Virgin Atlantic Selects EDS, an HP Company for Next-Generation Airline Reservation System

News Release :

EDS, an HP company, and Virgin Atlantic Airways today announced they have signed a new information technology (IT) services agreement that extends the companies’ 25-year relationship.

EDS has provided IT services for Virgin Atlantic since its inaugural flight in 1984.

New to this five-year agreement, EDS will provide the next generation of its airline reservations solution, EDS Reservation Services, a part of EDS’ Transportation Applications that EDS hosts and maintains on behalf of its clients. New features included in the solution are Electronic Miscellaneous Documents (EMD), which allow Virgin Atlantic employees to electronically capture and account for ancillary sales, and Ticket Re-issue and Refund (TRR) software that automates a formerly labor-intensive function and improves customer service.

“We are impressed with EDS’ vision for their new reservations platform and how this will enable Virgin Atlantic to exploit a service-oriented architecture (SOA) to provide improved customer services, greater agility and lower costs,” said Mike Cope, IT director at Virgin Atlantic. “This builds on our long-standing partnership with EDS during which time Virgin Atlantic has grown to become Britain’s second-largest airline serving the world’s major cities.”

Also new to the agreement, EDS will use its airline service-oriented architecture (AirlineSOA) that connects software and systems to better integrate Virgin Atlantic’s operations and help meet the airline’s unique market needs. Each of these new functionalities helps Virgin Atlantic lower core reservations services costs and add new revenue opportunities.

EDS will continue to provide passenger-processing services that include applications development and hosting of EDS Reservation Services, which handles approximately 6 million revenue passengers boarded annually for Virgin Atlantic.

“We have built a strong relationship and mutual trust with the Virgin Atlantic team over the last 25 years,” said Jim Dullum, vice president of Global Transportation Industry at EDS, an HP company. “Taking advantage of EDS’ latest technology, software development and delivery expertise and industry knowledge creates the right mix of IT innovation to support Virgin Atlantic’s continued success.”

EDS Agility Alliance partner Microsoft will provide select tools, software and resources to EDS in support of Virgin Atlantic. Together, EDS and its Agility Alliance partners collaborate to design, build and run a market-leading services platform and develop technology-based services to deliver tangible client results. EDS Agility Alliance partners include Cisco, EMC, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Sun Microsystems and Xerox.

As a leading transportation IT services provider, EDS’ end-to-end capabilities encompass air carriers, airports, cruise lines, logistics and modal providers, hotel companies and major reservations networks. EDS brings world-class technology solutions and infrastructure to help transportation and travel-related clients sustain competitive advantage in a highly dynamic global market.

The Future of Paper? - Magic Paper

Last month I wrote about "Magic Paper"

I found this as an update - very cool video.


Click to email me.

Managed Print Services as a Marketing Tool to Place More Gear ?

A Managed Print Services program will reduce the Machines In Field - or it isn't Managed

MIF represents the lifeblood of the copier (dealer) business model; the volume and associated service charges generated by MIF is a monthly, recurring revenue. Increasing this revenue usually means adding to the Machines In Field - this also benefits the manufacturer.

So, as an IKON or CBS or RBS, employee, you know how important MIF is and will do most anything to maintain as well as increase the number.

Additionally, MIF is used to build the compensation base- if you can look forward to re-signing your upcoming, lease expiring, MIF, you can usually expect to make a certain amount of commission.

This model has been in place for decades and has served both dealers and manufacturers well.

But could change be in the wind?

During the past twelve months, we have witnessed the merger of a manufacturer and dealer in our industry. Manufacturers now own the channel to their customers. And today, with the economy "worse than ever before, in the history of the universe..." (gag, get over it) every sales rep is "under the gun" to live and die in 30-day cycles - month after month after month after month...how's that working for you?

The Collision -

Customers are smarter, focusing on cost controls, and demanding more visibility, and accountability - Copier manufacturers' margins are shrinking, and the pressure is on to place more units via any and every technique available.

Rob Sethre, over at Imaging Industry Wall Street Insider mentions, "...MPS provides focus, transparency, and accountability where (to the great benefit of the imaging companies) they were missing in the past. Companies will now identify and control print volumes and, most importantly, restructure their printing environments..."

"to the great benefit of the imaging companies...they(focus, transparency and accountability) were missing in the past..."

The last thing a copier vendor or old-school copier salesperson wants is for his customer to know the truth, monthly CPC.(lease payment+service + overages/number of images printed)

Studies have shown, again and again, the majority of customers purchase copy machines with specifications well over their actual needs. Indeed, my own fleet surveys, although not scientific, do reveal an average monthly volume of 2,800 images over 1,100 machines.

I use to be surprised but now I simply predict this before the survey - I love to see the doubt/fear fleet across the Facility Manager's face- but that's just me.

It is an observed fact that customers are being oversold by the copier folks - not all the time but most of the time. And the collision is between smarter clients and old-school, equipment-based selling techniques.

More specifically, the clash is between the benefits of a real Managed Print Service Engagement and the wants and needs of the copier manufacturer to move product.

MPS trumps uninformed equipment placement.

Exactly how does this figure into MPS? We can be heroes.

Once an MPS engagement is implemented, the goal is to reduce the costs associated with output - one facet of this approach is reducing the number of machines in the field.

For those of you in a big dealer channel that may now be just a really big manufacturer's distribution chain, when you implement a Managed Print Services program, how easy is it going to be to tell your Sales Manager, "...great news, out at ABC company, we managed to reduce their fleet by 17%, removing 24 copiers!..."?

Here's the worst - some in the industry, may consider MPS as a marketing technique. Just another method supporting more hardware. MPS could be just another "talk track" to get in front of the "decision maker" and sell more gear - not solve more problems.

Think I am wrong? Consider this - why have all business equipment providers embraced "Solutions"? Canon, Konica Minolta, IKON, and Ricoh, all have "solutions" in their quiver of sales blurbs; right next to "first copy out speed" and "scan once, print many". Ready to be hurled at some unsuspecting target/SMB owner.

Why? The end goal of all this Solution Selling has been and always will be - to move more gear and capture more clicks.

For example, when ABC manufacturing company wants to file and retrieve its production manuals and change orders, one can simply recommend "five of my Canon 5185i's" as an "On Ramp" to your digital archiving system. This is an easy sale - add a 3-hole punch, an 11x17 paper tray, and a booklet maker and your client is good to go.

If you're one of the remaining, independent dealers out there, you can survive and even thrive on a service-based revenue model and maybe even a consultative-based model. But, if you are a manufacturer of machines, everything you do is strategically aligned with your number one goal - moving machines out the door. Period.

By the way, how many independent dealers are left? 2? 3?

Embracing the MPS model isn't about a new market niche, or attacking a segment of up till now unreachable opportunity. Real MPS is not about upgrading old hardware at a lower lease payment(although plenty of copier salespeople and purchasing managers may think so). True MPS is about solving real, everyday problems and saving honest-to-goodness money, cash, greenbacks, yen, lettuce...you get the picture.

We can be heroes-

The amount any company can save on printing could save somebody's job - keeping a family fed and happy.

That's all, just someone's job, not enough savings to support a junket to Laguna Beach or Orlando.

Where's my cape?


Click to email me.

Xerox, and What Mulcahy Thinks About Ricoh, Ikon and VARs

"Times have changed, and there's no question there's more opportunity to be won," - Mulcahy.

Xerox Seeks To Reassure Investors - And Channel Partners - Amid Restructuring

By Chad Berndtson, ChannelWeb
3:52 PM EST Mon. Nov. 24, 2008

The article is a great read, I recommend it.

Here is a summary of the interview, with commentary:

Mulcahy regarding Xerox VARs

"We've seen some pressure [on VARs] trying to keep inventories strong and managing cash -- they're worried about their customers the same as everyone else. But overall, we've seen a good robustness in terms of equipment sales."

The Xerox VARs are still holding firm. - GW

On conflict over the Global deal:

"We have been surprised and delighted that it has not been the case to the degree we thought it might be at the beginning," Peacock said when asked about overlap between Xerox's reseller channel and the Global Imaging Systems side. "We've tried to [reassure] that in this situation, one plus one plus one needs to equal four. This is all about getting Xerox in front of more buying decisions and making sure the customer can get in front of Xerox."

- Understood. - GW

On Xerox reducing R&D resources from 5 percent in 2008 to 4 percent in 2007, and if that meant the company was "giving up on innovation:"

"Absolutely not," she said. "That includes almost nothing upstream in research. If anything, it's the next stage of productivity. We believe we're not sacrificing anything but capturing efficiencies due to the maturity of the business."

- In one of my older posts (The Death of Xerography) I talked about Xerox eliminating R&D in photocopiers. Xerox does not commit any dollars to the future of photocopiers and as Mulcahy states , they are reducing resources to general R&D by one point.

It seems the "propeller-heads", no offense, of PARC are concentrating on Nano-Spring Arrays - and Magic Paper not the ball-mouse. - GW

On Xerox's green strategy:

"[Customers] care. We are literally being asked to present the impact on carbon footprints," Mulcahy said. "There's an environmental impact and also happens to have a great impact in terms of reduction of waste."

Maybe Xerox should refer all those asking about "carbon footprints" over to the HP site. I doubt it. - GW

On cancellations:

"We're seeing nothing materially different. We do think there's a higher hurdle rate for decisions -- more due diligence, the explicitness of ROI. But we've been seeing that for a while, that's nothing new," she said.

Sounds like "cancellations" refers to customers canceling orders or engagements. I like the phrase "higher hurdle rate" - but really, when haven't ROI or due diligence been factors? -GW

On the continued push into SMB markets:

"Five years ago, we would have done very little on the SMB product portfolio," Mulcahy said. "Last year, 18 products were focused on SMB. The fact that we had so little business in SMB for such a long time, well, it's great to go after incremental revenues instead of substitutional revenues. 2008 has been the single biggest year for us in terms of SMB product introductions."

The Global assimilation may have factored in on this- but what in the world is "substitutional revenue"? Lease renewals? Xerox is playing is smaller deals now. - GW

On Ricoh's acquisition of Ikon and how it reshapes the marketplace where Xerox, HP, Konica Minolta and Canon all play:

"Times have changed, and there's no question there's more opportunity to be won," said Mulcahy.

"In terms of IKON, they continue to be our No. 1 competitor in every market we're in," Russell Peacock, president, North American Channels Group added, "In terms of their transition to be 100 percent Ricoh vs.Canon - and Ricoh-based, that's going to be challenging for them.

"Typically the customer who has a Canon product becomes very loyal to that product because of functionality vs. Ricoh," he continued. For them to retain that customer is going to be a challenge. It'll be disruptive. In terms of ourselves, we compete with them every day. But we bring a better solution to the table than they do. Let's stay focused and not get preoccupied with other things, because when you do that you get distracted from what makes you great."

Good point. Focus. And just like everybody else, focus on IKON Canon accounts - the blood will be in the water for the next year at least.

Summary -

Xerox is in a good position. They are reducing costs, and extending more into new markets(SMB)plus moving gear.

Xerox is committed to it's VARs.

Looks like the IKON/Ricoh conglomeration represents more opportunity than worry.

Green is everywhere and the decision process is getting more challenging.

New toner, solid ink, and SMB market - the new Xerox.

Toshiba- E-Bridge Fleet Management System

It's all about the M.I.B. No, not Men In Black

Toshiba announced the availability of their new fleet management tool, EBFMS, yesterday.

At first glance, the reports about the system are favorable, but it seems detailed information regarding toner, service etc. are currently reserved for Toshiba gear - with some limited visibility into non-Toshiba units.

I "lifted" this off the Office Product News site which is a post by Corey Smith, from a BLI report at the 2008 Toshiba dealer show, back in March-

"...for larger settings, Toshiba will soon offer its e-BRIDGE Fleet Management System (eFMS), giving administrators the power of centralized monitoring while users benefit from improved availability of devices.

Key operators receive automatic first-tier alerting, while second-tier alerting is available to service organizations. Anybody with administrative access to the utility can clone settings and view meter reads. Via eFMS, administrators can assign costs to specific departments, as well as review device usage and consumables status. Dealers can use the utility to create cost and device streamlining proposals. eFMS can manage other brands’ devices, but only in a limited fashion.

This solution is still under development but should be available in late summer..."


In the beginning there was only WebJet Admin, then a slew of "newcomers" - @Remote,PrintAudit, PrintSolv, PrinteRx, rXpress, etc. and now EBFMS.


In the end, all these tools are beneficial in promoting control of the fleet and transparency of the real costs of printing - knowing how bad it is more than half the battle.

"Managed Print" from Kyocera - Free Prints - In the UK

Kyocera is bundling toner and service into a "package"

Print and Copy for Free with Kyocera, from the Computer Weekly, here.





18 November 2008

Free KYOprint packs available with new managed print service -

Leading document imaging specialist Kyocera is offering free KYOprint packs for a limited time only to customers of its new managed print service. The first KYOprint pack is free when you purchase a Kyocera printer or multifunctional product within the managed service range, which could mean up to 100,000 free prints on both mono and colour packs, depending on the machine purchased.

KYOprint Packs are a new way to buy both your copying and printing facilities from the same reseller. Instead of buying the machine and warranty cover separately and then buying consumables as and when you need them, a KYOprint Pack wraps everything up in a single, simple support guarantee including onsite maintenance and consumables.

Uniquely, there is no minimum volume agreement so users aren’t charged for pages that they don’t print. Each KYOprint Pack includes enough consumables to print a specified number of pages. If you print less than expected, your KYOprint Pack will simply last longer than expected. If you print more than expected, you won’t receive any “excess page” invoices at premium prices, you’ll just need to buy a new KYOprint Pack a little sooner. Because there is no minimum volume restriction, a KYOprint Pack gives you an incentive to reduce print volumes and minimise your environmental impact: the less you print, the longer your KYOprint Pack lasts.

KYOprint packs are available for all Kyocera printers and MFPs, personal to departmental, mono and colour and will suit small or large organisations, especially those that want all printing and copying facilities provided by a single supplier. And the managed print service includes installation and configuration, so there’s minimal impact on your IT department when a new machine is installed.

These free KYOprint packs are available until the end of December 2008 only and more information can be by calling a Kyocera specialist today on 08457 103 104 or visiting http://www.kyoceramita.co.uk/mps