LEXINGTON, KY – April 28, 2010 – Photizo Group and MPSInsights.com will host a free webcast of the MPSA General Assembly live from the 2010 North American MPS Conference, and interactive chat will let viewers participate during the session. The MPSA Annual Meeting and General Session led by MPSA President Jim Fitzpatrick takes place May 5 from 4:45-5:30 pm Central.
In addition, a number of other MPS Conference sessions will also be webcast free of charge from MPSInsights.com, providing viewers with a sample of the MPS Conference. With the North American conference nearing a capacity audience, the webcasts will make portions of the event content available to more people.
“This year’s MPS North America Conference continues the high standard that has been set at each event in the MPS Conference series, and the agenda is loaded with excellent content. We recognize the crucial need for information in this dynamic market, and through these free webcasts, Photizo hopes to extend the educational opportunity a little wider across the MPS community,” said Ed Crowley, President of the Photizo Group.
MPSInsights.com Webcast Schedule: (All sessions are Central time.)
Tuesday, May 4
· 9:15-10:15 am; Ed Crowley--Photizo Group, State of the Industry
· 10:30-11:30 am; John MacInne--Print Audit, Scott Bonck--IKON, Adding Print Rules to Your MPS Program
· 3:00-4:00 pm; Lawton Smith--DirectPointe, SharePoint Servers As a Building Block for Stage 3 Engagements
Wednesday, May 5
· 8:15-9:00 am; Jason Evans--PEQ Services Solutions, Keynote Address
· 9:45-10:45 am; Jose Luis Parga--Pulsartec, Is Selling MPS to SMBs Profitable?
· 1:30-2:30 pm; Greg Walters--SIGMAnet, David Cameron--Photizo Group, Changing Dealer Business Models; Myth vs. Reality
· 4:45-5:30 pm; MPSA Annual Meeting and General Session led by Jim Fitzpatrick, MPSA President
Webcast video access and other information are available at MPSInsights.com.
"...in 1974, 25-year-old Bruce Springsteen played at the Harvard Square Theater in Cambridge.
Although popular with the college crowd in the Northeast, Springsteen was not yet a star.
That night, he and the E Street Band opened for Bonnie Raitt.
The influential music critic Jon Landau was in the audience. Overwhelmed by what he heard, Landau wrote,
"I saw my rock and roll past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw rock and roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen."
In the years since that momentous spring night in Cambridge, the Boss has had 14 albums go platinum, has won 11 Grammies and an Oscar and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame..."
Back in those days, stars were truly discovered. Crowds were organic, not Twitter-induced - the "buzz" was real.
This is way before MTV, before "57 Channels", email, the internet, Facebook, blow dryers and teeth whitening. The music was real.
To know Bruce back then was to either hate him or love him. And the Bruce fans were nuts, unique, outside of the norm - to the right of the bell curve.
His shows today are intense, but back then, the 4-hour sessions skyrocketed up and over the religious. Not because he demanded so much from his band, all of them willing accomplices, but Bruce did more - he demanded more from his audience.
From everyone within hear shot. Those of us in the very last seat, to the fans behind the stage, to the high rollers in the front row - if you didn't believe in Rock n Roll after one of his concerts, you didn't have a pulse.
One of the most interesting things I remember from those glory days - well, not back in 1974 - I consider myself a "second-gen" Bruce fan, from the Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town era - I think back to how we fans stuck together. How while standing in line to get into a show, we all had that "cat who ate the mouse" look.
The nod, the smile from fan to fan - we were in for something special, something not everybody "got" and that was fine with us. Actually, we preferred it this way. Bruce was ours. Not everyone's. And as much as we wanted to keep this a secret, we all knew that someday, Bruce would be moving out of the smaller venues into the mega-shows, the real world, mainstream.
And so it is with Managed Print Services - our Secret Garden, we lucky few who shared a wink and a nod, over a year ago in San Antonio, we are about to lose to the rest of the world, this special, undefinable "thing".
It's been a year, another turn of the globe, and MPS has just about come full circle.
The "big guys" have now gotten it right.
I rail against the titans, the over publicized global MPS takedowns less than 5% of us will ever see. The over-exposed CPC to MPS conversions straight out of MIF, touted as examples of MPS.
And yes, I protest the lack of human touch extolled by heartless MPS programs.
I challenge, I poke, I prod, I mock. Yet, deep down, I know the exercise is tragic if not futile. One step up, and two steps down.
You see, there is a part of me fighting to keep MPS bottled up, pure. Sure, me, the dark skeptic, exposed as an eternal optimist, even as the genie evaporates out for all to see.
The lack of MPS purity, I feel, has led to the detriment of so many MPS programs; Konica Minolta OPS, Samsung MPS Platform, the Lexmark thing, HP MPS redefining the size of an enterprise account down to SMB, from PagePack 1.0 to PagePack 3.0(there never was a 2.0) on and on.
And all those failed BTA/MPS programs, doomed from the very beginning, taking with them, bright-eyed and hopeful copier salespeople or service managers christened as MPS experts. Such a waste.
To be sure there are many, many bright spots - Great America offering leasing and MPS training, not to mention advice on how to hire MPS people.
Synnex, delivering just in time, HP OEM, and utilizing Stephen Power - the only old skool mentor who gets it.
And the Photizo Group, how frustrating it must be to see your work, copied and regurgitated as new; complete trade shows themed on your descriptive: The Hybrid Dealer. I mean, flattery can only go so far.
So, after a year, where are we now? Indeed, after three, where do you stand now?
For me, it's a realization that this has finally gotten bigger than us.
MPS is hitting the mainstream, the time for defining is passed, those of us who may have felt at one time in control of destiny, need to simply hang on, and make the best of it.
Those intimate Springsteen shows were special, a point in time that can never be duplicated, except in memory.
But the sheer, awesome, spectacle that is a Springsteen arena show, even if mainstream, is glorious.
As I consider the past 12 months, "I saw my printer and copier past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw MPS's future and its name is (fill in the blank)."
All is not lost - there are more windmills for us to charge on this MPS landscape - all it takes is a Leap of Faith, I think we should keep taking those tickets from the fat man, living the runaway American Dream.
Because, ultimately, I still haven't found, what I'm looking for...
It will be my honor to discuss the above mentioned subject to interested parties.
Indeed, it is my honor to be presenting along side David Cameron from the Photizo Group - we are working diligently on our action-packed, thrilling based, hour of intrigue.
So, Myth vs. Reality - what say you? There are a couple of polls out here, one over at P4P and another from Photizo, that show 50% of the folks who got into MPS are unsatisfied.
And recently, while attending a 1.5 day, MPS training seminar, I heard only 4% of today's, standard, BTA, copier dealership's revenue can be attributed to MPS engagements.
For all the flash generated by MPS, there seems to be little heat.
Well, an hour session in San Antonio won't quell the queries. More then likely, the mystery will continue - and perhaps that is part of the problem.
By now you know you won't find all the answers in some session at iTEX.
The heavens do not open up, illuminating the path toward MPS enlightenment, after 18 weeks of MPS boot camp/conference calls.
And unfortunately you may have found out your dire situation, if in the first hour of MPS training, the instructor tells you, "MPS is just like color was when it first came out..."
So, will you reach a higher level of MPS Nirvana after participating in our palaver?
Good lord I hope not, there are far too many MPS-Geeks, like me, out here already. Yes, we actually believe in some sort of MPS Nirvana - so sad.
Also, you may ask, will the Girls of DOTC be bouncing around, painted gold, and munching fishies?
Bad economic times Organizations looking for places to cut or reduce MPS can reduce overhead Educators will see the benefits by not needing so many toner cartridges MPS can help prevent further cutbacks
Huh - doesn't sound all that bad, except if schools were really serious about reducing costs, they would be reducing the number of non-teaching, admin and "support" staff.
MPS has nothing to do with Education, because the education "market" isn't a free market.
From Andy's article, regarding implementing a Managed Print Services program,
"...When this is properly done, a sound print management strategy can save money, reduce environmental waste, free up IT resources time and extend the useable lifetime of printers. All of this can add up to huge savings for the education industry..."
Well, as incredibly obvious to us as this statement is, many outside our niche, customers and prospects to be specific, still need others to point out good ideas.
Obviously, Andy makes a living writing, so I am not criticizing his occupation, I don't even disagree with his content.
Just some interesting background that indicates more about how MPS is now mainstream.
More from his article:
"With the economic challenges facing the education industry, now seems to be the perfect time for educational leaders to consider the benefits of managed print services. With print management, educators can save significant amounts of money. This savings can help prevent future cutbacks and meet today´s tight budgets. Enjoy the benefits to a print management program today!"
Again, can't argue with this.
I wonder if an audience of educators would really "get" this MPS thing...makes you go, "ummmm"...doesn't it?
Broad New Initiative Will Increase Electronic Transactions, Save More Than $400 Million, 12 Million Pounds of Paper in First Five Years Alone
WASHINGTON – With Americans poised to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced a broad new initiative to dramatically increase the number of electronic transactions that involve Treasury and millions of citizens and businesses, a move that is expected to save more than $400 million and 12 million pounds of paper in the first five years alone.
In addition to greatly reducing costs, enhancing customer service and minimizing Treasury's environmental impact, the move from paper to electronic transactions will increase reliability, safety and security for benefit recipients and taxpayers.
Moving to more direct deposit, the use of Treasury's Direct Express debit cards, and fewer paper T-Bills.
"Treasury must lead the way in developing methods to deliver payments that are safe and secure in a manner that is efficient and reliable," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. "By moving to all-electronic payments, Treasury will save hundreds of millions of dollars and substantially reduce our environmental impact, making this a win-win for all Americans."
Other key MPS Conference sessions also offered
