With each passing year, software continues to play a more prominent role at print businesses, and the show floor at Graph Expo clearly reflects this evolution. While many Graph Expo attendees will be focused on checking out speeds, feeds, and features on the newest offset presses or digital print devices, software will also be top-of-mind for the droves of printers that are set to descend on Chicago next month. While drupa 2012 will likely showcase numerous significant developments, there will still be plenty of exciting software-related activity to take in at Graph Expo this year, especially considering the event's headline of "Embrace Technology". I present to you my top five software trends to watch for at Graph Expo 2011.

1. Integration, Automation for Print and Beyond
Diversifying services. Breaking down silos. Consolidating data. Connecting the dots. Improving efficiency. These are all activities that print businesses are heavily engaged in right now as they look to transform their operations. Integration and automation are high priorities when engaging in these activities, and will likely be of interest to many attendees as they meet with exhibitors this year. Not only are printers working to connect and automate disparate "islands of workflow" for print; they are doing so for a growing number of media types.

There will be plenty of vendors on-hand at Graph Expo supplying software to meet your integration and automation needs. Many of the typical production workflow solution providers that I covered in my last article on hybrid workflow will be exhibiting. Enfocus (Booth 555) has been putting increased focus on its Switch product, which was recently named as a 2011 InterTech Technology Award recipient and will be available to try at the show. Hybrid Software (Booth 240), which recently rebranded from the moniker Hybrid Integration, will also be on hand showcasing its array of integration and job management solutions. On the marketing automation side, companies like interlinkONE (Booth 3661), MindFireInc (Booth 656), Online Print Solutions (Booth 451), and XMPie (Booth 400) will be highlighting how their offerings tackle the management and automation of cross-media marketing and communications.

2. The Next Wave of Web Enablement
The topic of print eCommerce (or Web-to-print, or whatever term is most meaningful to you) continues to be of significant interest to printers, as there is still a lot of room to grow in the online space. While the vendor landscape in this space is highly fragmented, we still continue to see developments and even new entrants looking to make an impact. Vendors are getting better at positioning their products to fit specific needs, applications, or environments, and they're also making usability and user experience a higher priority than it has traditionally been for these types of products.

In particular, I'm anxiously waiting for the official launch of Keen by Keen Systems (Booth 1071), a SaaS-based print eCommerce offering that caught my eye over a year ago. Keen places a great deal of emphasis on user experience, and brings a much-needed fresh perspective to this space. PTI Marketing Technologies (Booth 741) will be premiering its rebranding from Printable, along with its rebranded MarcomCentral offering. Other eCommerce vendors to take a look at include Aleyant Systems (Booth 355), Datatech SmartSoft (Booth 751), and Rochester Software Associates (Booth 646).

3. Taking a Fresh Look at Print MIS
While Print Management Information Systems (MIS) could certainly fit under the first trend, the increased interest from printers in upgrading or replacing MIS combined with the flurry of acquisition activity will likely prompt many attendees to take a fresh look at this space. Based on InfoTrends' most recent Production Software Investment Outlook, Print MIS received the highest increase in investment interest for 2011 out of all categories surveyed. I think this interest will translate into foot traffic as printers investigate (and perhaps re-investigate) what's new in the world of Print MIS.

EFI (Booth 2000) will likely garner the most MIS-related attention at Graph Expo due to its acquisitions of Streamline Solutions (PrintStream) and, most recently, Prism (WIN, QTMS). Attendees will hopefully get to see how components of these now-legacy offerings will be implemented into the existing EFI product portfolio. EFI is not the only game in town, of course. Avanti (Booth 861) is showcasing its recent integration with Ultimate Impostrip and its Customer Relationship Management capabilities. Other key players like CRC Information Systems (Booth 2648), Hiflex (Booth 4452), and Technique (Booth 441) will also be exhibiting the latest and greatest of what their MIS solutions have to offer.

Interestingly, there are also newer entrants in this space that will be exhibiting, which have built print-centric MIS offerings on top of existing MIS/ERP solutions. Included are Cole Systems' DynamicsPrint (Booth 749), which is built on Microsoft Dynamics, and ERP Info Solutions (Booth 4335), which has a product built on SAP, and Epicor (Booth 5016), which has a version of its product designed specifically for print and packaging environments.

4. Harnessing the Cloud
As highlighted earlier this year, print businesses are increasingly utilizing cloud-based services, particularly around Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). According to printers, using the cloud results in easier implementations, reduction in software costs, and provides scalability as needs change. As a result, more cloud-based software solutions and services are coming to the market, and many will be on display at Graph Expo 2011.

Many of the vendors and their products mentioned in this article are now offering cloud-based solutions, especially in the print eCommerce and cross-media marketing arenas. Additionally, Customer Communications Management provider Doxee (Booth 767) will be showing its 100% SaaS-based platform. Ricoh's InfoPrint Solutions (Booth 2600) will likely continue to push its cloud-based managed workflow services, which was launched at On Demand earlier this year. Estimator Corp (Booth 107) is expected to demo its recent Estimator Cloud production management offering. I personally wouldn't be surprised to see more announcements in this area before or during the show.

5. Getting Serious About Mobile
The concept of "mobility" has gained a lot of traction in just the span of one year, relating to a marketing services perspective, as well as a core operational perspective. Smartphones continue to get "smarter" and with increased capability comes increased opportunity. Last year, we saw higher-than-expected activity related to mobile at Graph Expo, and I fully expect to see even more activity this year. While some of this activity is likely to be experimental in nature, mobile is reaching a level of maturity to the point where it needs to be seriously considered by vendors and printers alike.

Many of the cross-media marketing vendors continue to build out support for mobile through the use of mobile barcodes, mobile-optimized Websites, and mobile content delivery. CodeZ QR (Booth 3965) will be exhibiting underlying technology for high-volume QR code generation. Aforementioned vendors that showcased mobile production management apps and interfaces at last year's event will hopefully bring new versions to demonstrate, including Dalim Software (Booth 229), EFI, and Technique. I expect to see a few surprises, as well!

Proactive Technology Investigation & Investment
This is not as much of a trend as it is a request for what I'd like to see more of at Graph Expo and throughout the industry in general. Simply put: print service providers need to be strategic and proactive about their technology investigation and investment process. While acquiring technology to meet a specific customer's need may be a short-term solution, time and again we find that this reactive buying process causes long-term issues. Feedback from last year's show indicated that printers are indeed being more strategic and have a plan for how they want to use technology to support their business and operation; keep up the good work! If you need to do any pre-show software (or hardware) investigation, InfoTrends' Ultimate Guide Online is a great place to start.

What are your Graph Expo predictions for software (and more)? As additional announcements will trickle in over the next month and as Graph Expo comes and goes, I'll keep an eye out to see if reality matches up with my trend predictions. I look forward to reading your comments and seeing you at Graph Expo!