Managed Print Services: Six "Need to Know's" from Photizo Group

This is a cut and paste, of an article from the Photizo blog - great stuff.

All points are relevant, especially for all of the "newbs" in the niche.

One point - not only are these arguments based on studies, I have seen evidence of all six, in the field.

Good read.

Six Things You Should Know About Managed Print Services

1. On average, companies save $1M (30% of total hardcopy cost), reduce hardcopy (printer, copier, and MFP) carbon emissions by 60%, and free up 10% of their IT staff who were previously devoted to supporting printers by implementing a Managed Print Services strategy.

Firms of all sizes are seeing significant benefits from implementing an MPS strategy. By outsourcing the entire ‘document production’ process including the hardcopy devices, document workflow strategy, and support services, customers are able to achieve a significant reduction in cost while achieving significant environmental benefits.

Source: The Photizo Group’s analysis of 105 Managed Print Service engagements using pre-and post-MPS engagement data. Justifying MPS Webinar – February 2009


2. Managed Print Services is more than just Cost Per Copy or providing an assessment to right size the fleet. Managed Print Services (MPS) entails the outsourcing of the fleet and document strategy to ensure the customer’s business process optimization goals are met.


In order to do this, an MPS provider must act as a professional services firm which offers multiple services in order to meet the customers requirements. In fact, over 70% of all MPS engagements include all of the following components:

• Vendor returns service call in 2 hours
• Next day service response time
• Understanding color print/copy requirements
• Same day service (4-hr response)
• Device installation
• Help desk services
• Assessment provided for the initial MPS agreement
• End user training
• Parts depot close to user sites
• 24x7 customer service line
• Recommendations on device deployment
• Remote or on-site monitoring of devices

Source: The Photizo Group’s on-going study of Managed Print Service engagements in North America and Western Europe. The firm collects data from over 700 MPS decision makers each year.

3. Managed Print Services is the fastest growing segment of the imaging industry. In fact, the MPS market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of over 25% a year. In fact, the market will reach over $45B annually by 2013. By 2013 Managed Print Services will represent over 35% of the total imaging market and over 35% of all business print devices will be under a Managed Print Services contract.

Source: The Photizo Group’s 2009 MPS Market Size, Share, and Forecast Report.

4. There are three stages which customers go through in the adoption of Managed Print Services.

The first stage is to gain control of the fleet. 29% of all MPS engagements are at this stage. 47% of all MPS engagements are at the second stage, the stage of optimizing the fleet to ensure devices are deployed in the most efficient and effective manner. 23% of all MPS engagements are at the third stage of MPS, enhancing the business process. The third stage is about enhancing business processes by engaging document workflow and document management solutions.

Source: The Photizo Group’s on-going study of Managed Print Service engagements in North America and Western Europe. The firm collects data from over 700 MPS decision makers each year.

5. IT is typically the department responsible for managing the Managed Print Services engagement. In fact, 60% of the time, the IT department manages the MPS engagement.

Source: The Photizo Group’s on-going study of Managed Print Service engagements in North America and Western Europe. The firm collects data from over 700 MPS decision makers each year.

6. Hybrid dealers will dominate the Managed Print Services market. Hybrid dealers are those resellers (both dealers and IT VARs) who have transitioned from a hardware centric business model to a professional services business model based on delivering Managed Print Services. Hybrid dealers and ‘committed’ dealers (dealers who are committed to making this business model transition) make up less than 25% of all resellers and dealers. Fence sitting and ‘testing’ resellers (traditional hardware centric resellers) make up over 75% of all resellers.

The Photizo Group predicts that half of these traditional resellers will be out of business within the next five years as they fail to make the transition to the new business model.

Source: The Photizo Group’s Hybrid Dealer Report (Published January 2009)

The Photizo Group believes that Managed Print Services represents a disruptive business model which will affect all aspects of the value chain, including manufacturers, distribution channels, and other service providers.

Firms that make the transition to a professional services led business model will achieve a significant competitive advantage over firm’s which retain the traditional hardware centric business model. Understanding the evolution of this new business model is critical to all participants in the industry, including end users.

Excerpts from this article may be used as long as the Photizo Group is credited as the source.

The Photizo Group is the leading research and consulting firm in Managed Print Services, and the only research and consulting firm, which derives a majority of its revenue from the Managed Print Services market. The firm provides research, consulting, and market insights to customers, resellers, and manufacturers.

Phone: (859) 873-4518

Web

Goodbye 2008 SIX Months Later - My List of the Best Lists

"Top 10's", "Best of 2008", "Most Memorable" -

There must be 10's of thousands of year end lists.

Here are a few that I like:

The 10 Biggest HP Stories of 2008 ChannelWeb

10 Burning Questions In Print And Imaging ChannelWeb

What I Learned About Selling in 2008 Bryan Neale. Caskey sales training - I haven't attended any of their classes but I have been getting the PodCast since the very beginning - great stuff!

Adieu 2008 Andrew Keen - you don't know him? Check him out.

Memorial Day - Blue Stars to Gold

Byron MacGregor - The Americans
Uploaded by DwightFrye - News videos from around the world.

Friday is Fun Day: Terminator Salvation - A commentary on Humanity?

First San Antonio, now Amsterdam: Photizo Group Managed Print Services 2009: World Domination

At the MPS Conference in San Antonio, one of the discussion topics around the dinner table with Photizo, was where to host the European MPS Conference.

Barcelona, and Dusseldorf were mentioned and I believe Amsterdam was a late entry. I would love to have been in on that meeting.

After a very successful MPS Conference in Austin, Ed and the gang are heading of to the old world.

This should be interesting as Europe appears to be a decade ahead of the US when it comes to MPS.

Check out the site, here.

Anne Mulcahy to Retire as Xerox CEO; Ursula Burns Named Successor Xerox

Xerox Corporation's board of directors announced today that Anne M. Mulcahy, chairman and chief executive officer, will retire as CEO effective July 1. Ursula M. Burns, current president of the company, was named by the board to succeed Mulcahy as chief executive officer. Mulcahy will remain as chairman of the board.

“As CEO, Anne successfully led a multibillion-dollar turnaround of Xerox and transformed the business into an innovative digital technology and services enterprise,” said N.J. Nicholas, Jr., lead independent director of Xerox’s board of directors. “She has consistently demonstrated values-based leadership, strong strategic insight, broad expertise and a remarkable ability to create ‘followership’ through the respect she earned from Xerox people. As important, Anne has focused intently on developing the next generation of leadership at Xerox, with Ursula Burns prepared to strengthen Xerox’s industry-leading position in the marketplace.”

Mulcahy, 56, became CEO of Xerox on Aug. 1, 2001, and chairman on Jan. 1, 2002. Prior to that, she was president and chief operating officer of the company from May 2000 through July 2001. She began her Xerox career as a sales representative in Boston in 1976. During her 33-year tenure with Xerox, Mulcahy has held senior management positions in sales, human resources and marketing, and led the Xerox business division that sells products for reseller and dealer channels.

The hallmarks of Mulcahy’s leadership include a close connection to Xerox customers – she is often referred to as Xerox’s chief salesperson – and an unwavering commitment to innovation. As a result, Xerox has completely overhauled its product line during her tenure, launching more than 80 products in the last three years and earning the number-one revenue share position in its industry. In addition, Mulcahy created and scaled Xerox Global Services, which offers document-related outsourcing, imaging and consulting services, and last year generated $3.5 billion in annuity revenue.

“I joined Xerox because it offered a level playing field – a sales environment where meritocracy ruled. And, I stayed because the values of the brand, the culture and the people are so closely aligned with how I think every business should operate,” said Mulcahy. “It has been a privilege leading Xerox. The decision to move on is made easy only in the fact that Ursula Burns is so well positioned to take Xerox to the next level. Our strategy is sound and well defined. And, despite a tough economy, we are generating cash, building our technology and services pipeline and poised for a period of steady profitable growth in the future.

“Ursula takes on the leadership role the old-fashioned way,” added Mulcahy. “She has earned it. And, for that, she has my deep respect and confidence.”

Ursula Burns, 50, joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern and later assumed roles in product development and planning. From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams including the office color and fax business and office network printing business. In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox’s global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company’s IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts.

“During Anne’s tenure, Xerox has become a stronger, financially sound company, serving a broader base of customers – from small businesses to large – with broader capabilities than ever before,” said Burns. “She leaves the CEO role having created a rich legacy that I am honored to build on. It is humbling to follow such a great leader and to serve as CEO of such a great company. I’m grateful for the opportunity and, like Anne, focused on creating value for our customers, our people, our shareholders and our communities.”

Managed Print Services spike an increase in FMAudit installations

This article refers to "PrintSolv" in Australia, not the PrintSolv from Synnex, here in the States.
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Sydney, Australia - PrintSolv, the Australian distributor of FMAudit software and a leader in managed print services applications, has reached a significant milestone by distributing over 1000 licenses of the ‘FMAudit Onsite' application in April. PrintSolv resellers now extend the benefit of remote meter collection and automated toner fulfilment to over 15,000 end-users in Australia. PrintSolv

This remarkable growth has been facilitated by both advances in deployment capabilities and the rapid growth of the PrintSolv reseller base. "Photocopier and printer resellers Australia-wide are now turning to PrintSolv with high demand for vendor agnostic automation of meter collection and consumable fulfillment," says Andrew Tsiorvas, General Manager of PrintSolv. "These repetitive processes have traditionally been ‘pain points' for both reseller and end-user, because of the manual methods that were required."

The emergence of managed print services is also a major factor in the month-to-month increase of FMAudit installations. A land-grab for managed print service opportunities is currently underway - and by installing the FMAudit application, PrintSolv resellers are first in line to strike. Instant fleet visibility and the print volume data collected by the FMAudit application are crucial to any managed print services offering. "When it comes to MPS," says Tsiorvas, "I firmly believe that the FMAudit product range gives our resellers an advantage over their competition."

About PrintSolv and FMAudit.

Based in Mosman NSW, PrintSolv is the exclusive distributor of FMAudit products in Australasia and the market leader for print management applications in the region. FMAudit specialises in data capture and analysis software that enables print assessment, account reviews, automated meter collection and supplies replenishment. PrintSolv has over 200 active print and copier resellers utilising its products across Australasia. PrintSolv resellers currently service the following regions; All Australian Capital Cities, All New Zealand Capital Cities, Papua New Guinea, Newcastle, Wollongong, Tamworth, Orange, Kalgoorlie, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Townsville, Geelong, Warragul, Ballarat and Bendigo.