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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Managed Print Services, MPS Training and Best Practices: I'm Calling Bullshit



2010

Ok, we all know anyone who claims to have been "doing MPS for 15 years" is nothing but Bravo Sierra - how was anyone trying to reduce costs associated with output back in 1995, re-inking ribbons on an Epson LQ-1050?

Really? Copiers were not even DIGITAL in 1995! Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot!

And if one more ding dong sales consultant tells me that "...MPS is all about TCO..." - but doesn't include costs incurred in the Third Stage of MPS, I may just hurl right then and there.

Do not even get me started on re-hashed IKON Circa 1990 leasing, "Image Management Plus", customer for-life, schemes - exactly how many lawsuits did IKON fend off back then?

100's?

So this is what we've come to: years of usage statistics, decades of observed business behavior, and so much data about how the world prints, stores and creates documents yet we still do not have any real-world benchmarks. No guideposts.

Hell, we don't really have any Guides.

Correction, "guides" do exist. Most just don't know shit about shit and keep telling us they do - that is if you pay them. And the more we pay, the more horsepucky comes out.

Welcome to MPS.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Steve Reynolds: Battled to the End, Passed Away Wednesday

Steve Lost this battle. I met Steve a few times, at two Lyra conferences and the MPS North America Conferences.

He knew his stuff, he will be missed.

Also, there will be a memorial service for him at the AGH Art Gallery in Hamilton on Monday night from 6to 9 PM.

http://www.artgalleryofhamilton.com/aa_index.php

------------------------------------
Lyra Establishes Reynolds Family Support Fund to Help Colleague and Friend, Steve Reynolds, in His Battle Against Colon Cancer

Lyra Research announces the establishment of the Reynolds Family Support Fund to help Lyra Senior Analyst Steve Reynolds and his family in his battle against Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

Since 1998, Mr. Reynolds has been one of the prominent faces of Lyra—first as an editor for The Hard Copy Observer and then as a senior analyst for Lyra’s Hard Copy Industry Advisory Service. Diagnosed in June, Mr. Reynolds is meeting this grim news with the same direct, fearless attitude that he brings to his professional career.

Monday, September 20, 2010

The HP OPS Elite Managed Print Forum - "Indulge the Spirit"

Big conference in AZ this week. The surviving OPS dealers.

I am sure there is an NDA in my history that precludes me from sharing very much...but whatever I can get on the record, I will.

I do look forward to hoisting a few (I mean, taking copious and voluminus notes) with some of the "MPS IronMen"...you know who you are.

Not sure who else will be in attendance. Looks like there will be some MPS101 stuff; after 3 years, its good to see, I guess.

Looking forward to seeing Synnex, and SNi. As I have seen the presentations before, I will be more interested in the attendees' response to the MPS material.

One blaring deficit - I don't see a valid MPS research firm on the agenda.

Most of the HP MPS talk track has that familiar, Photizo-ish angle - "...Chaos...", "...the cheapest image is the one you never print...", "...let's take paper out of the business..." and if they whip out the Three Stages slide, wow.

I do not expext to hear any mention of a "Hybrid Dealer" - but we will see.



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Sunday, September 19, 2010

A DOTC Shout Out to All the Managed Print Services Peeps in and around Detroit: Kid Rock - Roll On

Coleman Young and the People Mover.

COBO to Joe Louis, Devil's Night, FoMoCo in the RenCen, GM in the RenCen.

Greek Town, Woodward and Eight Mile, Boblo, the Big Fist, to the Uniroyal Tire - The Dirty D.

Times are bad - they've been worse, well maybe not.
Its all just a big roller coaster, like the ones at Cedar Point.

Some day, the boys in Honolulu blue will be in the superbowl, someday.



Sitting here alone
I'm looking back on where I've roamed
And laughin, now I swore
I'd win and not get burned
Left my family, left my home
I worked my fingers to the bone
And there was not a stone
I did not leave unturned..."


Enjoy-




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Greg Walters, Incorporated
greg@grwalters.com
262.370.4193