Print Management - Insight from Everything Channel's 2008 Print & Imaging Summit last week in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Print Management Did Make a Splash in '08 - What about 2009?

See this article:

What Big-Spend End Users Want From Print & Imaging

By Chad Berndtson, ChannelWeb
1:53 PM EST Tue. Dec. 09, 2008

The article is more specific, but here are some highlights -

Budgets low, economy bad -

"It's really important to our organizations to reduce the overall print spend," said Colleen Grant, manager of field support services at Interior Health Authority, Kelowna, B.C. "It's really difficult to manage that in any effective manner, and in 2009 we'll be analyzing what we should print and what we are printing."

Print units are still being purchased, but:

"We're down to looking at every single contract: here's how much we're paying you and how much less we can pay," said Anna Garrett, senior manager at Deloitte Services, of Wilton, Conn. "Our print and image fleet is probably about 4,500 printers or MFPs and about 700 copiers. We're looking to put more things together and reduce the number of devices. We've also done a horrible job of tracking what we print. In terms of spending, our copiers are always leased and our printers are always bought."

Success story:

"We've had all these functions centralized since 2001: all print, all mail, all our IT functions are under one organization, and we've seen some real benefits from that," said Lawrence McNish, director of document processing resources at American Family Mutual Insurance, of Madison, Wis.

"We're headed for our second generation of MFPs and we partner quite heavily with our finance area and do a lot of tracking of end usage. We used to have 2,400 printers and 460 copiers and we have maybe 800 and about 225 now. We're seeing reductions because we're rightsizing -- it's not just for our budget."

"Our copier and printer fleet from Xerox (NYSE:XRX) are all up for renewal this year," said Cynthia Meyer, senior buyer, IT, at Alliant Energy, a public utility holding company also headquartered in Madison.

"We have less budget to spend like everyone else, but I don't like leases because of what happens at the end of a lease. I don't like the lack of flexibility. I'd like to put something in place that allows me to rent. Plus, even beyond putting ink on paper, you have plenty of issues with document management."

Still measuring:

"We're trying to get our arms around that, and trying to figure out our strategic direction," said Kieran O'Reilly, lead business systems analyst at UPS, Mahwah, N.J.

"We're not looking to spend a lot of money -- basically to keep the lights on," added Greg Matkovich, strategic sourcing manager at The Home Depot, Atlanta. "We don't even know what we have, to be honest. Corporate [offices are] the Wild West, and we're looking to do a lot more self-assessment."

Direct, Vendor, or VARs?

"On our printer side, we had HP (NYSE:HPQ) and Lexmark both, and they're bought through resellers," said Greg Cunningham, manager of service strategies and optimization at IBM (NYSE: IBM) Canada, of Victoria, B.C. "It's my observation, though, that HP and Lexmark support the reseller and not necessarily the client. I don't see [client support] happening."

A great deal of good information was shared at the summit - and it looks like Managed Print Services was discussed in detail, and is in place or top of mind for some of the "big" companies.

Click to email me.

HP Placed in Leaders Quadrant in “Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers” Report- ***UPDATE***

According to Mike Feldman Vice President and General Manager
Enterprise Sales and Services IPG-Americas

Over at the HP’s Enterprise Printing Blog, you can read that HP is proud to find the Edgeline in Leaders Quadrant of the Magic Quadrant.


*****Press Release *****

HP Placed in “Leaders” Quadrant for Multifunction Products and Printers in Magic Quadrant Report

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 12, 2008

HP today announced industry analyst firm Gartner, Inc. has positioned it in the Leaders Quadrant of its “Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers” report.(1)

The Gartner Magic Quadrant positions vendors based on their “ability to execute” and their “completeness of vision.”

According to the analyst firm, vendors are assessed on weighted criteria, including products or services, sales execution and pricing, market responsiveness and track record, marketing execution, customer experience, offering strategy, business model, and geographic strategy.

“In my opinion, HP’s placement in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant in the leaders quadrant is a testament to our strong customer relationships and our ongoing commitment to deliver the most robust MFP solutions to customers all over the world,” said David Murphy, senior vice president, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “We will continue to set the industry standard by extending our MFP portfolio and complementing it with innovative software solutions that together deliver unequaled efficiency and performance for our customers.”

According to the report, “Leaders are the most capable in providing MFPs, printers and the associated printing solutions and services that support the proper functioning of these devices in the broadest category of customer sites. Leaders have broad channel capability to deliver the products to customers where they want to procure them. Leaders consistently hold strong market share positions in both printers and MFPs worldwide and are capable of delivering nearly identical service levels in more of the regions where Gartner customers are located. Leaders tend to have the deepest global capability and the inventiveness and resources, skills and vision to deliver superior levels of support to existing and future customers globally. Leaders have a proven track record of channeling R&D initiatives into products and solutions that customers need.”

HP’s complete portfolio of hardware, supplies, software and services offers both small to medium and enterprise customers a cost-effective, productivity-enhancing imaging and printing environment.

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 (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

(1) Gartner, “Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers,” by Don Dixon, Sharon McNee, Vishal Tripathi, SJ Chae, Sergio Santos, Dec. 9, 2008.

The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2008 by Gartner Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors’ measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

© 2008 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.

The 10 most influential leaders in business technology in 2008

Last year he was "left off the list"...oh what a difference a year makes!

Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief over at TechRepublic, in his blog listed his Top 10 Leaders - it's an interesting read.

Number one with a "bullet" -

"1. Mark Hurd, Hewlett-Packard

Last year, I left Mark Hurd off the list and even remarked that Carly Fiorina deserved a lot of the credit for Hewlett-Packard’s resurgence because its roots are based in the HP-Compaq merger, which Fiorina had the guts to do. But, it becomes clearer every year that Hurd is making the right calls and motivating the various HP divisions to execute. HP is back on top in the PC market (having overtaken Dell), it is tied for the lead in servers with IBM, and it is even making strong moves in the networking market with its ProCurve gear. Plus, it bought EDS in 2008 to expand its footprint in IT services. All of the while, it has allowed its incumbent printer business to quietly take a back seat. That’s why HP is doing so well, even in the face of economic headwinds, and that’s why Hurd deserves the top spot on this list."

And I found this post over at MediaWireWeekly from February, 2007 - "...He barely makes appearances, not to make a statement, but because he is actually huddled with his management team working..."

Not bad, I doubt Hurd even cares which is cool too.

Last Year: Ricoh and IKON; Next Year HP and Canon? What the Heck?

"I've advocated some kind of [agreement] between Canon and HP, modeled off the Fuji-Xerox joint venture," suggested Don Dixon, research director at Gartner, "They have complementary product sets and complementary capabilities from a best practice sense. Canon needs distribution and the IT affiliation that HP brings to the marketplace. There's a good fit there. Whether Canon has the temerity for something like that is the question." - Image & Print Summit, 2008.

- Woah, Nelly!



While researching for my "Best Darn End of Year Article", I ran into the 10 Burning Questions In Print And Imaging over at the ChannelWeb site.

These questions reflect the hot topics at the Print and Imaging Summit from last week.

All ten questions and the associated answers are ripe with direct information and heavily sprinkled with inferred strategic directions. I recommend you go there, read and digest.

We all wonder how the the current economic woes will effect us, personally. As for Imaging and Print, Gartner Managing Vice President Peter Grant said, "...there are three areas that are going to be the lighthouses guiding you to the land of print cost savings -- smart MFPs, managed print services and software.

I understand his belief about Managed Print Services and can see the software angle, but define for me what exactly a "smart" MFP could be or is.

***UPDATE*** 12.17.08

Definition of a Smart MFP, SMFP:

" A regular MFP can print, fax, copy and scan paper documents. An SMFP can also be programmed by a third party, the user or the technology provider to perform custom functions; easily integrates with office and enterprise applications; is management-friendly, with consistent architecture and user interface; works well on the network; and is based largely on open industry standards. SMFPs can perform usage tracking and other functions that help organizations actively manage their office printer/MFP fleets."
-Source, Gartner.

Who are the Heavy Hitters in MPS?-

Specifically who are the players in the MPS arena and which ones are best positioned. At the Summit, Gartner Research Vice President Ken Weilerstein referenced the latest "Magic Quadrant" results stating Xerox and HP are the Leaders. IKON, Ricoh, Pitney Bowes, Lexmark, Canon and Toshiba are each mentioned in the "Qaudrant" report.

Regarding an advantage the smaller, niche players may have over "big" players, "They [niche] may provide more personalized service and be more accommodating to your needs than large vendors," Weilerstein said.

"I heard from one client who tried one of the big vendors that it took her five calls to get to the right person. It can be unwieldy."

But to me, the big questions revolved around the IKON/Ricoh deal and Canon's response.

What's To Become of Canon?-

One of the biggest print and imaging stories of 2008 was Ricoh's acquisition of Ikon Office Solutions back in August for approximately $1.61 billion. And you also remember Ikon provided more than $1 billion of Canon's systems in North America.

And according to reports from both Canon and Gartner, Canon is focused on expanding its national accounts, widening sales channels, more acquisitions and authorizing new Canon dealers to compensate for Ikon losses.

"For the most part, the Canon box and the Ricoh box at certain levels are doing pretty much the same thing," said Don Dixon, research director at Gartner, "If you're an Ikon customer holding Canon hardware, well, you're in a great position to renegotiate your agreement. Canon is in a precarious position at the moment."

What Will Be The Next Big Merger & Acquisition Event In The Space?-

As you can imagine, one of the big subjects discussed officially and around various watering holes are the implications of Ricoh's acquisition of Ikon.

There will be more M&A in 2009 as barely surviving firms run for cover from the current global recession.

"We've advocated that there are too many players," suggested Dixon, "Some are staying in the marketplace but don't necessarily offer anything unique that customers are really asking for. They've just always been there."

"Canon has a lot of money but is not showing well in managed print services -- their channels are getting attacked by their competitors," said Gartner Managing Vice President Peter Grant. "Ricoh is on a tear, moving forward -- it'll be interesting to see what Canon does now that it's back on the ropes."

"I've advocated some kind of [agreement] between Canon and HP, modeled off the Fuji-Xerox joint venture," added Dixon, "They have complementary product sets and complementary capabilities from a best practice sense. Canon needs distribution and the IT affiliation that HP brings to the marketplace. There's a good fit there. Whether Canon has the temerity for something like that is the question."

Could the above quote be an indicator of the "shape of things to come"?

I am not sure, but those guys over at Gartner seem to have had a pretty good grip on things thus far, perhaps the crystal balls have been polished.

Minority Report - Who Needs Paper?

And I really wanted is on of those cool glass, "whiteboards" but now...I want this.




I "lifted" this off of the Xerox

HP Offerings in Asia - Print Management Tools and Printers Aimed at Enterprise Customers

HP Introduces New Range of Imaging and Printing Devices and Tailored Solutions to Accelerate Business Results for Enterprise Customers

From SINGAPORE, via "Enhanced Online News":

December 03, 2008 02:30 AM Eastern Time

SINGAPORE--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--HP today announced its expanded portfolio of HP printers, imaging and printing devices, solutions and services to help enterprise customers boost productivity, security and environmental sustainability.

“The expanded imaging and printing portfolio features a robust line-up of targeted, cost-effective solutions with the right mix services and devices to enterprise customers, helping them achieve better business results.”

Building on HP’s leading position in enterprise imaging and printing, HP’s broadened portfolio comprises four specialized solutions, four assessment services, one HP LaserJet multifunction printer (MFP), three HP LaserJet printers and an HP Scanjet device.

According to IDC, HP is the leading provider of laser single and multifunction hardcopy peripherals shipped to Enterprises(1) in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) region, with 42% market share and strong double digit year-on-year growth (+13%)(2).

“HP is continuing its efforts to help enterprises build an Enterprise Print 2.0 plan as enterprises optimize their infrastructure, manage their environment and improve workflows,” said Pierre Mirlesse, Vice President, Enterprise Sales and Services, Imaging and Printing Group, HP Asia Pacific and Japan. “The expanded imaging and printing portfolio features a robust line-up of targeted, cost-effective solutions with the right mix services and devices to enterprise customers, helping them achieve better business results.”

Specialized solutions for enterprise customers

Tailoring solutions to meet specific industry needs, HP has added new enterprise solutions focused on customers in the healthcare and manufacturing and distribution industries. HP also introduced two imaging and printing solutions and four new assessment services that span industry sectors to address specific business needs for enterprises.

Designed to streamline information workflows, enhance security and help reduce costs, HP’s newest solutions offer customers industry-specific expertise with a single point of contact for simplified sales, service and support processes. These include:

* HP Document Capture for Admissions and Electronic Medical Records help reduce medical errors and boost patient safety. Designed to safely capture and protect patient medical information, these offerings let healthcare organizations utilize the latest HP healthcare technology to more easily comply with government mandates, including patient-privacy regulations.

* HP Automated Invoice Processing Solution allows businesses in the manufacturing and distribution industries to automate the value chain of invoice processing, from document capture and distribution across the organization to seamless integration with SAP. A joint HP and ReadSoft® solution, it captures data via an HP multifunction printer (MFP) and provides increased control over the invoice workflow to facilitate more rigorous records management and compliance; accelerated invoice payment process for better spending visibility; and improved invoice reconciliation through automated, business-rule driven processes.

* HP Assessment Services comprise five modules that capitalize on HP expertise and knowledge to allow enterprises additional control over print-related processes. With a range of assessment services, HP will collect, analyze and monitor printer-related activities, giving customers a current, fact-based account of the imaging and printing environment. The five new services are HP Industry Benchmark Assessment, HP Optimization Assessment, HP Managed Environment Assessment, HP Workflow Discovery and HP Eco Printing Assessment.

* HP Access Control Printing Solutions are designed to help mitigate security and compliance risks. These solutions, comprising HP Access Control Secure Printing Solution, HP Access Control Secure Pull Printing Solution and HP Access Control Job Accounting Solution, help control and protect access to imaging and printing devices and documents and also facilitate tracking and monitoring of the usage of documents.

* Updates to the award-winning HP Universal Print Driver (UPD) 4.7 empower end users to resolve issues themselves by providing real-time print job and device information. New features include the ability to choose between automatic or manual print queue configuration, allowing for pre-configuration and installation of a queue prior to physically connecting the device to the network. Businesses also benefit from a single, intelligent, feature-rich driver replacing many individual drivers, thereby making it easy to connect to HP LaserJet printing devices without downloading separate, product-specific drivers.

New line-up of imaging and printing devices to drive enterprise efficiency-

HP also introduced new printing devices and supplies to better assist customers in saving time and money and to increase efficiencies for enterprise and mid-sized businesses through printing and scanning devices. The new offerings include HP LaserJet mono, color single and multifunction (MFP) devices and an HP Scanjet.

* The HP Color LaserJet CM3530 MFP(3) is HP’s first legal-sized desktop Color LaserJet MFP that offers high performance in a space-saving, compact design. Fully equipped for seamless integration into a network environment, the user-friendly MFP has full document management and workflow capabilities, allowing for increased productivity within small work teams. The HP Color LaserJet CM3530 MFP and HP Color LaserJet CP3520 printer series come with HP’s improved HP ColorSphere toner, which helps customers produce professional-looking documents, marketing collateral and business-quality photos with consistent, true-to-life colors.

* HP Color LaserJet CP3520 Printer Series(4) is reliable for the general office and cost-effectively prints eye-catching color business communications and marketing collateral. Making color devices more affordable than ever, this series offers monochrome printing for the same cost per page as in-class monochrome laser printers(5).

* The compact HP LaserJet P2050 Printer Series(6) helps boost small work team productivity in enterprise and small to mid-size business environments with fast printing in black and white.

* The HP LaserJet P2030 Printer Series(7) offers fast black print speeds with flexible connectivity options and can produce a broad range of crisp business documents quickly using HP Instant-on Technology(8).

* In addition, HP expanded its document capture portfolio by introducing the HP Scanjet N6310 Document Flatbed Scanner(9). This versatile device can capture a variety of documents – including legal-size documents, business cards, photos and transparencies – at simplex speeds of up to 15 pages per minute (ppm). This easy-to-use scanner is ideal for businesses that need to digitize several types of office documents. The HP Scanjet N6310 also features powerful and intuitive software, effortlessly creating high-quality digitized files for archiving or sharing directly via email, and offers a simple task-based interface with dedicated one-touch scan and copy buttons to increase productivity.

About HP

HP, the world’s largest technology company, provides printing and personal computing products and IT services, software and solutions that simplify the technology experience for consumers and businesses. HP completed its acquisition of EDS on Aug. 26, 2008. More information about HP (NYSE:HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.

(1) Refers to companies with employee sizes from 500+ onwards.

(2) Source: IDC Asia/Pacific Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, 2Q2008.

(3) Products are available via contractual basis and may vary by markets in the region. Please contact the local HP representative or HP Approved Channel Partner for specific country pricing.

(4) Available in Asia Pacific with street prices ranging from US$599-US$1,299. Actual price and availability may vary by markets in region.

(5) Compared to HP LaserJet P3005 Printer series, using the HP Q7551X Black Print Cartridge. Yields established using ISO/IEC test standards. Actual yields and costs vary considerably depending on images printed, number of color pages printed and other factors.

(6) Available in Asia Pacific with street prices ranging from US$299-US$549. Actual price and availability may vary by markets in region.

(7) Expected to be available in January 2009 for purchase in Asia Pacific with street prices ranging from US$199-US$249. Actual price and availability may vary by markets in region.

(8) Instant-on Technology uses cutting-edge fuser technology to produce the first page faster when a printer is coming out of low power mode so print jobs are done sooner. An InfoTrends study shows the typical office print job is three to five pages long: www.infotrends.com/public/Content/Presentations/officeprinteruse.pdf. Time to Completion of a typical office print job tested on HP and select competing products. Actual results may vary.

(9) Available in Asia Pacific with street price of US$499. Actual price and availability may vary by markets in region.

© 2008 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.