Managed print Services - The Future and Current Challenge: From the Board Room to The Street, It ain't happening...

7/2011

The MpS train is well down the tracks, the ship has left the dock, Jupiter 1 is Jupiter 2.

Clicks are being captured, fleets of single-function devices automatically fed and cared for - maybe even ripped and replaced - I wonder.

The MpS ecosystem is in balance, the OEMs are playing nice, they know their place in the world, and the channel(s) all have well-established, benchmarked agnostic, and profitable MpS programs.

Well, that's the rumor.

My network of friends and colleagues expand from RiKON to Xerox, HP to LexMark and the wave is reporting a disconnect.

A 'white space' between the yearly shows, 12-week/12-step MpS mentoring (my DOTC mentoring program will be simply 10.5 weeks and include sessions in front of a refrigerator, but I digress), corporate-sponsored MpS training programs, and You. We go to class, and forget everything three steps out the door.

More troubling, we buy into the vision, understand ourselves, and recognize a great future only to arrive back in the office face to face with the Sales Manager's funnel report, or marketing's latest telemarketing talk track.

"How many contracts are you going to write this month?"
"What accounts are up for renewal? "
"Do you have your elevator speech memorized?"  Poof!

It is the old wound.

Do you still demo copiers or devices?

How many of us sat in on training sessions that were nothing but rolling product commercials?

Or is the solution selling training around a piece of hardware?  You remember, "add value...show an ROI by reducing the monthly payment..." etc., etc.  Circa 1999, 1984, 1975...just like back then, retention is difficult and post-training support non-existent.

It's worse - there isn't any real motivation to maintain.  Your management, your ownership, is in survival not visionary mode.

Do not let them fool you - they are.

I have seen just about every, single Managed print Services program out there; been given the up-skirt view, as it were...from Encompass to PagePack, MDS(Ricoh) to...well, MDS(Canon).

They're all good.  Well thought out.  White boarded to detail and not reaching potential.

Here's the opportunity:

I hear from OPS, Canon, Oce, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Ikon, and Indy dealers from all over North America.  New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Iowa, Oregon, and Canada.

Even though MpS is established and  'mainstream for smart people, all the great slide shows and nifty programs aren't getting to the field. The message is garbled,  complicated, and ignored.

It comes back to the same old mantra, "MpS is different" - so how can we expect the same training and support models of yesteryear to provide an ROI in today's increasingly sophisticated and accelerating business environment?

We can't.

I was NOT a big fan of all those long-term MpS 'mentoring' programs just a year ago. It wasn't that I was resistant to the framework or mechanics of those program types, I was repulsed by the content.

The Content sucked then, but change has come to MpS.  Real TRANSFORMATION is out here.

I point to the recently announced chaMPS program, the ever oscillating program that is PagePack, and the mythical, over-the-horizon, OPS/Printillegent HP MPS Channel.

• PagePack has a 12-week mentor program.
• chaMPS has a long-term program to assist in dealer transformation.
• HP WILL have a Printillegent-Like hybrid program.

Neither is perfect, each progressing, but the bulk of responsibility for success rests squarely in the hands of the participants in each program.

It doesn't matter if co-op or MDF pays for the program, the commitment kicks in after the class and once your organization fully commits.  Sound familiar?

"Change or Die." - again.  For the dealer channels as well as the individual, MpS Selling professional - Power is coming down to you, to us the individuals. The world and market are moving from "Push" marketing to "Pull" leverage.  More on that later

I suggest now is the time to really commit to one of these programs - whichever one fits your world, now is the time.

Points to consider-

For the Dealer:

1. Rethink everything
2. Consider cutting overhead.  Get lean(er)
3. Commit, commit, commit
4. Pay all your reps the same way

For you, real-live, customer-facing folks:

1. Rethink everything
2. Consider cutting overhead.  Get Smarter.
3. Commit, commit, commit
4. Acknowledge that EVERYBODY in your organization works FOR YOU. 

Your boss, the owner, your OEM and their rep., and your distributors all have an agenda and plan.  As a matter of fact, EVERYBODY has a plan.   Even Robinson's Lost In Space had a plan - you should too - It's Your Ship.


Click to email me. 

Lyra Sees the MpS Ecosystem Through the OEM/Enterprise Kaleidoscope

It's like we share a brain, except DOTC doesn't have a staff and was on this page 12 months ago...Yeah, I know, I have self-esteem issues.

An article posted on The Imaging Channel caught my eye, "Managed Print Services: OEM Strategies". The headline piqued but the source engaged - Lyra.

Of all the research groups I know, only two command my attention. One is Lyra. I trust their opinion, to be honest. Sometimes, I may not agree with their observations but that is okay.

If you are an MpS'r from way back, say 24 months(!), what the Big 3 say is of no surprise; if you are a steady reader of DOTC, again, no surprise.

Lyra spoke with Xerox, HP, and Ricoh during the first half of 2011. The article is a reflection of all three.

The caveat is these discussions orbit around enterprise-level MPS engagements - not that there is no value - it's just that when interviewing at this level, the information is more proactive than responsive - the OEMs projecting their view of MPS, not necessarily reflecting the real MpS.

Regardless, it is the Future.

"We will eliminate the position of President and CEO, Ricoh U.S..."

Ricoh US vs. Ricoh Americas: Integration or Consolidation?

Last year, Convergence 2010- April, 2010.

"...Togashi then addressed what was most likely the number one concern of the dealers in the room – the recent appointment of several senior IKON executives to high-level positions at Ricoh. Citing the need to expedite the Ricoh-IKON integration process, Togashi outlined some of the appointments. These included Matt Espe, the new chairman and CEO of Ricoh Americas Corporation (responsible for operations in North, Central and South America, including IKON); Martin Brodigan, the new executive vice president and CFO of Ricoh Americas Corporation; and, Jeffrey Hickling, the new president and CEO of Ricoh U.S..."

Most Recently:

Dear Ricoh Family Group Dealers,

Over the past two years, we have been working to integrate and align Ricoh Americas Corporation (RAC) to further strengthen Ricoh's position as an industry leader and best meet our customers’ needs. This has included a focus on both our Direct distribution and Dealer channels, as well as improved collaboration between the two channels.

After careful review, I have decided to further align the RAC organization with Ricoh U.S. to leverage our synergies and the strength of the U.S. organization. With this decision, we will eliminate the position of President and CEO, Ricoh U.S. and align the U.S. sales and operational leadership under RAC through my direction. And as a result of this decision Jeff Hickling will be leaving the organization. Jeff will continue in his role through July 15 to facilitate a smooth transition of U.S. sales and operations functions.

I want to thank Jeff for his leadership with both the IKON and Ricoh organizations over the past six years. Since Ricoh’s acquisition of IKON, Jeff has been instrumental in building an effective integrated leadership team in the U.S. and has had a positive impact with our Dealer community by building stronger collaborative relationships and increasing market share across all channels. We will continue to build upon these successes as we move into the next phases of our integration. I want to reassure you that we will continue our commitment to the Dealer channel as we work to strengthen the collaboration across channels.
Please join me in thanking Jeff for his many contributions to IKON, Ricoh and RFG dealers which will benefit us as we move forward, and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

Thank you,


Kevin Togashi
Chairman and CEO
Ricoh Americas Corporation

A good view of Convergence 2011.

MpS Moving Away from Clicks, More Power to the Machines

When you were standing in the wake of devastation

when you were waiting on the edge of the unknown

with the cataclysm raining down, insides crying save me now

you were there and possibly alone.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation

you build up hope, but failure's all you've known

remember all the sadness and frustration

and let it go, let it go.

And in the burst of light that blinded every angel

as if the sky had blown the heavens into stars

you felt the gravity of temper grace falling into empty space

no one there to catch you in their arms...

let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go

6/30/2011

The evolution of MpS is thick. Everybody scurrying around, grabbing all the clicks/prints/toner sales possible; Finally.

We're making a living now in MpS - even those of us settling into Stage 1 and Stage 2.  The Big Guys have taken up their purchased positions, Xerox, HP, Ricoh, have or are committing to an MpS Channel program.  Others, Konica, Kyocera, Lexmark, Dell, Okidata, Muratec, etc. stubbed their toe and are taking a second swing at Mps.

And then there is Samsung.  Mysteriously lurking just over the horizon.  Literally. Heck, it isn't MpS, but even MemJet appears to be getting off the ground!

So what is next?  Stage 3, that's what is next.  But how to go about jumping from the hardware as a service into software as a service realm.

Stage 3 incorporates software. Though S1/S2 engagements utilize some sort of software package, most of us aren't yet comfortable with the whole "EDM/Managed Services" thing.

If only there were a 'bridge' from S2 to S3, an 'on-ramp'. A platform that doesn't require a staff of specialists, installers, engineers, and training staff, yet provides actionable information.

Wouldn't that be nifty?

Let not your heart be troubled, I see that bridge. It's been in front of us all along and its mantra is "...manage the behavior, not the print..."

How intriguing...

The Greg_Walters, DOTC, Top 27 Posts of 2011 - 2012

From 201-

Christmas in June.

Whenever writers find themselves getting a little behind, unable to get the flow of creativity, they rehash old subject matter and content.

Enjoy:

1. Managed Print Services Engagements vs. Copier Service Agreements - Tell me Again, why we don't comp copier Reps on Service contracts?
2. Managed Print Services Another DOTC Leopard - ReDux - Jennifer Shutwell. How to Steal MPS Clients
   
3. Managed print Services Tunnel Vision - Are You Focusing On One Thing
4. Managed Print Services - Practice What You Preach
5. Managed Print Services, the Copier and the Traditional Copier Dealer : End of Days
6. CIO's: What to Look for In A Managed Print Services Company. The Perfect 10.
7. Achieve Managed Print Services Immortality "...Simply By Doing One...Great...Thing..." - Keep Walking
8. Repeat After Me: "Managed Print Services is Business Process Management, MPS is BPM, MPS is BPM"" - FireWork
9. "If You Don't Stand for Something, You'll Fall for Anything..."
10. Managed Print Services Practices Managers: Are You Selling MPS Internally ? - Over and Over again.
11. CNET Needs Managed Print Services - So Says Molly Wood
12. Skylar, Dr. Dre, Em, and Ri - On and Off Stage, an Orchestra, Lights, Video - Lot's of Moving Parts. Just Like Managed Print Services
13. Managed Services: Let's Have a Cold Call Blitz!!
14. You're Not In Managed Print Services If -
15. The Separation Begins: Managed Print Services True Believers Leaving the Pack
16. Who is Everything Channel and Why Are They Important to You?
17. The Future of Managed Print Services: Look Back to IBM and See Your Future
18. HP to Purchase Xerox. Joins CISCO, IBM & MicroSoft in move offshore. Upside Down World.
19. History - Study It, or be Doomed to Repeat It...
20. Managed Print Services, Stage IV: What the Hell is Managed Network Services(MNS)? You're Kidding, right?
21. Ricoh Announces Purchase of White Castle - Strengthen Channel with "Bags of Sliders"
22. I use to think Managed Print Services would be a sub-set of MSP, but maybe it will end up the other way around.
23. Samsung Snags World's Largest ElectroWetting Company. What about the Silver Nanoparticles?
24. Managed Print Services Stuck in Stage 1&2 - And I Know Why...
25. "The Things We Think And Do Not Say. The Future of Our Business...", Managed Optimization Services
26. Does Your MpS World Reside in Toner & Service? Your Scale is small, Depth Shallow, and Vision Stunted. Buh Bye.
27. Another DOTC Leopard: 2011 MPSA MPS Leadership Award Winner, Kevin DeYoung, QualPath

Click to email me.

Greg Walters, Everything Channel, Paige Coverage, Xerox and You - A Teachable Moment

June 2011

Controversy and Fire.

Dignity and Water.

DOTC has grown into a personality of its own; bigger than imagined, larger than MpS.  Although I rarely claim to be anything more than a 'thought leader', I am often referred to as rebellious, contrarian, and controversial.

So Be It.

The views expressed here are my own; the content for MY pleasure.

Life often sends us golden nuggets, wrapped in discomfort. Some call these moments, 'teachable'.

My recent run-in with a fellow blogger is just such a nugget and two great organizations rise above the fray.

I have received apologies from Xerox and Everything Channel - by email and phone.

I have accepted both and present them here for You.

Thank you to everyone who called me, emailed, offered, and posted words of support.  I am humbled and grateful.

Submitted for your review:

Xerox - 

Greg,

I want to take this opportunity to extend our sincerest apologies for the Paige Coverage post made on biztransformcenter.com regarding you. The views in the post were made by an employee of Everything Channel and not by an MBA in a cube @ Xerox. While Xerox does sponsor the BizTransformCenter, Xerox does not review or control any posts made to this blog. Hmm…we shall review that strategy.

We clearly don’t support these comments and posts by Paige and I’ll call you personally to clarify this unfortunate series of events.

Sincerely, 

Tom Gall
----------------------------

Everything Channel

Dear Greg,


Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday. I am writing to extend my deepest apologies for the June 21, 2011 blog post by Paige Coverage on the Managed Print Services Community site, which is part of the CRN Community platform. The blog entitled, “Greg Walters Leaves a Trail of His Own Ignorance,” included several negative comments about you and your blog “The Death of The Copier is The Death of MpS.”


The post was a badly misjudged attempt to stir community participation and debate. Instead, it focused on personal criticisms of you and your blog site, and was done in very poor taste.


While the opinions represented by Paige Coverage are by no means the opinion of Xerox, United Business Media, Everything Channel, or CRN, such a disclaimer does not excuse the content of the June 21 blog, which overstepped the boundaries of professional communication.


We deeply regret the over-zealousness, poor judgment, and lack of taste of the June 21 blog.


We apologize for its appearance, and any negative repercussions it may have caused you.


Sincerely,


Adelaide J. Reilly
Vice President, Integrated Solutions Management
Everything Channel

----------------------------

'nuf said...




Click to email me. 

The Old Guys are Getting (back) Into Managed Print Services - And I thought MPS Trainers were Bad...

"...Everything dies baby that's a fact 

But maybe everything that dies someday comes back 

Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and meet me tonight in Atlantic City..."

It's not the same scale as the gang-wars of New Jersey, but there is something here.

If you've been in this nutty industry for more than five years, you've probably heard tell of the mythic millionaire copier dealer who built a dealership and sold out.

He waited in siege around the non-compete, got back in, built up another dealership, sold out once again.

A millionaire, twice over.

Hey, this is America and there is nothing wrong with doing what you do well, and getting paid to do so. Capitalism at its best. I love it.

Yet, after talking with a couple of these new/old comers,  I walked away feeling the need for a shower.

Slick, sly, oily...ummm...gross.

CISCO and Xerox, Sitting in a Cloud, K. I. S. S. I. N. G. - And YOU are Comfortable in Stage 1 and 2?

On May 9, 2011, Xerox and CISCO announced forming a strategic alliance delivering cloud-based IT services, and technology that combine network and print services.

This is more then cloud printing.  This is more then mobile print.  This is about ITO, this is about Borderless Networks.

And its about opening up "new revenue opportunities in managed print " for Cisco partners.

Its about Xerox partners having opportunities to drive network services promoting Cisco Smart Services, supporting their customers' Cisco network solutions.

Do you see?

Can you see the handwriting on the wall or should we dig up an interpreter?

No?  Yeah, that's right, you need stick figures, don't you?

Xerox/NewFieldIT - HP/Printillegent...Cloak and Dagger Information

5/2011

DOTC Operatives stationed in Orlando, NYC, Portland, Imperial, California and elsewhere are reporting in.

By carrier pigeon, encrypted satellite transmission and smoke signals, a solid shape is taking form.

Big interest in the HP/Printellegent arena:

Is HP buying a channel?  If so, who is next?

Will the devoted and committed, remaining OPS partners find themselves competing with a bigger, broader, potent HP/Printellegent with a global footprint?

Xerox/NewFieldIT:

What will happen with NewField's current customer list?
How does this effect PagePack? Does it at all?
Will the tool be scaled up? Down?

...interesting...

HP is not buying a channel.

HP will dump assets into the Printellegent model, assimilating, expanding and scaling out as a platform for the channel.

Yes - FOR THE CHANNEL. Of course, we may be redefining "channel".

By mid-June, Printellegent will be no more; "I am Locutus, of Borg"


Xerox will use AssetDB as the 'face' of XPS, and rounds out the tool set.
NewField may lose their inroads to other OEMs as well as some existing customers, but the deal with Xerox out weighs any possible loss.

There will be more assimilation - PrintFleet is being mentioned.


...continuing...


Click to email me.

Ricoh Announces Purchase of White Castle - Strengthen Channel with "Bags of Sliders"

What can only be described as "Unbelievably Mind blowing", Ricoh announced their purchase of 400,000 White Castle locations.

"As part of our $300,000,000.00 investment in MDS program, this acquisition puts us even further ahead by strengthening our ability to deliver services and solutions through our channel partners to SMB customers,” said an unknown Ricoh source.

“We’re reinforcing our commitment to our channel partners by bringing them a level of grease-technology and 2:30 AM experience that is unprecedented in the industry.”

Managed print Services - As The World Turns: First HP/Printelligent today Xerox/Newfield

5/2011

Whose Next?

WOW!

A few of my acquaintances, wait they are more than people I simply know, two close, MPS Pioneers, have now become part of the Machine. In a good way.

Congrats to Robert and his team at NewfieldIt and congrats to Greg, Rob, Lawton and the entire crew at Printelligent.

Well done, well deserved - good luck.

Okay - Now What? This is almost as exciting as when Ricoh bought Ikon.

Questions, questions...

Nature moves in 3's, is there a third shoe to drop?

HP Buys Printelligent - Whadda Think 'bout THAT?

DOTC 5/2011

From an article on CRN -

"Founded in 1988, Printelligent was an early mover in the managed print space, launching its first MPS solution in 1993. Once the deal closes, Printelligent’s work force and technology assets will become part of the LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions unit within HP's Imaging and Printing Group."

This makes it sound like the integration will be at the enterprise level...but then...

"This acquisition puts us even further ahead by strengthening our ability to deliver services and solutions through our channel partners to SMB customers,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP's Imaging and Printing Group, in a statement.

Joshi makes it look like this is a channel move.

Time will tell, it always does.

I will say this; the OPS channel is chuck full of MPS training and content.

I know the guys at Printelligent (congrats!) - they are smart. They understand Stage 3/4.

If this is a move to replace the channel, look out.

If this is a move to improve the channel, look out.

Very, very interesting.


OverLords assemble - the Big Three descending.

Childhood's End.

Click to email me. 

DOTC, TheDeathOfTheChannel - More From 2011 Global MPS Conference

I am a big fan of those ad-hoc meetings around the watering hole, in the lounge or on the bus to Harley Davidson.

You never know who may end up sitting next to on the bus ride over.

This year some of the offline talk revolved around the OEMs - indeed, we had Xerox, HP, Ricoh, and Canon all on one stage fielding questions.  I don't think this has ever happened before.

One conversation that struck me was about 'control' or better yet, the lack of control the OEMs have relative to just 2 years ago.  Control over the industry, over the channel, over the customer.

I detected a bit of anxiety, bitterness.  Granted, the relationship between dealer and OEM has always been strained, right?  And over the years, we've all heard the common complaints, the same gripes  -

• "manufacturers quotas are unrealistic and they keep changing"
• "they are shifting their warehousing cost to us"
• "why is your service rate so high"
• "how can I compete when your toner pricing is so high?"
• "CBS vs. the Canon dealer"
• "RBS vs. the Ricoh dealer"
• "direct vs. the dealer'
• "Are they redefining an Enterprise Level Account, again?"
• "thank goodness for back-end and MDF..."

But this time it was different.  This time, as I listened, waftng through the angst was something different.  A bad smell.

Difficult to pinpoint. But then it hit me. It was the stench of fear.

You see, these self-proclaimed 'independents', were not simply complaining, they were scared.  For a second, I felt badly as they seemed to prefer ignorance over fear.

In the end, all I felt was pity.

You Think its Just About Printed Documents, Toner Hitting Paper? Wrong..."One Word, kid...Content"

May 2011 -

Get ready for a "new" term: "Content".

And all the eyes at AIIM roll.

Another broad DOTC stroke here - MpS, is losing the "P".

Because the P is diminishing, just ask Xerox, and the C(ontent) is starting to come into focus.

Oh...you didn't know that? You didn't get the memo? What, you're still selling MPS as toner and service on your single and multi-function devices?

Stuck in S1 and 2? And you're happy, may I suggest in a state of bliss?  Stop looking at her and listen.

What are you going to sell when your clients don't need to print?

How do you think they will feel the moment they discover you don't want them to stop printing?

When they wake up and recognize they are simply part of your 'revenue stream'? When their level of consciousness sees the bogus truth of  'mobile printing'. That's right, bogus.

Most importantly, how are you going to fend off somebody like me who comes into your 'secure' account blathering on about MIF reduction, vitalization, Unified Communication, Content, CISCO, Help Desk, and the NOC?

All this under a vision of  MOS: The Optimization of EVERYTHING...no, really everything...

Ferocious, ain't I? Does your head hurt yet? I understand this occurs right before it explodes.

Ok, let's simplify and start with a single word before we take on the Dark Galactic Rift.

One word: Content.

MPS InsightPro - I'm a Pro, You Should be Too...

There was a time when the only MPS information one could find, was is supplied by direct marketing firms with content referring to advertising print jobs.

Then, slowly, the trainers got involved, starting to pitch MPS as nothing more than CPC in different garb.  Releasing loosely disguised marketing pieces as white papers.

InfoTrends wasn't there.

Gartner, didn't care.

CompTIA was years away from getting in.

There was no PagePack, Twitter or FaceBook

Back then, if you 'googled' Managed Print Services, nothing came back.

But one day, a few returns started to populate the Google alert you set up for "Managed Print Services"(ok, I know I was the first one ever to do this, back in the day)

And somehow, a complete Managed Print Services article appeared.  The brainchild of some firm whose name you didn't know how to pronounce.

You 'googled' φωτίζω and saw the light.

Managed Print Services Stuck in Stage 1&2 - And I Know Why...

5/2/2011

I bet the folks at AIIM know why too, if they even care.

Stage 1 - Control

As you know, S1 includes establishing a baseline cost, fulfilling service and supplies on the fleet(usually everything but the copiers) and billing on a cost per image basis.

Stage 2 - Optimize

Again, simple. Optimize the existing fleet in terms of age, function, work load, document flow, on and on.

Both stage 1 & 2 are supported by a continuous revenue streams - as long as the fleet keeps printing, even when volume decreases, meter reads are traded for invoices.

With this in mind, it is no surprise how easy it is to stay right there.  

Much like a deer in the headlights...


I know.  MPS is difficult.

Getting the right toner to the correct end user at the right time, requires a great deal of infrastructure with lots of moving parts.

Guaranteeing your tech will show up under SLA but not the influence is taxing.

Ordering parts from HP, Lexmark, Dell, Xerox, et. el. has its challenges.

Coordinating all this and maintaining 49% gross profit a gargantuan task.

And still you do.

Nobody would blame you for staying right there in S2.

You know Stage 3, "Enhance the Business Process" has something to do with EDM software and document flow and that new 'cloud' thing. Still, like the early morning fog, your vision is not quite clear.

I have the answer. I know why you can't get your head around all this S3.

S3 requires software, and expertise beyond speeds, feeds and deal crafting. Different, but not that different.

Here's the big reason - S1 and S2 create revenue streams, the relationship although shallow, is ongoing.

S3 is PROJECT based; projects that need to be designed, implemented and managed.

S1-2 is Continuous, S3 is Job Shop.

To illustrate, consider the difference between how your Ford 250 was produced versus how the Maybach  is hand crafted.

The Ford moves through a continuous process, down a production line.  As the chassis moves   everything is attached and assembled. At the end of the line, a complete pickup truck is driven off the line, out to a lot. Hundreds leaving the plant each day.

Compared to the Maybach - the automobile is built completely(mostly) in one spot as a project.  Technically, each Maybach could be unique.

Indeed, the volume of Maybachs compared to Fords is very low.  But quality, price and margin should lean toward the project.

There you have it.  Getting into S3 requires a shift from continuous revenue to project based thinking.

A challenge for some.

Click to email me.

Finally, We're All In Managed Print Services - Now What? "The MPS Immortals", that's What.

First things first.

I am tough on OEMs, I come down on copier reps.

I point out the glaringly stupid MPS training guffaws.

The cold-calling newbs and their trainers are easy victims - idiot sales managers worthy of the Wrath.

Short sighted sales schleps and their equally plebeian masters; drill and fill toner pirates lost in hubris, all get what they deserve. As much as I dislike the current belief that MPS is simply S1/S2, at least it's in the flow, part of the plan.

But - and there is always a "but" - no matter what the motives, however they got here, all of us are part of the MPS Ecosystem.

For better or for worse, we are all in.

Now what? Now that we're all in, what can we do?  What should we do?

Build MPS Systems like the Immortals would, that's what.

I'm talking inspiration from three immortals: Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo.  Not the Ninja Turtles, the other ones.

HP to Purchase Xerox. Joins CISCO, IBM & MicroSoft in move offshore. Upside Down World.

In a late-night move, HP began buying outstanding Xerox stock. The Nikkei 225 responded by rising 5%  London's FTSE 100 hiking 3%.

HP's effort to gobble up one of its primary competitors is eclipsed by other stunning developments.

Reports of HP physically moving their headquarters to Sri Lanka are swirling around the water coolers and through the hallowed halls in San Jose. 

An unnamed source had this to say,

"...with the US economy growing at the speed of smell, and the apparent anti-business stance of both California and the current administration, we have no choice but to execute what we call Special Order 66.  This group of technology concerns will move all facilities and employees to special accommodations that have been constructed in Sri Lanka..."

Not only will this move include ALL domestic facilities and employees at HP, it appears that CISCO, IBM, and Microsoft have decided to exit the US as well.

Why People Love to Hate Their Office Printers

This slide show is great. 

Nathan has got the Destroy Your Copier project down.

And everybody has seen those guys beat the poor HP into oblivion, Office Space.

Well, here is another display, in the form of a slide show, illustrating more output frustration.

Enjoy.

Why People Love to Hate Their Office Printers

Managed Print Services, Stage IV: What the Hell is Managed Network Services(MNS)? You're Kidding, right?

3/2011

Managed Network Services(MNS) the "next frontier" in MPS - something new and until a few months ago, unobserved in our industry.

Managed Network Services is "...the act of managing resources and processes associated with moving, saving and presenting information..." - look familiar?

Typically, this is in the Managed Services Provider's toolbox and supported by either Help Desk, N.O.C, or both.

A few 'traditional' copier dealers have entered this arena - with success, even.

Of course, these Beautiful Ones, don't carry words like "copiers" or "laser" on their business card.

The effort here is a commendable, if not a bit transparent, marketing move.  MPS is now crystallized, the market more mature, so let's define more mystery and sell MNS Training classes.  I love it. 

Don't get me wrong, MPS is an all-inclusive motion.

I've recognized this since the beginning, and remember the first time a colleague and I outlined the 4th, 5th, and 6th stages of MPS - back at iTEX 2009. (...technically, in a Japanese steak house, over beers... or was it whiskey...)

For most, MPS is simply Stage 1&2 - not much beyond; MPS players are stuck in the "MPS is CPC" world. 

Now we're going to get into "Managed Network Services"?

There be Icebergs, ahead right...

When I speak with existing technology customers, folks who work with us on Exchange migration, Unified Communication, Staff Aug., N.O.C. services, or SharePoint projects and ask them to describe their existing MPS Engagement, the conversation goes something like this,

Client - "yeah, we have MPS"

Me - "really? Cool.  What's that look like?"

Client - "they have a guy come in once a month and clean all the printers...they get my toner to my end users and service all the HP's...and they do this remotely with software..."

Me - "...great...how much has this saved you so far...?"

Client - "...bunches...oh, and they tell me they can do the same for all 1,500 laptops you guys sold me..."

Me -  "...really?  Impressive...can they image all your laptops, ITIL?"

Client - "...not sure..."

Me - "okay...so, how many copiers or printers have you eliminated?... What is your Print Policy?  How much volume has been shifted off those expensive printers onto your leased copiers?  Is your current MPS vendor set up to help you design your SharePoint project?  Can they, do you, understand how all this impacts your documents and the costs associated with those documents?..."

Client - "...ummm..."

Me - "...or are they simply shipping toner, replacing maintenance kits, and blowing air up your paper tray, once a month ?"

Client - "...yeah..right..."

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You get the point.  And so do I. 

The Separation Continues -

MPS, stages 1 & 2, are table stakes that must be offered if you are considering a future that does not include responding to SLED RFPs.

And not just for Managed Print Services or Managed Network Services, which is nothing more than another component of Managed Services,(hint hint) you've got to be in S1/2 simply to survive in the short term.

For the long term, copiers are dead, MIF shrinking, volumes are down, and placements are still 27% below 2007 levels.

Managed Services are in everybody's future it's just that not everybody is going to be with us.

There is, of course, a very BIG Butt - we know how to service copiers, and fulfill toner;  but what the heck do you know about network traffic, CISCO switches, Blades, Data Centers, and ITIL?

Jumping from this dying puddle is the right idea, it's just that we're going into the deep end of a very large ocean already inhabited by some very capable and efficient sharks.

We're going to need a bigger boat.

Consider this a quote from a typical IT C-Level:

“We wanted to integrate voice, IP, and data on the same high-speed network for cost-saving efficiencies in terms of IT staff and for the easy rollout of new productivity-enhancing applications such as Service Advertising Protocol(SAP). [With our service provider] we are already seeing a return on investment and have found out how much more efficient our business can be.”

Bill Freyer

Vice President of Information Technology

JT International, Switzerland

Purchaser of Managed Service

One service provider for this and MPS too?

Two words of caution for any BTA/copier dudes, looking to expand into Managed Services:

1. When one of your copiers goes down for 2 days, some end users may get upset over the fact they need to walk down a floor to pick up output.

But, when you write and support an Managed Services SLA,  a network or workstation down for 4 hours, will put your "MNS" practice in the ditch so fast you'll be running back to the demo floor, begging to discuss "scan once, print many" with the local church Deacon.

2. You are now competing in the VAR/MSP space, the originators of jargon and acronyms - when you throw the "...we now do NMS..." at the CIO, he is going to recognize you as a wanna-be, "MNS" hasn't been used since 2004.

Are you sure you want to be a Beautiful One?

 pdf here.