Lyra 2010 - The Rise Of Managed Print Services - Stage 3 and TheDeathOfTheCopier

Things are never going to be what they use to be.

I stopped in at the Lyra Symposium last week, in Palm Springs: The Road to Recovery.

The year is what it is so far, my schedule has been filled with activities associated with what I call, my "day job".

So, I was able to catch just one day, the day with all the MPS data and presentations.

I was present for 8 hours and can safely say, there were no copier reps in attendance; if by copier reps I mean folks who would be on the phone closing a single copier deal between sessions, which I do, there were none.

I also believe the majority of attendees may have sold face-to-face in the past, just not in the past 24 hours.

Be that as it may, the data presented by Lyra is priceless.

Especially to we who sell, we in the thick, in the smoke, in the fire.

I am not advocating every Selling Professional attend this and other symposiums, but, I do recommend getting synopsis or any other information you can, from your manufacturer rep or your sales manager (yeah, right, sure...).

Why?

Information is King in your personal, and professional development. Your "personal, professional development" might get lip service from management - but it is just that, lip service. When the chips are down, you tell me who gets the ax.

The more you know, the more you can see where your dealership/management is falling down and the easier it is to chart your own course.

My top five Value-Adds from Lyra- 2010:

1. Historical data mined from their extensive database of devices, monitored by PrintFleet, is presented in spaghetti graphs.
2. Detailed analysis of each copier and printer manufacturer's financial standing and projections.
3.  Unrivaled views of our industry, where it was, where it is, and where it might end up.
4. Current reflections and projections around the economic free-fall and the Day After.
5. And of course, especially this year, Managed Print Services and the "experts" who extol the virtues of MPS.

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The Number One piece of information, significant to me, personally -

The recession has bottomed out, but we will not get to pre-recession placement levels.

As a matter of fact, according to Steve and Lyra, we will be losing 2 million units in placement - they will never come back.

It's like 2 million copiers just died.

Huh. If only somebody had seen this coming and publicized his views somewhere easily accessible to others...that person could come up with a snappy title like, "Your industry is Dying"...or something...

IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. - again.

Second, to MPS, the next big subject was the economy and the Road to Recovery.

The Industry -

In a nutshell, the industry leaders all sucked wind, some more than others, but still, they all ate it, in 2009. An occasional silver lining here and there, accounting trickery, but no surprises.

Steve Reynolds' presentation started by defining the Cyclical vs Secular effect of a recession:

Cyclical, meaning a temporary sharp drop followed by a sharp recovery

Secular, meaning the recession causes a permanent and fundamental change in behavior

I have seen for a year now, the economy changing the fundamental way businesses do business. Especially when relating to printing and documents - this is SECULAR.

To quote Steve, "...once enterprises have discovered and implemented more cost-effective processes with less or no printing, they will not go back..."

Indeed, monochrome laser printers, MFP, and color printer shipments will be flat through 2013. The only bright spot is color MFP with a moderate increase(approx. 250,000 units) between 2010 and 2013.

And if that isn't bad enough, Steve expects a price war to erupt.

You see, as the recession is declared "over", customers will creep back into the market with caution. Hungry vendors will be pressured into getting their share of the new demand.

The feeble and hungry will drop prices to move the product, the last gasp.

The strong and carnivorous will lower prices to kill the remaining, weaker players. It's a Japanese model practiced and perfected by Wal*Mart.

Imagine HP reducing their MFP pricing AND toner by 50%. An M9050 for 5k and $40.00 toner? Real, HP toner? Where's your MPS savior now, third-party toner guy?

Vector this with Photizo's and others' belief of a 50% failure rate, in the BTA channel, by those who have not embraced MPS we have ourselves an honest-to-goodness Perfect Storm.

Your customers are or already have realized they DON'T NEED AS MANY devices and that they don't need to stock thousands' worth of toner in closets.

Why? Because the recession made them look for areas of cost reduction, and the constraints of the last 4 quarters, forced all of us to do with less.

For example, did you lose customers because they couldn't get HP CM6040s even though they gave you a PO last August?

No, you, the VAR/Dealer didn't lose customers. You helped your client get through "these trying times" by encouraging patience and utilizing their existing systems.

Or maybe you helped your client extend his lease on a month-to-month basis. Copier still works?

We in the field didn't lose customers - HP and the industry, lost placements, lost "clicks" and lost face.

Managed Print Services -

Managed Print Services was all the rage.

Both Ricoh and HP talked about MPS, albeit from the Enterprise level. Well, to be fair, Tom Codd's (HP) presentation included one slide dedicated to HP's commitment to driving MPS expertise into the Channel - through Synnex, et el.

Another slide depicting HP's product lineup, in order to show the Canon relationship as a good fit, DID NOT SHOW EDGELINE.

Edgeline? What? Never heard of it...next?

Twice, the name "MPS" was assaulted as not adequate - especially the "P". The phrase "Business Process Outsourcing" was bantered about a couple of times.

It was felt that the current MPS ROI is immediate, but where does one go from there?

"One-word kid..." Software, the future is in software.

Yup, the Third Stage of MPS is, Enhance the Business Process. We barely get people into the 1st and 2nd stages and already stage 3 is upon us. Really? No, really? Business Process Optimization/Outsource?

Are we to expect a channel that still thinks color and duplexing are value prop's possess the wear with all to talk software and "business process"?

And SELL this? For Greenbacks? (which is just as good as money)

Right.

When a member of the audience asked, "...how do we motivate a copier salesperson to sell software?" the collective response was, are you ready for this, "...increase the commissions on software until you modify the salesperson's behavior..."

I nearly upchucked in my lap, right then and there. And I was a bit insulted. If I was holding a watered-down drink in my hand, I would have thrown it in their faces.

Is this all they, these experts, think to motivate the Selling Professional? A few more duckets?

We are truly doomed.

My summary:

MPS is now being swung around by the big players, the definition is being molded in their likeness and most of the data and "play" presented is a product of and pertains to, "Enterprise" level engagements. One exception that I can see, is Xerox. X seems to be working 'on'(instead of with) their channel, time will tell.

The economy is in a rebound, but our industry will never be the same. More ships will merge or sink, and more dealers will jump into MPS, listen to old skool consultants, run it as a Marketing Campaign and fail. Managed Print Services is a Secular change for dealers; it is not "just like when color came out..."

More MPS Professionals will end up working at OfficeMax, Staples, or RiKON.
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First Magic Paper, Now Magic Fabric - One more nail(futuristic) in the Coffin of the Copier

One step closer to the Death of the Copier - "Magic Fabric"

The Propeller-Heads at M.I.T. are perfecting an "optical fabric" that can be used to "gather and image".

These professors have created a polymer fiber that can detect the angle, intensity, phase, and wavelength of light hitting it, information that can be used to re-create a picture of an object without a lens.

Without A Lens.

Digital or analogue. A4 or A3. Copier, Fax, MFP, MFD, Mopier, plotter, scanner, Edgeline or ColorCube - they ALL HAVE A LENS.

When we remove the lens, we kill the copy part of a copier - or do we?

Original article, MIT, here.

The Genesis, Evolution and De-evolution of #ManagedPrintServices

2/2018
I remember the first time somebody said to me, "We've been doing managed print services for 20 years..." that was ITEX, 2008.  Which of course meant this person had been optimizing, assessing, rightsizing, and billing service and supplies on a cost-per-image basis - back in 1988.

"What? Did you bill for re-inked ribbons?"  He was not amused.

Back then, there was a bunch of talk about how MPS was nothing new; the facilities folks had been assessing fleets and selling bodies for years.  The Electronic Document Management guys had been selling scan-to-file for at least a decade and the toner re-manufacturers were old hats at dumpster diving for cores.

Revolution.

The copier-heads saw MpS as a scam; nothing more than a marketing ploy effectively duplicating what they had been doing since 1970.  They laid claim to managed print services.

The move into managed print services took a few years, as OEM after OEM assembled and rolled out their unique program.  Back then, most programs supported a homogenous fleet meaning the "best" MpS solution was one that included the brand "I SELL" versus the brands customers currently utilized - "Rip And Replace" took on a significant meaning.

Months passed. Iterations of software like PrintAudi, FM-Audit, and PrintFleet.  WebJet Admin was HP's software - the most expensive free software you could ever want.  Still, monitoring software was in its infancy.

The MpS world struggled to move away from faxed and manually collected meter reads.  Billing was half the challenge, managing toner shipments incorrectly morphed profitable contracts into nightmare losses.

Shipping costs, undefined commission structures, premature exchanges of toner, and blown motherboards killed many MpS endeavors.  The smart guys looked at meter reads and toner usage data as possible predictors.  Algorithms were developed and applied to create predictive models of toner usage down to the device.

Golden Age of MpS.

As MpS matured, the advanced players moved from 'hardware agnostic' to 'hardware neutral' covering multiple vendors' devices.

Toner fillers and re-manufacturers got into the game as well, assembling and providing managed print services programs complete with data collection agents, mapping software bundled with sales training, and marketing deliverables.

Everybody, even traditional IT VARs, jumped into the MpS ocean.  MpS was full of possibilities, a departure from copiers toward IT and beyond.  ITEX stacked the floor with MpS providers and training sessions - we even had a Managed Print Services Conference.

But a funny thing happened on the way to MpS nirvana. By 2015 MpS had come full circle - the pioneers of the MPS rarely appear, MPS consulting firms fade away leaving MpS training to the "drill and fills".  Manufacturers release dozens of A4 devices like it was always their idea.  In an interesting twist of irony, the biggest critics of managed print services find themselves leading MpS organizations.

Everyone ignored the Signs.  Small OEDs slipped into history or glommed on to bigger dealers - circling the wagons and selling out.  Dawn of The Planet of the Mega Dealer

The Late, Great MpS

Today, 2018 dealers, full of hubris and dripping with chunk-watches, brag about 30% cost reductions, all the while installing A3 for end users who've forgotten what tabloid paper looks like. Prospects implement print policies on their own, realizing the folly of letting companies that derive revenue from prints help them reduce print.

Founding members of the industry transform: 

Lexmark, once an American darling, sells out to an arch enemy.  Xerox, a one-time American, corporate icon, begs her neighbor for shelter.  HP, Lady Blue, suffers through Edgeline, TouchPad and Leo, breaks in two and emerges stronger.

This has happened before, industries rise and fall.  Weaving machines displace textile workers. Horsepower replaces manpower.  Automobiles supplant horses.   One day soon, managed print services will be the buggy-whip of the once prevalent, Copier Industry.

And that's okay - it is the Way of Things.

Click to email me.

Is Seat Based Billing the Next MpS Boondoggle?

boondoggle |ˈbo͞onˌdäɡəl|

...work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value.

In 2007, I traversed the sun drenched thoroughfares of Southern California - from the 'Bu to the Border, Laguna Beach to Victorville.

I was part of a new movement, "Managed Print Services", working for a big VAR, part of HP's flex into the copier niche(sound familiar?) with an MPS program and a new copier-killer, Edgeline.

Like most VARs, we were built on value added services attached to hardware sales. Unlike most, our newly built NOC helped the move to services based revenue streams. In addition to classic T/M contracts, email hosting, backup/disaster/recover, remote management and remediation, and help desk were part and parcel of our value proposition.

At the time, managed print services fit well into our portfolio; the notion was to integrate all services and bill per user, per month.  I didn't consider this a 'good' or 'bad' idea, it was simply the established method.

We folded our per click model into the per user or 'seat' amount and soon ran into challenges -

• What if we calculated the per seat cost but users printed MORE than we anticipated? 
• Could we discern between "high-volume" users and provide tiered billing?
• How do I get EAutomate to bill by user?

There was risk.

“...A good friend of mine(Greg Walters), talked about SBB back in the olden days, and I told him it wasn’t going to work - but when Print Audit and West started bringing in high powered guys like Luke Goldberg, I knew it was going to fly”.

"If dealers don’t jump on this, they should just call their bankruptcy attorney today. "

- Anonymous

Unfortunately, back then, SBB for MPS, found few advocates.  In 2008, industry know-it-alls labeled managed print services a fad; the latest scheme by some to remake the copier industry.  The successful copier dealers could barely spell 'MPS'.

Since then, I've been inside VARs, across the country learning one thing - even if an MpS program is 'out of the box' easy, or well established, most IT providers treat print like 'fly-over' states.  Separate in practice, structure and billing.

Has the time come?  Is per user invoicing the second coming?

Yes and No.

Boon - "Cause your's is the best in the county, isn't it 'mam?"

Billing per user is easier for the client.  No meter reads, or confusing invoices.  When faced with a quote of $9.00/emp/month, prospects find the decision to move forward, easier.

Imagine a business with 150 employees; 75 are knowledge workers.  This account would generate $675.00 each month, no matter how much they print/copy.  (Not sure if that is big or small for you.)

Indeed, as prints decrease, and head count remains constant,  costs fall against steady revenue.

This fits nicely in the true goal of a solid, contemporary managed print services engagement: reducing output.

Boondoggle - "...and you sir, in the yellow shirt, come on up on stage..."

Across industries, the best sales people rarely, if ever, discuss pricing.

Converting cost per image into cost per user and presenting this idea as a 'value-add', reduces(once again) the conversation to price, moving away from business solutions, focusing on cost as a primary motivator.(I know, I know...)

Same race to the bottom, different vehicle.

So what can you do?  More importantly, who do you go to for real world advice?  A sinner.

"Who can lead you off that crooked road?  You need real sinner, people. A sinner of such monumental proportions that all your sins wrapped up in one couldn't possible equal the sins of this King of Sins..."

Listen to A Sinner - "...I have danced with the demon satan..."

How To Implement a Per User Model for MpS

Create SBB in-house

Our industry either builds or subs out services - MpS and Managed IT can be provided by aligning with outsourced programs like Collabrance, Continuum, PrintSolv, and others.  Soon there will be SBB programs sponsored by toner remanufactures.

Is this right for you?  I'm not sure.  I once believed the only way to offer SBB was to rely on distributors.  Only they can spread the perceived risk over large amounts of devices/toner.

But today,  the risk isn't in toner delivery.  Aligning with toner suppliers for SBB my be as counter productive as partnering with transactional copier dealers when designing a print reduction program.  The motivations are diametrically opposed.

So do it in-house.

Work closely with your managed IT services practice. MpS is IT.
Approach through IT, present as a managed program, not "toner and service just like your copiers"(upchuck).  If you're not providing any IT services, stop reading this now and go feed your pet dinosaur.


Sell one more service(IT).  MpS and Trees.
Embed MpS with backup disaster recovery or remote monitoring and management.  Expand your current MpS services to include "remote output monitoring" or something similar, utilizing the full capacity of your data collection agent.  If you don't know what I mean, stop reading this now, and go feed your dinosaur.

Line of business integration? Forget 'bout it.
Of course you want to integrate your even existing CPI billing structure with the new managed IT and SBB programs.  But it isn't easy.  All it takes is a spreadsheet and a separate P/L - your MpS practice has its own P/L, right? Tsk, tsk.

In the end, SBB is a good idea to protect your revenue from the continued reduction in 'clicks'.  But per user billing is a temporary fix - nothing is going to stop the decrease in placements and clicks. 

Not even the Supercharged Grenade Launcher of Love...

This is What HP Should Do with TouchPad/WebOS: "Execute Order 66"

Give more TouchPads away.  And by more, I mean to give another 500,000 away.

Quickly put together a Mega-Cloud, now.  

Call it the "MacGyver Cloud"; duct tape, paperclips, hope, and a prayer - whatever it takes, string it together.  

In this cloud, give away 6-month subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal, HBR, LeopardONE, MPSInsightsPro, LuLu, TMZ, on and on.

Bundle all of it in. Free.

Hook up with Verizon and get on their network, into their stores.  Hell, buy Verizon.

Get every remaining print publisher on the phone, in a Halo room, or to the West Coast and offer up an advanced conduit to 1 million customers, through MacGyver. Negotiate for a percentage and target Amazon/Borders; the Nook and the Kindle.

Spark up the TouchPad plants.  Rationalize, re-calibrate and reorganize PSG around generations of TouchPad.  Get this new team out there selling MacGyver and giving away TouchPads through every channel.  EVERY CHANNEL.  Sell it at 99 bucks - through Walmart.

Call the second model, "TheNext" and release a Leopard print version.

Buy a f*cking advertising agency, not another technological oddity.

I'm not done yet.

HP - Managed Print Service Contract for TeleCommuters

"Companies are searching for ways to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve environmental soundness," said David Murphy, senior vice president, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "The offerings announced today help customers meet their immediate challenges and provide a foundation for emerging stronger once the economy stabilizes."

PALO ALTO, Calif., Mar 31, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----HP (NYSE: HPQ: 32.83, 0, 0%) today announced an expanded portfolio of offerings for enterprise organizations seeking to drive efficiency, cost savings and environmental responsibility into their imaging and printing operations.

Designed to help enterprise customers optimize and manage their imaging and printing environments and improve document workflows, the new offerings include two high-speed scanners, extensibility platform capabilities, fleet management software, solutions for telecommuters, and five large-format devices.

"Companies are searching for ways to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve environmental soundness," said David Murphy, senior vice president, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "The offerings announced today help customers meet their immediate challenges and provide a foundation for emerging stronger once the economy stabilizes."

Optimized infrastructures - for the office and the telecommuter

IDC estimates that by 2013 the telecommuter workforce will grow to nearly 10 million in the United States.(1) HP is making it easier for enterprise employees to work from home more effectively.

Through an HP Managed Print Services contract, IT-sponsored telecommuters receive an integrated bundle of technical support, a multifunction printer (MFP: undefined, undefined, undefined%), up to three months of initial supplies and a convenient portal to replenish supplies over the life of the contract.

The solution provides IT managers with a consistent, cost-effective implementation of a home office printing environment. The telecommuter bundles include the recently announced HP Officejet Pro 8500 AiO Series as well as the HP LaserJet CM1312nfi MFP and HP LaserJet M1522n MFP. These highly reliable and productive devices offer low cost of ownership, low energy consumption and compact, space-saving sizes.

Optimize information capture with new scanners and software

HP has broadened its portfolio of dedicated enterprise scanners to meet the needs of document-intensive environments. New scanners include:

-- The HP Scanjet Enterprise 7000n Document Capture Workstation - featuring the HP Easy Select control panel - is an easy-to-use, shared, A4 sheet-fed document capture solution with fast, reliable paper handling and superb network manageability for large workgroups and enterprise customers. Designed to improve and simplify document workflows, the scanner attaches to the network through a direct Ethernet connection without a PC. With HP Precision Feed Technology,(2) users can quickly and securely capture and integrate a variety of sensitive hard-copy documents, such as loan applications, invoices and other records, into electronic workflows. Additionally, this ENERGY STAR(R: 29.21, 0, 0%) version 1.1 qualified product helps customers reduce energy costs by using HP Web Jetadmin to preset sleep and wake modes.

-- The HP Scanjet Enterprise 9000 Sheet-feed Scanner helps streamline document workflows. Working at speeds up to 60 pages per minute (ppm) and 120 images per minute (ipm), the scanner digitally automates business processes - all at a touch of a button. In addition, the PC-connected scanner ensures secure archival of hard-copy documents with HP Precision Feed Technology.(2) The scanner is ENERGY STAR qualified, compliant with the European Union's RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive, mercury-free and can be managed by HP Web Jetadmin to preset sleep and wake modes to help reduce energy consumption.

HP Scanjet document scanners support a broad range of centralized and distributed document capture applications and address industry-specific needs through HP Solutions Business Partner Program for Imaging and Printing.

Optimize imaging and printing infrastructure with new large-format printing choices

HP's expanded large-format printer portfolio includes a range of new workgroup and multifunction printers and software solutions to improve connectivity, security and fleet management for office users, IT managers and production operators in midsize and enterprise businesses.

New devices include the HP Designjet T1120 SD-MFP, HP Designjet T1120 HD-MFP, HP Designjet 4520 HD-MFP and 4520 Scanner, HP Designjet T1120 Printer series and HP Designjet 4020/4520 Printer series. These offerings can save enterprises up to 15 to 30 percent off total large-format printing costs and provide up to 10 times faster response from click-to-print and improved overall print quality with crisper lines and smoother renders.(3)

HP Web Jetadmin seamlessly integrates the expanded HP Designjet portfolio within existing networks and allows large-format printing devices to be remotely managed as part of a diverse printing fleet. The new large-format printers, MFPs and software are integrated into the HP Managed Print Services offerings, enabling customers to reduce printing infrastructure costs, increase uptime and achieve predictable, consistent service delivery across multiple locations.

Secure fleet management of imaging and printing environments

HP's new management solutions and extensibility platform capabilities enable businesses to reliably, efficiently and cost-effectively manage high-volume business document processes. The offerings include:

-- HP Web Jetadmin Enterprise Edition enables customers to efficiently and affordably manage HP and non-HP enterprise fleets, compatible HP and partner software and hardware, and customer-specific applications that lead to increased IT productivity and reduced costs. Web Jetadmin EE, a fee-based offering, offers industry-leading technical support, maintenance and services required to maintain enterprise device management environments. Available with the new platform are:

-- HP Business Intelligence Module offers business intelligence reporting for imaging and printing device management.

-- HP IT Operations Module improves IT operations with scalable performance.

-- HP Advanced non-HP Device Support Module manages non-HP print and multifunction devices.

-- HP Application Integration Module provides web services interfaces to HP Web Jetadmin, allowing IT applications to programmatically retrieve device lists, device status information and fleet notification.

-- HP Open Extensibility Platform (OXP: undefined, undefined, undefined%) and solution developer kits (SDKs) dramatically simplify the development and deployment of custom imaging and print solutions across HP's fleet of multifunction products. An industry first, the HP Solution Installer reduces the time and cost of deploying embedded solutions on a fleet of imaging and printing devices - in some cases from days to hours. In addition, OXP adds new management interfaces (OXP-Management) such that IT managers, system integrators and software solution providers can use web services to interact with HP Web Jetadmin to retrieve device information and status alerts.

-- HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 helps administrators optimize device utilization, control color costs, set default PIN authentication, secure devices and streamline supplies management for HP and non-HP network peripherals. New features of HP Web Jetadmin 10.2 include enhanced remote management capabilities, improved device discovery and configuration and advanced supplies management that reduces maintenance time and overall device deployment costs. In addition, users can remotely schedule sleep and wake-up modes to conserve power and reduce energy consumption.

-- HP Universal Print Driver 5.0, the award-winning,(5) feature-rich driver, now includes HP EasyColor, which optimizes color printing and improves print performance for image-intensive documents. In addition, users can set printing devices to automatic two-sided printing to reduce paper waste. Features in HP Web Jetadmin and Universal Print Driver software can set an organization's printers to duplex in a few simple keystrokes, saving up to 25 percent in paper costs.

Transform document workflows with information management solutions

HP provides a comprehensive suite of offerings to help businesses capture, create, secure, manage, retrieve and deliver documents. Using HP scanning and multifunction devices, enterprise customers can capture and deliver documents digitally - speeding up document-based workflows, eliminating the need for faxing and reducing the amount of paper the organization uses. Expanded solutions include:

-- HP Output Server Solution offers new capabilities, including HP Smart Office Delivery, which delivers documents to all destination channels including printing, faxing and publishing to web and file servers, and HP Inbound Fax, which streamlines and automates the document process to improve inbound fax delivery efficiency. HP Output Server streamlines business processes and workflows by delivering a unified infrastructure that allows enterprises to centrally manage, transform and process business-critical information from any source to any destination - in a paper or digital format.

-- HP Delivery Notification Solution for Manufacturing, powered by HP LaserJet MFPs, dramatically improves information shipping, tracking, billing and auditing processes for the manufacturing industry. Using partner software, this solution automates proof-of-goods delivery by scanning and capturing signed paper invoices and routing them through accounts receivable and customer service centers, enabling them to quickly receive status. This solution reduces inefficiencies and costs and improves customer satisfaction for manufacturers.

Document workflow demonstrations on solutions including TRIM, HP Exstream, HP Output Server, HP OXP, HP Web Jetadmin, HP Scanjets, HP Designjets, HP MFPs with Edgeline Technology, and HP LaserJet MFPs, as well as solutions from EDS, an HP company, will be presented at the AIIM Exposition and Conference in HP booth 1400.

More information on HP's expanded imaging and printing portfolio is available in an online press kit at http://www.hp.com/go/AIIM2009.

HP and the environment

For decades, HP has been an environmental leader, driving company stewardship through its HP Eco Solutions program, which spans product design, reuse and recycling as well as energy and resource efficiency. HP influences industry action by setting high environmental standards in its operations and supply chain by providing practical solutions to make it easier for customers to reduce their climate impact. More information is available at www.hp.com/ecosolutions.

About HP

HP, the world's largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com/.

Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.

(1) "Telecommuter Update, 2008: Employer and Employee Profiles, Changing Work Dynamics, and Technology Use," Doc. No. 21372, IDC, August 2008.

(2) HP Precision Feed Technology is a suite of technologies that ensure reliable paper feeding, including multi-phase pick process, advanced separation technology, automatic picking technology, mixed stack handling, and ultrasonic double feed detection.

(3) Compared to the HP Designjet 800 Printer series, based on four copies of 50 A1 pages using normal print quality on plain paper. Intervention time not included.

(4) Fee modules can be added individually or bundled in the Web Jetadmin Enterprise Edition Suite.

(5) The Technological Innovation Award by Industry Analyst Inc. was granted to the HP Universal Print Driver in December 2006. Industry Analyst Inc.'s IATSD test lab reviews dozens of hardware and software solutions each year and identifies a product, service or solution they feel is truly innovative and worthy of recognition. Tests and analyses that led to this recognition were not funded by HP.

ENERGY STAR is a U.S. registered mark of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2009 and HP's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

(C: 2.67, n.a., n.a.%) 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

SOURCE: HP

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2009:First Annual Managed Print Services Conference and Association - Oh What a Difference a Year Makes!

4/2009-

The conference is fast approaching. We have had many "Go To Meeting" meetings. The awards have just about been determined, trophy's await the engraver.

I wrote my first article about Ed and the gang, April 15, 2008, one year ago, today.

They were the only ones out there talking about MPS - other than myself and a close circle of colleagues.

In that article, I quoted Ed, "“...It is important to note that the decision making process is less collaborative than might be expected. The market is shifting to an IT-controlled, printer-based MFP-centric environment, and study results indicate that IT is winning the battle to make the MPS decision for the entire fleet, including printers, MFPs and copiers..." - spot on.

In the beginning, there was no Xerox sponsorship, no special announcement from Samsung, no MPM (see the cool video, here.) And the idea of an association was months away.

Back then, HP sold Managed Print, Edgeline was "on fire" and IKON was, well, still IKON.

Today, MPS is just entering the "Trough of Disillusionment" on it's way to the "slope of enlightenment" - for reference, Confidential Printing is at the back end, on the Plateau of Productivity. If you don't know what the heck I am talking about, hit me up on email, I will share.

So it seems, today, there are dozens of MPS experts, hundreds of MPS providers and a growing number of consultants, advisers, mentors, blah, blah, blah - I know the real deal.

If you haven't got your seat, go register - it is going to be stellar.

I can say I was there, almost in the beginning.

Check this link.

HP To Offer Toshiba's to Enterprise Accounts - In Asia

More "strange bedfellows" news:

HP has formed an alliance with Toshiba as part of its managed print services (MPS) strategy.

At the HP Innovation Summit at Singapore, the vendor revealed that key high-volume MPS enterprise customers will have access to a select range of Toshiba multifunction devices.

HP already has a similar agreement with Canon announced last year.

Jim Lyons Observations: HP (NYSE HPQ) confirms -- overall printing is down

I work with an HP VAR, SVIP, OPS Edgeline.

And I happen to think that HP is a great "little" company and makes good stuff.

Yesterday's HP conference revealed much, and there are many analytics.

Rob Sethre has some good words, here.

Jim Lyons was on the call and has really good insight.

Jim Lyons Observations: HP (NYSE HPQ) confirms -- overall printing is down

Clouds of Misfortune Rolling in On The Winds of Change: Copier Industry Next to Fall?

12/2009 -

"It's the End of the World as We Know It."

"The Future Ain't What It Use to Be."

"Fail to study history, doomed to repeat it."

"See, I told you so."

"I shaved my legs for this?"

The other day, I read a post over at Callinan's blog, here. It's good, it's about changes in our industry.

And Ken Stewart has a pretty good grasp on the subject as well, go here, and see his newly re-minted theme - it's to die for!

I've run into a flurry of statements, lately, like these,

"...copier dealers need to change or die..."

"...MPS is not getting the return we expected..."

"...the best way to sell MPS is to start with changing people..."

"...how can we adopt MPS when one of the MPS goals is to reduce MIF..."

"...this will kill the industry..."

New Print Devices and Services from HP

HP Unveils Imaging and Printing Devices, Solutions and Services for Enterprises

A quick press release about new HP offerings.

Check the starting price for the Edgeline.

Rumor of "more aggressive" supply pricing structure - but nothing published.

A Decade of #TheDeathofTheCopier: Really?

Long ago, a decade seemed like forever; "1999" was a far-off party, and 2001 was so distant, that it was science fiction.

When I was young, I couldn't imagine where'd I be beyond 2008.  Today, decades fade away, "like tears in the rain..."

Ten revolutions around the Sun
120 Months
521.4 Weeks
3,650 Days
87,000 Hours

At its peak, The Death of the Copier was coveted; worth stealing. Not for the plain talk, but for the audience.

In 2008, we were busy back-slapping and congratulating ourselves for selling machines like popcorn.  The future was bright; it was never going to end.

• Ikon was a huge channel of 'independent' dealers.
• Xerox was like Kleenex.
• Ricoh and Canon punched it out for the second and third position.
• HP was on the edge with Edgeline.
• The rest of the pack was just that, a pack.

Back then, few were 'blogging' about copiers. Out here on the inter-webs, nobody was talking about workflow, managed print services, IT, or business acumen.  Newsletters, magazines, and trade shows were the vehicles of delivery.

On this 10th year anniversary, I've traveled back to the future, re-visiting stories of the love, toner, blood, and tragedy that is DOTC.

I've dug up a few nuggets:

From a DOTC post, "Top 12 of 2008":

"5. LinkedIn - MySpace is all grown up. Much more mature than Facebook with real contacts and real business and NO high school moms pretending to be CEOs...well, maybe. Quite by chance, I fell into LinkedIn. Early, I joined MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, etc. - but LinkedIn, for some reason has held my attention and gets most of my input when it comes to "social networking"."-  2008.

I talked about Managed Print Services, how copier reps won't naturally progress into the niche, how real MpS requires IT and copier knowledge, and something called Business Acumen.  It was like speaking Latin.

The second post, February 2008: Managed Print Services - That "Hot, New, Thing..."


"A copier salesperson does not directly translate into an MPS specialist.

Nor does an IT Services salesperson translate into an MPS Specialist. It takes both IT experience and copier experience and a great deal of general, C-level, business experience. 

That holy grail of Professional Selling, "Business Acumen". Someone with the "Big Picture" insight and manage the details of a solution."

Honestly, the more things change, the more they stay the same. It's been ten years and we're still struggling to find managed print nirvana.


We still sell copiers.

 How about this one from 2011?  Inspired by the movie Jerry McGuire -

"MPS isn't the end-all, it isn't the only reason to exist - it never has been. Still, with everybody getting in and as many as 50% failing, what now?

With all the OEMs defining MPS ... and reclassifying direct accounts, how can we continue?

Touch More.

More Human Touch. Less PowerPoint. No WebEx meetings, toss the 50 slide business summaries. Instead, press the flesh. Draw on a napkin.

Do that thing we do as sales professionals, look him in the eye and say "thank you, what more can we do, today?"

"Oddest, most unexpected thing..."

Success and change aren't always a result of design. Innovation encroaches from another direction; from the left as we look right, from behind as we look ahead.  Few ever see it coming.

So it is today. As some deny the paperless revolution is near, companies like Alaska Air outfit their 1,400 pilots with iPads.  Apple is making the textbook obsolete and banks accept pictures of checks for deposits. Your kids, don't call each other anymore, they use their thumbs.

From social media to MpS, everything is new and unpredicted - there are no experts - the world moves faster than ever before. No benchmarks, no 'metrics', no comparison, no rules.

Waiting for the revolution? It's already here.

"The Me I always wanted to be" - Trust

Trust. It is a big word and one of the first MPS Conference keynote speaker attempted to rally behind stating, 

"..Trust is something this industry has got to reclaim."

He is new. He doesn't understand to reclaim something, one must have first possessed it.

"I had lost the ability to bullshit, ..."

Our journey continues.

The path is less bumpy when we build partnerships. Partnerships are easier to forge over a foundation of truth. Can you be true?

Can you lose the ability to bullshit? If not to your prospects, at least with yourself. Or are you just another shark in a suit?

Can you see the entire ecosystem?

How about instead of optimizing a smidgen of hardware and some toner, you envision Optimizing Everything?

That's right, everything. Managed Optimization Services.

"That's how you become great, man. Hang your balls out there."

Good Stuff.

What have WE, learned over the past ten years?

1. The Copier is nearly gone
2. Old ways die-hard
3. Situations rarely change, people do

My nostalgic jaunt inspired me to seek out memories from the pioneers of the copier-industry social media world.

Before Twitter.  Before Instaglam. Before LI took off...there was Ken Stewart, Nathan Dube, Jim Lyons, and Art Post.

I asked them for a tidbit of reflection:

From Ken Stewart -

Wow, it's been that long?!?  What I've learned:

1. Trust God more
2. Forgive mankind often
3. Relish the little things
4. Let people be accountable for their actions
5. Just because the folks in the hot tub look like they're having a blast, their secrets are hiding under the bubbles!

Nathan Dube -

Things I have learned:

1. Don’t trust the hype
2. Disruptive technologies sometimes aren’t and those that are, often take time to produce real change
3. If the paperless office is coming, I am not seeing it much/at all in New England across most verticals
4. Storytelling is the best way to market
5. Everybody hates their printer eventually
6. The future of marketing IMO lies in gamification and interactive content that is more about entertainment than the product you are trying to sell.

Jim Lyons -

Can't remember EXACTLY how Greg and I became friends, but as what seemed like the only two bloggers in the industry back then it was inevitable we'd become friends as well as colleagues. 

A particular fond memory is when Greg had accepted an invitation to the Lyra Conference (Symposium) - where I'd gone from client to contributor. 

Greg and I had been in touch quite a bit but had never met face-to-face and several of the team (including Photizo folks in attendance, though this was before the merger) were excited to meet Mr. Death of the Copier. As we anticipated his arrival I remember enthusing that this was a very much-needed "young guy" we were welcomed into the fold!!!

Art Post

Nothing stays the same, change is constant.
There is nothing new in sales even though there are thousands of sales gurus on LinkedIn promoting their success when they haven't sold shit in years.

There are many stubborn copier manufacturers that refuse to exit the channel. No one copies anymore.

I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end of the roll, the faster it goes.

Thanks, guys, for reading DOTC and staying true.

Personally:

1. 2008, I was married and living in the mountains of Southern California.  5,000 feet above sea level, an hour from the beach - "...things that have comforted me, I drive away..."
2. Since 2008, I've moved from SoCali to Charlotte to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin - "...this place that is my home, I cannot stay..."
3. Over 10 years, I've seen small businesses grow and flourish.  I've met the best of the best and the worst of the worst - "...I come and stand at every door..."
4. I've Failed - "...If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me..."
5. I've Succeeded - "...I always leave with less than I had before..."
6. I've become an expert at Starting Over - "...tell me, can you ask for anything more..."

Over the long haul, I've seen the extinction of the typewriter, witnessed the evaporation of the mini and mainframe, and bobbed along the turbulent manual-to-PC-to-network-to-internet-to-cloud waters.

I am fortunate to have a place to express myself.  I'm blessed to be able to write what I would read and humbled others to find something, interesting and possibly entertaining.

10 Years. How about you?

On what field did you stand?  Today, do you still stand?  

Where will you be in 2028?

Two, three, four

Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?
If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making his way down the street?
If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me
Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door

Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before
Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
Tell me can you ask for anything more?

Have you ever seen a scarecrow filled with nothing but dust and wheat?
If you've ever seen that scarecrow then you've seen me
Have you ever seen a one-armed man punching at nothing but the breeze?
If you've ever seen a one-armed man then you've seen me

Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door
Then you've seen me, I always leave with less than I had before
Then you've seen me, bet I can make you smile when the blood, it hits the floor
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
Tell me can you ask for anything more?

These things that have comforted me, I drive away
This place that is my home I cannot stay
My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display
Have you ever seen a one-legged man trying to dance his way free?
If you've ever seen a one-legged man then you've seen me

Managed Print Services in 2012: The Year the VAR's come calling...

11/27/2011

Is it too early to write about next year? No, it isn't.

The Death of The Copier calls out the obvious:

2012, the year of the VAR?

More specifically:

The year the VARs try to learn meter reads to billing...

The year the VARs try to sell MpS like every other managed service...

The year the VARs make all the mistakes we did, five years ago...

2012 the year we lose the 'p'..

2012 the year the little fish consumes the big fish...MpS devours MS...

Oh my...

The Death of Spreadsheets

That's an Edgeline Shipping Pallet, converted.

"Knowledge will no longer be trapped on paper... or under glass."

9/24/2014

We were talking about Big Data - it's what we do - when she exclaimed, "It's the Death of Spreadsheets...people will need to swallow faster..."

I was stunned and not sure what swallowing had to do with Big Data, I'll let you ponder that one.  I did, however, understand her observation about Big Data, or specifically, the use of Big Data and the end of spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets are on the path to oblivion, just ask Microsoft.

The rise of the 99 cent algorithm and the fall of "=@if(A, B, C)".

Algorithms are workflow.

Automating processes with algorithmic discipline is changing everything.  Why generate formulas on static spreadsheets when a preconceived formula, connected to live data, streams actionable information directly to your device, pane of glass, or contact lens?

Imagine saying the words,  "Computer: what is the most profitable group of devices in my fleet, today?"

Not only is the answer reported orally, but a running, graphic representation of your profitable machines is presented as well as comparative representations from around the globe - all in real-time.

Beyond words, what if the 'cloud' knew exactly what you wanted to see and when?  Instead of you asking, the information(vs. data) is presented to you nice and neat, in real-time, anywhere on the planet.

No paper, no historic or static.

Funky, eh?  There's more.


Apple just released, to a rather conservative fanfare, the latest addition to the iPhone lineage.  Some were waiting for a "Dick Tracey" watch and others lamented a "phablet", instead, Apple released some less expensive color devices and a new 5s - in Gold.

To many, the device was less than expected - I took note of the A7, 64-bit processor.  In a word, "Awesome" and I'm not an Apple FanBoy.

The A7 is the first 64-bit of its kind to be found in a phone, processes twice as many bits per cycle, and incorporates built-in, on-the-chip encryption.

This all means the little gold box will do stuff faster, crunch more numbers and drive cleaner video - all in the palm of your hand and this is just the beginning.

Back to big data.

Soon, we'll all be carrying around enough processing power to compress massive calculations and connect from anywhere on the planet.  Our customized, 1:1 news will stream flawlessly, and profit, commission, productivity, and financial reports, both personal and business, will seamlessly appear.

In the cloud, huge amounts of calculating power will collect data from billions of sensors all around the planet.  For example, when one of your Konica Minolta is repeatedly misfeeding, AND throwing off ambiguous errors, our newly ubiquitous business intelligence network will:

• Analyze the multitudes of sensors inside the copier...
• Backtrack the units manufacturing chain of custody...down to every component
• Research the composition of toner and examine the entire supply chain...
• Research the composition of the paper, all the way back to the tree...
• Measure the humidity fluctuations and compare them to occurring misfeed times...
• Compare the reported symptoms with millions of other devices and every other device ever recorded... 
• Measure the incoming power...
• Report back a meaningful diagnosis - or simply make corrections remotely - and then report back...

All real-time. No paper because the paper is too slow, no glass, because glass is too restrictive.

Chew on that.

PS - I used a copier as an example but you and I both know, there won't be any copiers left, don't we?
#Wink #DOTC #NoReallyThisTimeItIsPaperLess

1910 -

The Mundaneum

Founded by Paul Otlet (who outlined a concept of a globally connected network of computers in 1934) and Henri La Fontaine, The Mundaneum aimed to "gather together all the world's knowledge and classify it according to a system they developed called the Universal Decimal Classification".

Originally posted on Walters & Shutwell, Inc. Sept, 2013.

_________

Remastered by GPT4.0, 3/2023

The rise of Big Data and the increasing use of algorithms is transforming the way we process information, leading to the obsolescence of traditional methods such as spreadsheets. This was an observation made by my colleague Jennifer during a conversation we had about Big Data.

Algorithms are becoming the new workflow, automating processes with greater efficiency and accuracy. Why use static spreadsheets when a preconceived formula, connected to live data, can provide actionable information directly to your device, pane of glass, or contact lens in real-time?

For instance, imagine asking your computer: "What is the most profitable group of devices in my fleet today?" The answer is not only reported orally but also displayed as a running graphic representation of your most profitable machines, compared to similar devices worldwide.

But the impact of Big Data extends beyond visual representations. Soon, our customized, 1:1 news will stream flawlessly, and personalized financial reports will appear seamlessly. In the cloud, massive processing power will collect data from billions of sensors all around the planet.

For example, if one of your Konica Minolta repeatedly misfeeds and throws off ambiguous errors, our newly ubiquitous business intelligence network can analyze the multitude of sensors inside the copier, backtrack the unit's manufacturing chain of custody down to every component, research the composition of toner and examine the entire supply chain, research the composition of the paper all the way back to the tree, measure the humidity fluctuations, and compare the misfeed times. 

Then, it can compare the symptoms with millions of other devices, every other device ever recorded, and measure the incoming power to provide a meaningful diagnosis or make corrections remotely, all in real time.

These advancements are leading to a paperless future and could even render traditional office equipment such as copiers obsolete. As we look to the future, it's worth remembering the Mundaneum, founded by Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine in 1910. 

They aimed to "gather together all the world's knowledge and classify it according to a system they developed called the Universal Decimal Classification." It's remarkable to think how far we've come since then, and even more incredible to imagine where we'll be in the future.

_________

Tweet: Big Data is changing everything! From automating processes to providing real-time insights, the possibilities are endless. #BigData #Automation #RealTimeInsights

Intro paragraph: In today's world, Big Data is becoming increasingly important, as it has the power to revolutionize the way we process and utilize information. With the rise of algorithms and automation, traditional methods such as spreadsheets are on the path to obsolescence. The ability to connect preconceived formulas to live data provides actionable information in real-time, changing the way we work and make decisions. Big Data is not just about processing information, but it's also about how we use it. From customized 1:1 news to personalized financial reports, the possibilities are endless. In this era of digital transformation, Big Data is changing everything!

Click to email me.

Printelligent Announces PrintAlert(TM) -- Remote Monitoring Software

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct 31, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --


Rob Wellman, CEO of Printelligent, announced the release of PrintAlert(TM) -- a proprietary software application enhancing Printelligent's Managed Print Solution by remotely monitoring clients' networked printers, resulting in flexible and proactive service programs.
"PrintAlert was developed in-house because our clients wanted extreme flexibility in Printelligent's service response resulting from data collected from their printers," said Wellman. "We tried using third-party remote monitoring software applications, but none of them provided the flexibility needed."

Printelligent customers receive multiple benefits from remote monitoring of their printers, ranging from simple page count readings to proactive consumables service. Printelligent is able to tailor service response programs for each client, with varying levels of service for specific printers. With PrintAlert installed, initiation of on-site client service no longer depends on an employee calling Printelligent to request service. The service visit is often completed before clients are even aware of a service need. Reporting becomes extremely accurate and eliminates the need for the physical gathering of printer page counts. PrintAlert is a free application to all Printelligent clients receiving Managed Print Solution services.

PrintAlert scans for devices in standard network environments that have IEEE management information bases (MIBs),ensuring only print device data is captured. Data is collected using SNMP -- a standard monitoring protocol. Collected information includes the printer's lifecount (pages printed to-date) and status messages such as a low toner alert. Data is collected periodically, pushed through the client's firewall and sent over the Internet to Printelligent's internal database using secure data transfer protocols. The resulting network traffic is negligible, similar to a user surfing the Internet. Data encryption keeps information secure, and the only firewall ports used in data transfer are those typically already in use for web traffic. No ports are "left open" but rather PrintAlert pushes data back to Printelligent, opening a port as needed in much the same way a web browser functions.

PrintAlert is already monitoring over 1,200 client print devices for Printelligent. Curt Schaefermeyer, LAN administrator at Mountain America Credit Union, said, "We have been using PrintAlert with great success. Installation was very straight forward and took all of 15 minutes. It's been quietly residing on our network gathering printer data and passing it to Printelligent for several months now. Printelligent is more aware of our printer fleet activity as a result."

Printelligent clients enjoy the benefits of working with one trusted provider for all printing needs. Clients receive remote monitoring of printer fleets, supplies and service on-demand, as well as tailored management reports regarding the company's networked printers. On-going reviews reveal over/under utilized printers and recommendations for strategic printer purchases. Printers are placed to serve the needs of employees, and maximize printer use by funneling the majority of print volume to lowest cost printers. Service costs are summarized in a quarterly invoice including all print-related costs.
"Printelligent's clients reap rewards whenever technology can automate a workflow process because time savings and service improvements are the result," said Wellman. "PrintAlert is helping Printelligent be extremely flexible and very proactive in the delivery of our services."

About Printelligent

Since 1988, Printelligent has managed networked print environments for mid- to large companies with typical cost savings of up to 38% in general office printing costs. Printelligent's clients print smarter through remote monitoring of printer fleets, service and supplies delivered at time-of-need, tailored management reports, strategic printer purchases and one simple quarterly invoice. Printelligent is the industry's most experienced Managed Print Solutions provider, and enjoys a strategic relationship with HP as an Office Printing Solutions Elite Partner and Authorized Edgeline Access Partner. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Printelligent has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles, serving a diverse group of local and regional clients. Visit our recently updated website at: www.printelligent.com.

SOURCE: Printelligent

$HPQ InkJet vs Toner - Five Reasons You're Hearing so Much

The concept of inkjet printing originated in the 19th century, and the technology was first developed in the early 1950s. Starting in the late 1970s inkjet printers that could reproduce digital images generated by computers were developed, by Epson,Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Canon. - Wikipedia.

The best marketing dollars are spent inviting 'analysts' to an event, feed them caviar, fillet, and tell them how important they are.  Lo and behold, a fountain of cool-aid drinking marketing content disguised as 'fact' splashes across websites and the industry's remaining print media. No blame, its just the way of things.

Nice ROI.

Far from an HP Fanboy, but...Have you seen their Managed Print Services Push?

"HP Sucks"

One might say, "I haven't seen office technology advancements like these since Panasonic."

Far from an HP Fanboy, but - there is more data-based content about Managed Print Services, and the Hybrid environment in one marketing piece than the rest of the OEMs, combined.

Yeah, I know HP thinks EVERYBODY  is their customer and yes working with them can be tiresome.

But not only is HP a player, but they are also still the biggest guy on the block.  Who in their right mind would square off against Blue in the A4 market?

Regardless.  MPS Deniers take note.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself and your Managed Print Services Provider: From HP

Edgeline!!

3/2009

Here are ten questions that Gary Tierney, country manager, Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard, suggests.

These are not the only questions, but they are pretty darn good ones.

I cut and pasted them here from an article the Business and Leadership site, here.

I find the last question, number 10, very interesting and question #6 illustrates a more European interest.

What do you think?

As the potential benefits of an MPS strategy grow, so too do the stakes when selecting a partner. Here is a selection of questions that enterprises should ask themselves and their MPS suppliers before signing on the dotted line:

1. Why are you considering an MPS strategy? What is your definition of success and how will you measure it?

Consider if your MPS strategy is a ‘defensive’ cost-based approach, or is it driven by wider considerations such as reducing environmental impact, generating measurable performance increases, consolidating non-core operations around a number of key suppliers, integrating operations from a recently merged business, moving to a flexible working model from a branch-based network, or perhaps preparing for future expansion?

The business rationales underpinning your MPS strategy will determine these objectives and accompanying metrics. How open is your vendor to performance-based metrics? Is it prepared to be assessed against your business priorities, whether they are based on performance, environmental impact or cost reduction, or a weighted combination of these?

2. Do your service level agreements (SLAs) and payment models make business sense – for your business, not theirs?

SLAs can provide transparency and ensure wider business objectives are being met, but only if they make sense for your business. Same-day service in the event of a printer failure may make sense in an environment where print is time-critical and where backup devices are not available. However, it would make no sense to pay for such a premium service if redundancy could be built into the system in the event of a breakdown.

The majority of MPS contracts are based on a ‘cost-per-page’ model. In this instance, it is incumbent on the user to anticipate usage volumes and patterns, and negotiate accordingly. Alternative models are possible, such as ‘cost-per-seat’ with potential charges for maintenance and support. How open is your vendor to tailoring the billing model for your business? Is the vendor prepared to impose a ‘reconciliation-based’ model involving, for example, a fixed monthly fee throughout the first year, with a revised fee based on actual usage for the following year?

3. What is your business?

Just as no two businesses are the same, neither are those organisations’ printing and digital-imaging requirements. An enterprise’s specific requirements are defined by the nature of its business. Here are a selection of considerations that will impact your enterprise print profile and, therefore, the challenge facing your eventual MPS partner:

• What volume of documents are pre-printed, printed on demand?

• What volume of documents are internal, customer-facing?

• With what frequency and regularity are documents printed; is there likely to be any pattern?

• What proportion of documents will be confidential or restricted in nature?

• Is your organisation subject to certain compliance or data-protection procedures with respect to printed material?

• Is your organisation branch-based, do your staff work flexibly (from other branch offices, from home, on client or partner premises, from hotels?)

• Where is your headquarters situated?

In reality, most organisations would struggle to even estimate the volumes and type of print required by their staff beyond the overall costs for supplies, print hardware and maintenance.

Does the MPS vendor offer a comprehensive audit procedure to enable you to evaluate and assess your requirements, or does it simply apply a generic print/cost formula to all clients?

4. What is your print profile – 3pc or 103pc?

Ink and toner represents an essential component of any cost analysis, so it is essential to understand the type of documents being printed by your staff. The difference in terms of supplies provisioning and cost can be revealing: ink/toner required for a typical letter or memo printed in black and white would cover between 3–5pc of the overall page, but that percentage could rise to 100pc for a PowerPoint and even higher if printed in colour. In addition, the make and model of the printer can also significantly impact cost-per-page figures.

Ensure that you assess your print profile before committing to a price-per-page model, for instance. Why pay for a 100pc print ratio, based on one type of printer, when the majority of print jobs will be letters or memos based on an entirely different print platform?

5. How scalable and flexible is the contract?

Will the SLAs and conditions negotiated last year still make sense in the future? What contingencies are incorporated to accommodate evolutions to your business model, mergers, acquisitions, overseas expansion, new services and flexible working models? For an MPS strategy to be genuinely beneficial, your business context must be taken into consideration.

Reputable vendors should demonstrate a knowledge and experience of your sector, and be capable of accommodating its trends and future developments within the context of your contract.

6. Is the vendor genuinely international?

The genuine benefits of MPS become evident with scale, as new markets and geographies are added to the scope. What are your potential MPS partner’s international credentials? Can it provide a list of verifiable reference customers for these areas? Can it deliver and support all aspects of the MPS contract, from leasing to onsite support, to these geographies direct or through a partner? In the case of the latter, would these partners still be subject to the same terms and conditions and measurable against the same SLAs?

Using the above criteria as a benchmark, recent reports from both Gartner and Quocirca cite just eight MPS vendors that are genuinely global, so it is certainly advisable to pose this question to your vendor before committing.

7. What about integration – it’s not always as simple as it looks. What are your MPS vendor’s technology credentials?

One of Hewlett-Packard’s current MPS clients requires us to support over 4,000 different applications based on five operating systems across its disparate office locations. Each of these requires specific driver applications to ensure full print and digital-imaging compatibility. This complexity is multiplied when we consider that the client in question operates in the banking sector, where levels of control, security and compliance remain a priority.

This context is far from unusual within the enterprise sector. Your MPS vendor must be capable of implementing and administering all aspects of the print and digital-imaging process, from application integration to individual user access. Ensure that your MPS vendor can demonstrate practical experience of these environments before signing up.

8. What about web-based applications?

Software as a service (SaaS), application service provision and ‘apps on tap’ have become mainstream for enterprise applications such as enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, human resources and finance. There cannot be many enterprises that have not either considered or implemented such a strategy. What are the implications of web-based applications from a printing and digital-imaging perspective, and what should you expect from your MPS vendor?

One of the advantages of web-based provisioning is flexibility and scalability – any device, at any given moment, in any location. Such benefits would be undermined if they did not extend to the print environment. A reputable MPS vendor should ensure that printing and imaging services are similarly provisioned ‘on demand’, without compromising the integrity of the documents, the security of the enterprise or agreed compliance procedures.

Will this level of service be maintained for all web-based data sources, whether they are databases, presentations, written archives, graphics, images or other applications?

9. What about environmental considerations?

MPS is not just about reducing costs. By optimising the infrastructure and ensuring the most efficient use of resources – both energy and supplies such as paper and ink/toner cartridges – MPS can also make a significant contribution to reducing organisations’ environmental impact and introduce more sustainable business practices. As firms face increasing pressure from customers, shareholders and Government to reduce their carbon footprint, this will become an even more crucial component of the MPS approach.

As part of their wider MPS offering, vendors should be able to offer an assessment that analyses customers’ printing environments to understand current energy, paper and supplies use. MPS vendors should use this information to optimise fleets, better manage output and leverage change-management expertise to help you achieve the most environmentally sustainable document solutions strategy.

10. What about mobile?

What vision and practical support can your MPS vendor offer in terms of future trends and their implications for the print environment? The most pressing of these is the increasing use of mobile devices in the decision-making process.

This trend represents a particular challenge for printing and digital imaging in terms of drivers, image format (to ensure that the end result is legible and usable) and, of course, security (particularly with the advent of wireless printing).

Make sure your MPS vendor has a clear vision regarding mobility and other technology trends to ensure it is fully supported, and not actually constrained – by the print process.


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Want more?

Reach out to me... greg@grwalters.com