Comments on: Managed Print Services: Going Global?

By: Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:06:58 +0000

Ed: We’ll be sure to cover your European event news as it unfolds. Thanks for the 3 pieces of info above.

Best,
-jp

By: Ed Crowley

Ed Crowley — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:22:50 +0000

Joe,
Great article. A couple of other items to note which are, in my mind, indicative of the market moving mainstream:

1. There is now an MPS Assocation (the MPSA). (Linked In Group at Managed Print Services)
2. The MPS industry has a publication (the MPS Insights Journal) focused just on the MPS market.
3. Our studies have identified growth in MPS engagements globally including very strong growth
in Western Europe and North America.

MPS is clearly moving into the market mainstream.

Again, thanks for the good article.

By: Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:34:48 +0000

Ron: Thanks for the updates on Managed Print at CompTIA Breakaway. We’ll be sure to further the story at the conference.

TC Chao: Thank you for offering some perspective from Hong Kong. We try hard to offer reader global perspectives … and we appreciate you adding to the conversation. Please be sure to keep us posted as you notice additional managed services trends in Hong Kong.

By: TC Chao

TC Chao — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:03:26 +0000

I’m from Ricoh Hong Kong (yes Far East!) and i can tell you that MPS in the Hong Kong market is taking off! Unlike the western market, where the concept of leasing and “all in” contracts for BOTH printers and copiers are just getting into shape, we are well prepared already. In fact, we’ve been offering the MPS to Ricoh customers for many years. The ONLY thing that is missing is the management of 3rd party vendor devices, which we are working on with subcontractors.
But then, despite the market push for MPS, the question inside my head is whether vendors could really make MORE money (margin) than they used to. Possibly need some time to track.

By: Ron Cohen

Ron Cohen — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:14:38 +0000

Joe, Yes this will be a key area of discussion at Breakaway. We are having a Managed Print Pavilion in the Technology Vendor Fair and we are also having a workshop Breakout for Managed Print Services during the Services & Support Executive Forum.

We are using the workshop to solicit input for Best Practices from the industry for the development of a Managed Print specialization as part of our Managed IT Services Trustmark.

By: Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:19:44 +0000

Greg: There are multiple tipping points. Vendors are just one. But if customers and partners don’t express a critical mass of interest, IT markets die. In this case, it appears that all three audiences — vendors, partners, customers — are reaching tipping points near the same point in time. Could be a perfect, positive storm for managed service providers…

By: Greg Walters

Greg Walters — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:51:25 +0000

If by “Tipping Point” you are referring to the “big boys” finally getting into the game, then yes agreed.

Customers and prospects drive this niche and although Xerox, HP, Ricoh and Oki all have their own flavor of MPS(all of them appear to be good offerings) how the customer responds to the execution of these programs will dictate who stays in for the long haul.(doh)

Globally, the European MPS market appears more mature then the domestic and the potential MPS market in the Far East has been documented to be huge.

So yes – Global.

The journey continues…