I've been asking this for over a year now, "Is MpS is back?"
Surprisingly, dealers and salespeople have been telling me their Prospects are asking for managed print services. Prospects have a definition of managed print services, see a need and are actively seeking out providers.
Not like the old days.
MPS is not merely surviving; it's thriving and adapting in ways that promise a brighter, more efficient future for businesses worldwide.
This post first appeared on DOTC, January 2009 and is the DOCT book. This is a truncated version, get the rest, in the book.
Never mind that he is hundreds of miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, he lives on a boat, sells "big-iron" copiers...and has a blog. Introducing Pirate Mike.
I received a "hit" today from one of my internet-search-spiders-thingies, and read the resulting post while waiting for the Rover to be washed - it was 86 degrees and sunny - as I scrolled along the post I literally laughed out loud.
The march toward oblivion continues AI and writing.
Is it the Alpha or Omega? Yes.
The debate is just starting the result is inevitable. Like the Luddites, haters of Gutenberg, chalk and slate tablets, calculators, spellcheck, wordprocessing templates, mail merge, answering machines, and 'talkies', to quote a great movie, "It just doesn't matter."
From Picese to Aquarius - Inevitable.
I took a very nice post on LinkedIn about a blue-ish typewriter and sent it through that Great Machine asking for a rewrite in the voice of Stephen King.
As I travel the back roads of internet marketing, recording experiences shared by copier dealers, MPS providers and the like, many things become clear:
What are "SEO Experts" -
Content is the art, SEO is relevant until the algorithm is changed. The mystery of getting to the top of google results is just that - a mystery. Sure, everybody has a plan and can show you how to get to the top, but is there an ROI?
There are more flim-flam artists in internet marketing than there are toner-pirates in our realm -
Business owners don't know the first thing about web-marketing because we spend our time working OEM rebate, warranty programs and employee issues. Sometimes you sell.
Either way, getting to know what you need to know about your web-presence is a full time job and trusting those who have the answers is daunting.
All of our websites suck -
Visually, most of the websites LOOK fine - indeed, some are downright attractive. But beyond the pretty wrappers, a lot of websites are glorified product brochures with hollow content.
Your web-presence should not be a glorified yellow pages advertisement or deep dive, company resume.
Those are pretty broad observations, so let me boil it down to the latest affront.
I found this in my twit-stream, "Managed Print Services" - see the two screen-caps - the SM expert floods the stream with pictures of ...well.. alluring women. I know a thing or two about utilizing this imagery, beyond that, the link reveals a most egregious example of click-bait and revolting content.
I don't claim to be a perfect writer, speller or grammar-ist, I know I've forgotten a comma or two and misspelled plenty, but never have I written such drivel - nor have I read a narrative so void.
Submitted for your review, the tip of the iceberg - incoherent content:
"Many organizations are coming up today.
Many of them are facing problems when it comes to production of many paper copies. The machines are quite expensive, it is also expensive to have a technical team for the services. Many managers are hence opting to outsource the MPS services. You would save a lot of money if engaged with the right services providers. If you would like a professional team, you need to have the contacts of name redacted to protect the innocent. There are things that you need to consider getting the right service providers since many people have joined the industry, and most of them are providing poor overhaul..."
"Poor Overhaul"? What in God's, green, Earth is THAT?
This type of content is more prevalent than you think - don't let your social media/website/marketing company do this to you.
Better yet, call us - I've put together a group of experts, Bright Stars, of internet marketing/sales and transformation and we provide a total solution portfolio of services:
WebCasts
Reputation Management
Website Monitoring and Security
PodCasts
Video
Salesforce and engagement management
...and much, much more...
The sad thing is, somebody, somewhere is paying for this content.
I had to go back and see what the official date was of my first post. I knew it was close to March, but to my surprise, it was a year ago, yesterday (Feb 20).
So I guess it is fitting that I put down some thoughts a year later.
One of the techniques I have learned to drive traffic to a site, is to use easily searchable words in the title of the post, like "copier", "HP", "Xerox", etc. - this post will not show up on many Google results and that is fine with me.
It's fine because I really write to read what I write - that's how this started, and today it's still true. I started this little endeavor without really knowing what a "Blog" was - all I wanted to do was put some information "out there", within reach of potential clients. Information strictly around the HP Edgeline. At the time a revolutionary new technology, a "copier Killer" technology.
Well, I never really wanted to talk about what I ate for lunch or how many people came over for Thanksgiving dinner.
Back in the beginning, "driving traffic" to the site meant me telling my family and close friends about my blog and how they should "go check it out". One month, 12 of my friends viewed one page and spent an average of 30 seconds on the site. Today, I have a months with 16,000 and an average time on the site between 2.5 and 3.2 minutes.
Back then a "Blog", the combination of the two words web and log, was considered a diary created by individuals and stored on the internet.
I looked at the Drudge Report as a functional model. Scanning the internet for information regarding my industry and posting.
Pretty simple.
This idea grew into finding more information, again interesting to me, and writing some commentary or reflection. And ultimately, writing pure content based on topical issues.
As time progressed, I started to refer to the blog as "my site" - because it really isn't a blog, it's not a journal or diary. One of the many things I have learned, most successful, business blogs really aren't diaries. Neither is mine - but I must admit I do like to go back and read older posts.
Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I laugh out loud, most of the time I am just as amused as the day I wrote it.
They say any good experience is one you learn something from. This is the greatest learning experience, ever.
Over the past 12 months, together, we have been witness to the beginning of the largest merger in the history of our industry . We've seen $5.00/gallon gasoline prices grind the economy to a stand still and have witnessed the biggest transfer of private business to government ownership in the history of mankind - this has not been a "ho-hum" year.
I have learned more about smart paper, carbon credits, publishing, killer laser toner, nano-printing, copier leases, copier crimes in Cleveland, winery tours, and recycling centers, soy based toner, Hybrid Dealers, Galactic-Hybrid Dealers, drunk email, umbrellas of silence, Pearl Harbor, and Google Data Barges.
Some of the other things I have learned involve plagiarism, "feeds" vs content, verifying sources and that writing should not be easy, if it is, then it is not writing.
I have also tried to title my posts with a bit more thought - well, I must admit, I do like "The Death of..."
The Death of Xerography The Death of the Sale The Death of the Copier Person The Death of Print The Death of Kaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnn! The Death of Socrates The Death of Windows 3.0 The Death of the "Close" The Death of the Typewriter The Death of the Copier Dealer The Death of Edgeline
I still chuckle, and reflect, when reading "The Death of Kaaaaaaaahhhhhnnnnnn!" I am sure there will be more.
Ah...the people...
This site as introduced me to so many different people. People I would never have met without the DOTC. Great peeps - you know who you are. Collaborators, mentors, contributors, critics - peers. To you, I say thanks.
And the connections...
I have now been published in a new and highly regarded MPS Journal, I have been interviewed by dozens of pundits, industry analysts and peers. I am currently working on articles for a number of industry publications.
I attended the Lyra Symposium and will be attending the Photizo conference in April. I am part of a collection of MPS people focused on helping others make it in this field.
All of this is very flattering and a bit unbelievable. The attention is grand.
And yet, the most rewarding aspect has been receiving emails from folks who read the site everyday - who have made it part of their routine.
The regular, normal, everyday Selling Professional. The people that make EVERYTHING happen. Sometimes it's just a phrase or two and sometimes I receive a nice long letter - and to be honest I haven't received all that many. But a law of marketing says for every "one" response, there are 5.3 people who feel the same.(not sure on the actual figure)
The blog stopped being a blog, the day I received my first "good job" email, back in August of 2008 - since then, its been a odyssey.
And as this writing expedition, this journey into "self" continues to evolve, I am even more honored to have you here along with me.
I'm writing this three weeks after the Executive Connection Summit and I’m still feeling the effects. Intel, SAP, Cisco — foundational members of the technology industry, stalwart believers in all things connected, came to speak here in our backyard. To be sure, it stands as the best show in the industry, with superior content. As Gavin Williams said, “The goal was really to educate as much of the industry as possible about the innovation available today.” The bar is officially higher, but there’s something more recondite just under the surface.
I comment about the players at center stage, but I’ve always enjoyed getting a feel for what the attendees find attractive - the dialogue between the talks. That’s the gold.
I thought of the Internet of Things conversations, how independent dealers are capitalizing on the technology not only in implementing but offering those same services to clients. It wasn’t until I remembered an onstage conversation when things started to click.
After one panelist on stage lamented the challenges of converting to a new accounting system, I chatted with a few people about moving to different CRMs and the difficulty of data conversion. One company decided to operate both the old and the new systems in parallel as legacy data is weaned over to the new system. Another is hiring a staff of “keypunch operators” to input all existing contracts and customer information into Forza.
The underlining tension, the Wookie in the Room, was simple: People know a better accounting system is out there, but getting to it is difficult because of our old school investments. Time and again, I spoke with people who recognized the need to switch but anticipated huge costs in labor and time with the transitional project of moving to a new CRM/accounting system. The tension was palpable.
Imagine needing to have a leg broken and reset because the original setting was primitive. At one time, healing a broken limb was as easy as tying the bone together with tree branches and twine. Years later,
They were celebrating something...it was unclear and it was late.
Young Turks are all full of passion, possibilities, and a zest for "the new way of everything". Kids of the internet, comfortable in that soft pool of warm ignorance - seven or eight, twenty-somethings out drinking; nowhere to go but up.
You remember those times, don't you? Think "The Breakfast Club" grows into "St. Elmo's Fire" on the way to "The Big Chill". I was smack-dab in the middle of Elmo's Fire expecting Rob to start blaring away on the Sax.
In some capacity, a few of these folks are builders of websites and experts in the way of SEO. They know all there is to know about, well, everything online - branding, selling, travel, food, publishing, online life, whiskey, tinder, and the ways of the world.
Upon an ocean of auguries and reflections, my contrarian tendencies pull me into ignoring if not despising each "end of the year" account and "predictions for next year". So many articles and pontifications - it's stifling.
Who needs it?
Well, low and behold, I've surrendered to the waves, to the Fire. Here is my contribution to the deadwood of 2022 and the albatross of 2023.
*SPECIAL NOTE IF YOU WANT TO SKIP TO SEE YOUR FUTURE SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO "Artificial Intelligence" becomes simply "Intelligent".*
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.
"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.
"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?
The Copier is nearly gone
Old ways die-hard
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.
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!!!
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:
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..."
Since 2008, I've moved from SoCali to Charlotte to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin - "...this place that is my home, I cannot stay..."
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..."
I've Failed - "...If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me..."
I've Succeeded - "...I always leave with less than I had before..."
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
Welcome to the future of search - where ChatGPT leads the way and SEO is a thing of the past.
Welcome to the Future.
This is why Google is freaking out and the behemoth, Microsoft, dropped ten billion dollars in the lap of OpenAI - Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we work, access information and Live and the adoption curve is a straight line up.
"There is blood in the water."
Artificial Intelligence, or Augmented Intelligence, is transforming the way we access information and work, rendering traditional search engines and websites obsolete. The impact of AI adoption is causing giants like Google and Microsoft to invest heavily in the technology, with OpenAI receiving a ten-billion-dollar investment from Microsoft.
The future of the PC is often attributed to
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas J. Watson, Jr., the former CEO of IBM, 1971
Thousands of small satellites, circling the globe maintaining geosynchronous orbit. Quarter sized thrusters hold these nano-boxes in place. Engineered like microchips, one thruster contains a grid of 500 needles — each a solar powered, custom-built nozzle generating ion sprays.
Not science fiction.
"CubeSats" are small ( 4 in × 4 in × 4 in) satellites, launched in space, in a low-Earth orbit - as of January, 2019, there have been 1,000 cubesats launched.
These devices are cheap and with newly developed 'fusion engines', they have the ability to remain in place or move to a different location. Applications range from communications to giant, space-born, billboard signs.
The copier industry was the vanguard of connected devices(M2M) and we should be looking for future avenues of growth.
Imagine 5 or 6 or 7G connectivity speeds running on a mesh of cubesats. Imagine all things connected; plants, paint, elevators, RFID, CCTV, and yes, even one or two remaining photocopiers.
Perhaps the Internet of Space is hyperbole.
I'm sure there were doubters and naysayers when the first copier connected to a thing called the "network". Either way, is connectivity the 'manifest destiny' of our time?
"Manifest Destiny held that the United States was destined—by God, its advocates believed—to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent." - History Channel
Originally posted on The Imaging Channel, here. Managed print services as they once were have been replaced by dead programs. More than that — walking dead programs.
Zombies.
Barely detectable, cannibalistic programs crept into organizations of all sizes promising impossible cost reductions and spreading the commoditization of services. The establishment, in unfamiliar territory, created a false sanctuary and moved toward small-footprint, multifunction laser printers. Some returned to liquid toner, hoping to shake those pesky cartridge re-animators while others implemented subscription-based schemes.
Some stayed the course selling copiers.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. The signs were there for all to see:
The OEMs cared more about shelf space and equipment quotas And we let them. The pundits didn't need anything more than “butts in seats” And we let them. The sales managers and owners, quick to lament their failures in MPS blame everybody but themselves. And we let them.
Today, walking dead MPS programs outnumber us and, like the make-believe TV zombies, these offerings are melting away with every storm, shrinking in form and numbers like virgin cores. It is messy.
In spite of this, there will be no mourning, no heartfelt regret. Things are as they should be. The world moves — terminus MPS is no surprise. We’re presented with the opportunity to find a new pivot point and, unlike the monochrome to color or analog to digital shift, I look forward to the idea of a bigger move.
Consider three mindshifts:
Everything as a service — THINK
This is difficult; changing your mindset always is. Step out of your current business and look at your service model. Look through a different lens away from the product and more on the service. Moving away from expecting monthly unit deliveries is a perspective that must change more than ever before. Think about the possibilities when all things connected can be monitored — how much for services when charging a fee for every act, or provision?
Redefine your OEM relationship, find new partners - NO HARDWARE
For decades you’ve driven business to fulfill your equipment quotas, supporting your OEM of choice — they’ve demanded you continue down this path, leading you along with volume discounts and rebates. Once upon a time, this was supportive. Today, quotas are chains
Forget adjacent industries, go for the contrarian - LUXURY SUBMERSIBLES
Water and coffee services, managed services, managed print services and making copiers isn’t even enough. The bold move is one away from the industry, and parts of the model. Why not monitor a client’s entire power grid or manufacturing floor? How about aiming your expensive NOC at every device with an IP? What is the difference between connected copiers and connected lightbulbs, HVAC, coffee makers, security systems, oil rigs, beer taps, automobiles, or 3D printers?
A challenging idea, wouldn’t you agree? Take heart, dear reader, the greater the challenge, the greater the rewards and no other industry is up to the task more than we. Here is a quick SWOT analysis of our position and why we can do this:
S — OUR STRENGTH
Over the years we’ve moved from down-the-street cold calling to boardroom presentations; from cash transactions to service embedded into leases. Looking back, we’ve always gone through a transformation of sorts. The transformation most of the world is currently working, we’ve already been through — from the box to the C-suite. We adopt
W — OUR WEAKNESS
We have fast-moving sales cycles (30 day), heavy overhead, reliance on OEM technology and market drivers.
O — OUR OPPORTUNITY
New markets, new services. The panacea of repeatable, predictable revenue is visible and the best way to build a sustainable service model is not on machines delivered.
T — THE THREAT
OEMs acting even more isolationist, ignoring the indirect channel. Lower-priced devices carrying less margin and technology, attracting business culture away from print.
When we first connected with our MIF (machines in the field) we didn’t know it, but we were the part of the Internet of everything vanguard. We’ve been selling and talking remote monitoring, proactive delivery and business solutions for decades — selling business solutions isn’t in our wheelhouse, it IS our wheelhouse.
The world is pressuring us into becoming part of the horde. Choose to be big, bold, brash and shocking or dissolve away with the walking cadavers. MPS may be a zombie, but you’re not.
###
A prolific writer, frequent speaker, and hyper-charged freelancer, Greg Walters shares his passionate, unique and provocative view on technology, addressing the digital impact on 21st century business and the new way of work and society. His book, Death of the Copier, published in 2014, offers a controversial summary of the early days managed print services and the not-so-distant future of the hard-copy industry. For four years, he was part of and then rebuilt a managed print services practice inside a West Coast VAR/MSP. Over the last three years he has been assisting companies with optimizing their IT portfolio of services, analyzing information workflow and processes, building self-supporting MpS programs inside IT departments and creating and implementing print policies for medium to large businesses. His company, Greg Walters Inc., is a bold consulting and content creation firm helping companies optimize processes and communicate their stories. Contact him at greg@grwalters.com
March 8, 2017. "All Roads Lead to MpS and MpS Leads to All" - I've been saying it for years. At first, it was a joke.
I drop phrases like, "You know, copiers were the first devices on the internet of things.(MWAi)"
Or...
"In my world, voice mail is a document..." In a room full of IT types, the response is silence. Yes, that is a third eye growing out of the top of my head.
Here we are, March of 2017 and not much has changed since 2007. Everyone 'does MpS', but few understand the expansive realm.
If you remember back to the '60s - riots, Viet Nam, Presidential and political assassinations, hippies at Woodstock, the Beatles, Stones, the Peace Movement, and a vaguely remembered issue called the "The Generation Gap".
This Gap referred to the difference between younger generations and their elders. Back then, teenagers regarded their parents' established social norms as outdated and restrictive - many rebelled:
Can AI Joanna fool the world and take a day off for the real Joanna?
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Date: April 28, 2023
Greg's Words
I remember the time I sold a PC, WordPerfect, and an HP Laser Series II to a legal assistant in a one-man lawyer office, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. On her desk was an IBM Selectric. She was proud of her ability to type four to five custom letters in 45 minutes; she was VERY good at her job and ran the office with razor-sharp efficiency.
Cutting edge, she convinced her boss to purchase a new contraption(IBM PS/2, AT?) to help her do more.
Her eyes lit up as letter after letter crept out of the LaserJet - blazing eight pages per minute. She was giddy.
Suddenly, like a cloud drifting over the blueberry fields of Imlay City, her smile dissolved into shadow and I swear the blood rushed out of her cheeks. Her cheer was supplanted by Doom. She suddenly saw the whole of the Moon; her job, lifestyle, and future were shockingly in question. Obsolete.
Reading the Wall Street Journal entry by Joanna Stern, brought me back to that rainy, Mid-Michigan day in 1989. Technology is so cool, it's Cold.
"AI Joanna" is the HP Series II of the day, a creation utilizing readily available resources producing less-than-perfect results. Time is compressing, from 'normal' to 'AI Time', years are months, days hours and although AI Joanna is not 'perfect', somewhere in the wild, today, there is a perfect Replicant giving a local newscast or weather report.
We've put together a quick summary of the article.
From Copiers to Superpowers: When Office Tech Meets International Espionage
Greg's Words
China is not our friend. The country is not a good trade partner. The society is one of compliance with the state - China regulates everything from access to the Internet, to how many children a couple can create. The political system is directly opposed to democracy, independence, and freedom.
But they make things really cheap - computer chips and Fentanyl.
In the office technology niche, toner and printers from China are but a slice of the market; less than a sidebar in the world debate - somewhat analogous to a canary in the coal mine.
We've distilled multiple articles into this summary of the current situation: China wants to put a listening base on Cuba.
What we should do:
End the War in Ukraine
Invite Russia into NATO or
Dissolve NATO
Purchase the island of Cuba.
Article Executive Points -
China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement for China to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba, a development that poses a new geopolitical challenge to the U.S.
The US-China relationship has further been strained by an incident where the U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon. China insists it was a civilian airship used for meteorological research, but the US has protested against this as a violation of their sovereignty.
These geopolitical tensions are playing out against the backdrop of an escalating tech trade war between the US and China. The tech industry, a major contributor to the US trade deficit with China, finds itself at the center of these trade disputes.
Copiers, printers, scanners, fax, print servers, cloud print, duplex, scan-once-print-many, color, analog to digital, laser, inkjet, managed print services, to managed services...our turbulent path has crossed many borders, hills, and valleys.
Lots of things have changed since Chester pulled together his seven steps and yet, much remains the same. The print world moves slowly. Like a river cutting the Grand Canyon, a real, significant change occurs over decades(which seem like eons).
For the Change Agents, this is the apogee of frustration. We saw the true meaning of managed print services and the future of print. The signs were there before the HP split, before the debacle that was Xerox/Fuji.
We predicted the need to shift from selling from boxes to solutions to business acumen, in 2007. We saw the "P" change to "p" in MpS. The time was then.
Along the way, a few early adopters burned the ships. Back then, what we saw as secular most experts called a fad. I remember presenting the Internet of Things back in 2012. Interesting and way ahead of the curve.
No longer frustration; we're morose. It is sad to look at the missed opportunities. Volumes are dropping so how can an OEM still release 13 or more new models?
Is it ignorance? No, everybody is printing less and has been for a decade. It's not a secret.
Is it stupidity? No, back in the day, these folks were THE technology innovators.
Is it the continued propagation of a bygone belief that if you build it, they will buy? Yes. More succinctly, it is the undying grip on the past, unrelenting fear of change, and stubborn faith that if "we can hang on, we'll flourish".
Although purchasing devices, customers are placing a reduced number - worse, if there is a copier on every floor, nobody is using it. Volumes are down to around 2,000 images a month.
The consolidation continues, independent dealers coagulate and OEMs dissolve, as the niche works through its annihilation.
Options are getting scarce, but there are painful opportunities: Medical equipment, BI, Energy Management, and more. We've just got to let go.
Fortunately, we see the end is near.
We can make plans, see friends, write letters and move to the next stage, confident and aware.
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I had to go back and see what the official date was of my first post. I knew it was close to March, but to my surprise, it was a year ago, yesterday (Feb 20).
3,650 Days
My nostalgic jaunt inspired me to seek out memories from the pioneers of the copier-industry social media world.
Jim Lyons -
Nothing stays the same, change is constant. 
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.
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