Everything Was Going Great, Until the Elephants Showed Up

Scantily clothed lady in the pool, quick trip to retrieve the Mojito's.

Return to see the lovely lass distracted by two gargantuan pachyderms.

Huh -

Xerox strikes out against HP.

HP Fires back.

HP is one of, if not the largest, technology companies in the world and seems to be competing with EVERYONE.

The short list of competitors HP has drawn down on: Dell, IBM, XEROX, CISCO, EMC and Apple.

Just taking on one would be baleful - there are lines in the sand all over the place.

Xerox is keeping pace, by focusing on HP.

In a marketing move sometimes referred to as "positioning", by attacking HP's VAR programs, Xerox could be implicitly considered, by onlookers, on the same competitive level as HP.

Granted, Xerox and HP may have comparable girth - my point is this...MPS is finally defined, the battle begins. All of us here in the 98th percentile can benefit from the Clash of Those Titans. By positioning ourselves.

If I am "Joe CIO, or Mr. CFO" and I see Xerox and HP on Fox News, touting "business process", not "copiers" - how will I react when I receive a voice mail explaining how my business process can be costing me money?

On the contrary, how will said CFO respond to a voice mail regarding MPS and "...reducing the cost of supplies..." ? - touch three for delete.

Today, the god's are battling. We, individually, have the opportunity to not only ride the wake as those "titanics" of industry maneuver for position, some of us may even turn the Kraken to stone.

Or at the very least, wrest attention away from the elephants.
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Check this ad out - HP/UPS, and some "bionic" label printing arm, thing.

Notice the phrases, "saves a couple of millions of pounds of paper each year" and "business process optimization"...



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Photizo Group Talks With HP and FedEx Executives

Bruce Dahlgren, and Joe Tomesco of HP and Brian Phillips, President CEO, FedEX chat with Photizo.

Read Misty's review here.

Highlights:

- Mobile workers, thumbs drives, RIM and printing from the cloud; new and enhanced offereings based on HP technology
- FEDEX looking to move upgrading production equipment and increase access for users into that niche
- HP suggesting FEDEX Office services within a MPS Engagement as well as
- FEDEX Office, HP and Canon - three big names in print and a great opportunity for cross selling

- HP Smart Decision Suite; network based tools that allow support of MPS engagement

Remember, this is an Enterprise level project; 1,800 stores in North America, tens of millions of retail customers.



HP & FedEx Talk MPS with Photizo from Misty Hamel on Vimeo.

HP Press here.

Cool, MPS stuff, here.


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HP launches managed print services through the channel - In Australia

“MPS is not a model that fits every type of business...While we’re covering a large portion of the expenses in the infrastructure, marketing and sales tools, there’s investment required by channel partners to move into a solutions selling model.

“This is a defensive move for our channel partners who are looking for a chance to sell something other than what they traditionally sell.” - HP commercial channel print solutions director, Stan Clar.

First Europe, now Australia.

This is a channel program, driven toward the SMB space.

"...Quick Page is designed to provide SMB customers with a simple and complete contract that covers printer hardware, installation, supplies and support. The vendor compared the new system to phone plans offered by telcos that simplified hardware and service provision, and support..."

See the story, by David Ramli, here.

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Managed Print Services Conference 2010, The DOTC Take Aways: Impressive

After Glow, the next morning - bold cup of coffee, self-reflection, call and tell all your friends.

Here are my top of mind issues from content DURING the show.

Because, yes, I will present my top Take Aways from events that occurred AFTER 5:30 P.M. - did you know some poor guy fell off a hotel balcony while celebrating his birthday?

1. Ken Stewart fired "all the copier slugs" -

I am rough on copier peeps, because I once was one. Ok, well I am one, you can never really get out, once you're in. It's like the Mafia, which never existed, by the way.

I admire the "shock value"; you go Ken, I got Leopard spots with your name on 'em!

2. Lawton utilized Indiana Jones - the Leap of Faith

I knew this show was going to be much different when the conference opening video included clips of Obama, Clinton, AND Regan all around takes from Glen Gerry Glen Ross, Boiler Room and others.

Lawton's use of Indy to convey the SharePoint message during his pesentation was genius.

3. Know Thy Self

Managed Print Services Conference 2010, Day Two : Death Of The Copier Calendar?

Raise your hand if you now believe MPS is NOT "just like color was..."

Raise your hand if you know about the new, embedded reporting software, DC SAM, from MWAi.

Raise your hand if you would be interested in the "2011, Girls of DOTC" calendar.

Raise your hand if you know what LBIT stands for.

Here's the deal.

As we take stock of the show thus far looking for areas of improvement and commending bright spots, self-analysis is bound to occur.

The audience this year is a bit more profound and studied. The presenters were a little more serious and jittery.

It is very easy, indeed required, that we look back to the 2009 show, but for me, I like to compare it to other shows, other presenters, and other audiences.

Yes, not all are going to find every single session riveting. Perhaps a bit of the content is beneath some attendees and of course, some of it flies right over everybody's head.

So what? This can be said about each and every show I have ever attended, actually, every show ever.

But this iteration of the North American MPS Conference is the backdrop for something different -

We are witnessing the emergence of an industry.

Managed print services is real and the Photizo MPS Conference is the ONLY place where honest goodness, MPS professionals can gather and together, mock the ignorant and misinformed.

A singularity in history - this is the point in time when MPS players can and will shake aside the shackles of the past.

Some will now take that leap of faith, stepping into the future.

Others will brush away the stench of failure, compose and go forth boldly.

There is a real disturbance in the Force, a fracture widened into a fissure - there is a correct way to go about implementing MPS, saving an industry, and there is yesteryear's lackeys' method of grappling for glory long since past.

We are problem solvers - the greatest in all of history. And some of the greatest problem solvers walk the halls of Omni La Mansion del Rio.

But not everyone could attend - you know who you are - if you found yourself nodding in concurrence with some of the above, you are here in spirit, welcome.

Seriously, this is not iTEX - attendance at the North American MPS Conference has actually INCREASED year over year - and the MPS consultants don't outnumber the attendees. (no you didn't just read that)

So as Day Two ends, the post-show festivities begin and the real information exchanges occur.

See your future, be your future...

Oh, yeah, let me know if you think a DOTC Calendar should one-day grace millions of cubes around the globe...

Photizo Group Managed Print Services Con2010: Day One

My Oh My Oh My...what a difference a year makes.

Last year the excitement was palpable - to expect the same this year would be foolish, hopeful at best.

Yet...the buzz today was real.

And guess what...MPS folks are starting to understand the actual meaning of the Hybrid Dealer; not some stolen, bastardized, watered down version.

What is even more impressive, the MPS curious are sick of being told what "old skool-pundits" think they want to hear - this isn't "just like color was".

The truth is sometimes tough, MPS is not easy. The path of the last 12 months is littered with empty dreams and shattered, MPS hopes.

What went wrong? How did this happen? What oh, what are we to do?

Suck it up, pansy.

This is your chance to seize the future or fade into the past.

Some, not smart enough to understand their own predicament, point fingers in every direction; "not enough infrastructure", "...my vendor doesn't understand MPS...", "...my salespeople...".

All too common phrases muttered and whispered in the darkness - AT OTHER SHOWS...not here, not today.

If you didn't make it here, you are missing the best Managed Print Services BrainTrust on the planet. Bar none.

The full MPSA, owners, principals, high-end users - Nationwide Insurance's presentation alone put most every other "MPS Implementation" stories to shame - are all here.

Both tracks today were packed - and people were actually paying attention - all day!

Ed's Group, Photizo, MPS forerunners, are putting on a great show - from the speakers to the roving video crew - a very good start to a great conference.

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