follow her on Twitter @Bbasney 

By Falynne Smith, manager, Global Social Marketing, Xerox

Let’s be honest. When you think Xerox, we know you think copiers. There’s certainly no doubt that we’re quite proud of our heritage, but we’re equally proud of who we are today. Xerox today stretches far beyond copiers and offers both the technology and services to simplify the way work gets done.  And by simplifying, we’re not talking about scaling back or dumbing down, we’re making business processes a little easier, so our clients can focus on what really counts – their real business. This video explains it best:

On that note, below are our top 10 most viewed real business blog posts from 2012. From a Texas name that faded into the sunset, to virtual health insurance shopping malls and even a gas pump monster fighting Michelin Man, this year’s posts – albeit a bit unexpected from Xerox – offer a glimpse of how we’re helping our clients do so much more than make copies.

Drum roll please…..

1.)    Xerox Retires ACS Handle: A Texas Name Rides Into the Sunset

2.)    E-discovery: It’s Good to Have Options

3.)   Dreaming with Our Customers is Where the Magic Begins

4.)   Taking Center Court at the US Tennis Open

5.)   Delivering on Promises: Health Insurance Exchanges

6.)   Focus Friday: Write it Down, Seriously Write it Down

7.)   Can Shopping for Healthcare be as Easy as Planning a Trip Online?

8.)   Allowing Seniors to Find Their New Place in Life

9.)   Walking the Talk on Earth Day

10.) What is the Tall, Puffy Michelin Man Doing in a Xerox Ad?

We’re looking forward to the journey ahead in 2013. We hope you’ll continue to visit our blog, follow along and share your thoughts.

Falynne is a bride-to-be who enjoys traveling the world, kickboxing and all things social media. Follow her on Twitter at  @Falynnesmith

By Falynne Smith, manager, Global Social Marketing, Xerox

It’s 5:30 p.m. on a Friday and rush hour traffic is at its peak. You’re approaching a bumper-to-bumper line of tail lights waiting to pay their tolls and cross over into the land of weekend freedom that’s anxiously waiting on the other side. You groan at the sight of the line, but then remember, you have an E-Z Pass! The little gem of an automated toll collection tag that allows you to zip by the other cars and cruise through the specially marked toll without stopping to pay or grab a ticket. You maneuver past the cars, through the booth and away you go. And in that moment, a simple automated toll solution made life a little bit easier.

As the year-end nears, annual enrollment arrives and you’re waiting for your benefits explanation package to come from your employer. You know, the dreaded countless pages of insurance jargon and numbers that’s practically as thick as a JCPenney Christmas catalog. But, you’re in luck! Your state has opted into an online Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) which is similar to a virtual shopping mall and lets members easily compare and select insurance options. No papers, no forms and life just got a little bit easier.

You’re visiting a customer’s office and you’re ready to close a major deal. You attempt to print the contract, but you’re not in your office and your computer isn’t mapped to your client’s printer. Time to turn a shade of crimson and post-pone the meeting? Nope. Your client’s MFPs are mobile print ready. You pull out your smartphone, send your documents to the printer and voilà, the deal is done. Your workday just got a little bit easier.

It’s these simple solutions that often go unnoticed, but make a world of difference in our everyday lives. And, Xerox is behind the scenes making many of them happen. Our services business, among many things, manages toll collections for E-Z Pass and HIX for state governments. True to our roots, we’ve developed a mobile print solution for on-the-go workers to print from their smartphones (maybe a BYOD smartphone these days).

Unexpected from Xerox? Yes. Highly relevant? Absolutely. And just think, the next time you have a simple moment, it just might be brought to you by Xerox.

Falynne is a bride-to-be who enjoys traveling the world, kickboxing, all things social media and hunting for simple moments. Follow her on Twitter at  @Falynnesmith