MPS: The Vehicle of Convergence
Andrew Tsiorvas, General Manager, PrintSolv
PrintSolv was established in 2007, about the time managed print services (in the channel) started to gather momentum in Australia. We are a wholesale supplier of Print Management Solutions (FMAudit, Evolved Office and ROI Print Manager) to Office Equipment Suppliers in Australia and the South Pacific.
MPS has gathered some real momentum in Australia over the past few years, but I think it’s safe to say that at the dealer level some of the progression has slowed down due to the difficulties dealers have had transitioning from an MFD dealer to an MPS supplier. This has resulted in the emergence of several Hybrid Dealer’s (MFD/MPS) within Australia’s capital cities, who have filled the hole in the market. They have leveraged the support of particular OEMs to adequately provide large customers with the support that true MPS dictates. These new Hybrid dealers, many with minimal staff, are managing just as many devices as the larger traditional MFD dealers, the major difference being the number of accounts they are managing.
Im seeing convergence between the Office Equipment Industry and IT Services industry. I have no doubt that MPS is the vehicle for this convergence. ITC companies have been providing Managed Services for a long time so the concept of managing fleets of printers and MFDs as a service is not a big change for them. They are now aware that some of the most profitable IP addresses on their networks have traditionally been excluded from their offering.
On the other hand, MFD dealers and MPS suppliers are recognizing that he who manages the network is in a very powerful position when it comes to supplying or tendering for a MPS.
The convergence seems easier for the IT Services Company as they already have the technical aptitude to roll out systems and they can now receive the necessary support from the Printer/MFD manufacturer to service the hardware on the account, in some cases the manufacturer will even provide the billing service. The MFD dealer’s best option to converge is generally through acquisition or alliances.
I think the Australian MPS market trails 2 years behind more advanced markets like the USA, any information I can absorb that will help our business forecast will be invaluable. Education drives maturity and a mature MPS market in Australia is going to be beneficial for the industry as a whole and for PrintSolv in the long run. If you are interested in the ‘State Of The Industry’ and where it is headed in the short and long term, then in my opinion, you can’t afford NOT to attend the MPS Conference in Sydney, Australia.
A friend in the industry regularly refers to the MPS process as ‘A Journey with the Customer’. Most in our industry are now aware of the definition of MPS and MPS in the early stages. I feel that the local audience will be eager to hear about the later stages of MPS, the stages many of our suppliers are yet to experience i.e. – Software Systems, Document Management, IT managed services etc. This will help them better pan the MPS Journeys they undertake with their customers.
Connect
