Managed Print Services is Like a Box of Crayons

2009 -

Forest had a box of chocolates - we have a box of crayons.

And by "we", I mean all of us in the business to business, office automation, document management, Managed Print Services/etc., industry.

And by "crayon", I am not making some left-handed swipe at the ColorCube or Phaser.

Look at what we've got to work with:

Copiers, toner, service, printers, fax machines, fax servers, EDM, scanners, electronic work-flow, monitoring software, automatic fulfill, email, email servers, telephony, readers, the cloud, production, facilities management, BPO's, sales managers, software specialists, leasing specialists, service managers, accounts receivable specialists, MPS specialists, consultants, advisers, coaches, vendors, manufacturers, distribution, training specialists, lease agreements, SLA's, service technicians, sales managers, quota's, owners, on-site service, assessments, help desk, CPI, CPC, copiers, single function, multi-function, color/black and white, tablets, on and on and on...

It's a big box with lots of crayons - some are prettier than others, some have been dulled by years of use, a few still sharp and still others have had their name changed.

Either way, everyone is in the same "box" - I like to think our box is one of those that has the sharpener in the back...you remember.

Look, don't start thinking I am having some kind of MPSA, kumbaya moment, I'm not. There is still friction, there are still those who try to influence others; manufacturers do all they can to make sure "boxes" don't sit in any of their warehouses.

And there are still plenty of areas for improvement and plenty of flawed approaches and beliefs - so be it.


Carbon 6, Digital Gateway, LMI, MWAi, Supplies Network, Synnex PrintSolv, Toshiba Encompass, HP, PagePack 4.0, Okidata Total Managed Print, Konica Minolta OPS, on and on - each program an attempt to coral a bunch of "crayons" for you. Worthy attempts from accomplished leaders, yet has anyone fashioned a crayon'd Mona Lisa or Starry Night?

And here's the rub - they are ALL good.

Every MPS infrastructure package, approach and process from the manufactures to the toner/supplies guys, is a good one.

They're all the same. (What?!)

I have been kicking this issue around for a bit- it seems that the MPS world has all the right ingredients, the correct crayons.

Now It's coming down to that person who decides to use Fuchsia instead of pink. The ones who either stay in the lines or draw new ones.

It is coming down to execution - execution in the field.

This phenomena is nothing new. From industry to industry, the best infrastructure and supporting processes, the prettiest marketing slick, website or Value Statement can't sell on it's own and never could; never will.

My point is this - successful MPS isn't about all the infrastructure, remote meter reads, toner yield or page coverage - these MPS tools will evolve all on their own - successful MPS, just like everything else in life, is all about you.

You, the MPS/Toner/Copier/Printer/VAR selling professional, it is all about you. This is no simple thing because as the center of attention, not only do you get the spotlight, you get the responsibility. Uh, oh.

That's right, just because, as an example, it isn't your fault that your A/R department keeps trying to collect on an invoice raft with bad meter reads - it is your responsibility to get it settled.

All those colorful crayons are for you. The trick is finding your blank sheet of paper and beginning to color, inside or outside of the lines.

It's Not the Content, it's the Fishies! - DOTC Name The Fish Contest(?)

It has come down to this.

So many hours spent toiling away, blood soaked digits leafing through the dictionary.

Eye-drying nights searching for that perfect "hot girl next to copier" picture.

Eternities spent scrolling through thousands of output based web sites and news stories - all in an effort to bring you, dear reader, a fresh, bold look at our world.

And what do I get for my labor of love?

More people feed the fish than read the content.

Fine - I can deal.


There are, as I am sure you know, a total of eight fishies, five red ones, floating over my mug, on the left.

After deciding not to "sell out" by advertising in that most coveted location, I put fish there. Made sense at the adult beverage enhanced time. Figuring out how to get my face in the tank was a challenge but a few more Jack and Cokes did the trick.

One red fish has been named "Elfman" compliments of Fred Jeffery from Document Technology Solutions, Inc. in Bloomington, MN - Don't-ja know,eh.

The Vision and Mission at DTS:

" To become the best Document Workflow Solutions Provider in Minnesota, one client at a time. We know from past experience that bigger is not better. Better is better. Our unique approach involves improving the business of our clients and enhancing the lives of our employees. We believe this philosophy leads to success for everyone..."

No small mission in the land of "The Body..."

Why Elfman? I have no idea - but why not!

This leaves four, red, nameless inhabitants in the digital fish bowl. I bestow the creation of their monikers to you, the faithful readers and feeders of electronic fish.

Email me with suggestions, if I like, I shall name your fishie and raise it as though it were my own. Also, I will mention you or your company and link back.

Just click on one of the "contact me" buttons over there on the left, and let's get these little red critters some identity.

Oh, for the record, I did not expect so many hits on a "hot girl fish" Google search - fishing? Really? Who woulda thunk.

Photizo Opening New Office

"Today had a ton of 'meat' in terms of content. Very good, even better than San Antonio." - Chris Stoates, Laser Network.

Press release:

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (MMD Newswire) October 22, 2009 - The Photizo Group continues to grow in response to the burgeoning need for Managed Print Services research, consultation and community. With the opening of a new European office in London, England, the total number of Photizo Group locations is now five. Company headquarters are in Versailles Kentucky, with staff in Boston, New York and Austin, and the newest office in London.

Photizo has also expanded its executive force. Senior Consultant Steven Swift now heads up the London office for Europe, while David Cameron, PhD, has joined the company as Senior Consultant and Partner.

"Interest in the MPS market continues to expand, as more companies and vendors adopt these business models. It is important for the Photizo Group to maintain both the market coverage and the expertise to ensure our customers stay abreast of developments and achieve their MPS goals," said Ed Crowley, CEO and Senior Partner of the Photizo Group. "We are thrilled to have such esteemed professionals as David and Steven join Photizo. Their contributions are already being felt as we add more value through our MPS services."

Dr. Cameron has over 20 years in the hardcopy industry. His background includes managing after sales support, engineering and business director leadership positions at Texas Instruments, IBM Global Services and Dell. Most recently, he was Director of Product Development for the startup Imaging Systems business at Dell. The enterprise blossomed into a $1 billion business, with some of the fastest growth in the industry. Dr. Cameron also teaches Management courses at Texas State University.

"I'm excited to join Photizo Group, as it is a great opportunity to apply my experience in developing innovative products and services to a new market. This is a fantastic challenge to bring fresh ideas and meaningful thought leadership to the industry," said Cameron.

"I am delighted to be joining Photizo at such an exciting time. MPS is a concept whose time has truly come, and we can expect to see stellar growth rates over the next few years. Photizo has established itself as the industry thought leader in MPS, and is in pole position to provide independent, authoritative market intelligence to both vendors and users," said Swift. "I have over 15 years experience in the printing and imaging business, and I have been involved with the development of MPS from its earliest days. I hope to put that experience to good use, helping vendors and users throughout Europe"

As a general manager and business development director, Steven Swift has a long track record of both building and turning around international businesses. He helped establish Ricoh Global Services Europe as a €100M + business, and ran a €140M European business unit for Acco Brands. He has a broad background with experience throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. His diverse experience includes blue-chip consumer marketing at P&G + Mars, followed by corporate strategy responsibility with an FTSE 100 company. Swift is a graduate of Oxford University with an MA degree in chemistry. His language skills include fluent French. He has completed the Inchcape Senior Management Programme at INSEAD, and courses in corporate finance and M&A.

For more information about the Photizo Group and Managed Print Services, visit at http://www.managed-print-services.com.

Your Managed Print Services Association Announces In Europe...It's a Long Way from San Antonio -

Managed Print Services Association Launches New Member Services and Community Website Hub at MPS 2009 European Conference

Free trial membership lets users try new MPSA services Amsterdam, The Netherlands – October 22, 2009 –

The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) announces a new suite of member services at the MPS 2009 European Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Starting in December 2009, a free limited MPSA membership lets users try these services for several months at no cost.

Recognizing the importance of serving a global membership, the MPSA also announces it is accepting nominations for two new board member positions offered exclusively to international MPS providers. Detailed information about member services, board nominations and other topics is available at the new MPSA web site, http://www.yourMPSA.org.

“The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) gets down to business at European MPS Conference, although some would say we’ve been doing that all along,” said MPSA Board President, Jim Fitzpatrick of Oki Data Americas, Inc. “Membership has grown quickly, leaping to 1,000 LinkedIn MPS group members in a very short time. Now just a few months after officially forming the association, MPSA is launching a series of tools and services for members. And these resources are only the start of what the MPSA can provide for our industry.”

“It’s only fitting that we launch these services at the fall MPS Europe conference. We started this association at the first Conference in Austin, based upon the demands of our industry. It’s been a breakneck pace, but the new board has really banded together to delivery what the MPS community is requesting,” said MPSA Secretary, Greg Walters of Death of the Copier.

New Tools and Services for MPSA Membership:

The MPSA is launching a special web portal for the MPS industry as a centralized source for not only information, but also a hub where providers can collaborate and communicate to increase their own knowledge and expertise. MPSA members can also volunteer on many of the projects underway by the MPSA to help shape the future of the industry.

Tools:

· MPS Discussion Forum: Designed to help communications and collaboration for anyone doing business within the MPS Industry.

· MPS Industry Awards: Members of the MPS community can submit significant accomplishments they have made within the MPS environment. These will be profiled monthly on the site, and an annual award will be given to the most significant entries across five different categories.

· MPS Industry Events Calendar: Accessible for all areas of the MPS community to add to and document industry events.

Services:

· First MPS Business Listing: This is a first -- anyone within the MPS Industry can list products, services and offerings.

· Industry Best Practices & Standards: A primary focus for the MPSA team, this will help establish the standards and best practices that ensure success.

Vendors, dealers and enterprises can find more information about the MPSA at http://www.yourMPSA.org.

Gartner's Magic Quadrant Under Fire - Libelous Claim in Lawsuit

We all know the Magic Quadrant.

The Quadrant can make propel a product or company, if their dot ends in the top right; the Quadrant can destroy dreams, if said dot ends up bottom, left.

But who are the 1,200 or so "consultants" whose opinion is reflected by those dots?

And what kind of vetting goes on to insure large sponsors of Gartner's aren't given a wink, a nod, and a top-right position? Ummmmmmm...?

Skulduggery? Shenanigans? Bravo Sierra?

Well, ZL Technologies, that hugely popular Lotus Notes and Email archiving company, is alleging that Gartner was spreading libelous reports and failed to position ZL Technologies in the “Magic Quadrant”.

Wow, not even a dot.

Kon Leong, president and CEO of ZL Technologies, said,

"...It would be nice to know, of the vendors rated, how much money did they spend on Gartner? That factor is very similar to what the SEC enforced on Wall Street ratings agencies," he said. "This way the reader can say, 'I can factor that into my assessment.'


"The other transparency issue is with regard to the scores. If you go and describe 14 different parameters on which you score a company, then you neglect to show the scores, that entire exercise becomes meaningless."

Oh so, delicious.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant is a huge influence in the IT world. From copiers to storage - any product or service that could conceivably be used is judged.

And IT folks read the Quadrant; believe the Quadrant. If the Quadrant can't be trusted, the universe will lose balance.

And this turns up on the heels of Gartner announcing Xerox/Fuji in the Leaders Quadrant of 2009 Managed Print Services report. Gartner first introduced the MPS category of its Magic Quadrant report last year.

Stay tuned.

The complaint and documents can be found here.