Dell partners with Nuance, Perceptive and Cortado
Is Dell making another move to enter the managed print services market? Several announcements made today indicate that Dell is certainly taking on a more solutions focus with their new product lineup.
Dell announced version 2 of OpenManage Print Manager (OPMP), a printer fleet management tool to monitor, manage and report on the status of networked printers. The tool is available online and can be accessed from any Windows-based PC. Updates in version 2 include an easier-to-use interface, increased security; expanded functionality in regards to bowser and OS support and optimized discovery performance. OPMP is a no-cost, brand agnostic tool available for download online.
MOBILE PRINTING
The second announcement is an expanded partnership with Cortado to provide enhanced mobility and IT administrators with an answer to challenges created by the influx of mobile devices. Cortado will be able to provide private cloud solution inside a firewall for enterprise customers, allowing users to print from any platform within the firewall. Dell will be selling the software as perpetual license with maintenance and renewal fees on a yearly basis. There is no mechanism built into the software to track cost. “We’re pricing this competitively for the marketplace…it’s about convenience for the customers and to fill a need that they have. It’s something that we need to explore more within an MPS engagement,” said Orlando Lacayo, global product manager for Dell.
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Also, announced was an extended partnership with Nuance to add Nuance document imaging products to Dell’s solutions portfolio, including print management and cloud-based document management software. Nuance is an excellent choice for Dell to partner with, as this will now give them access to Equitrac and eCopy solutions. Using the Equitrac solutions, Dell will be able to provide customers with Equitrac print management and cost recovery software—this will enable a new set of printing solutions in verticals like education and healthcare where cost recovery solutions are needed.
ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGMENT
Dell and Perceptive Software will collaborate to develop ECM products to work with Dell MFPs. Dell will be enabling ImageNow and Interact, which will turn Dell MFPs into powerful productivity tools and direct portals to ECM. “Because of our joint relationship with Lexmark, we will have intellectual property inside the box that will allow the workflow to be even more simplified. This will allow us to put applications on the SF framework creating a seamless process and allowing the customers to do one touch ECM.” The ECM partnership will create a solid tool for Dell Services to compete in verticals like healthcare, government and education where Perceptive has been very strong.
It would appear Dell is bringing together the necessary parts of an MPS program together. So do they plan to package this together for their channel partners to offer MPS?
Dell does have a few large managed print services engagements currently under contract, but as far as developing a scalable, broad-based program they stated they are currently weighing their options. “We have several options going forward, options with large partners that would love to be our fulfillment arm, we have options to go to the smaller channels and brand something, then we have options to do something internally,” said Don Heath, marketing director for Dell. Everything is still being discussed and Heath didn’t have a specific strategy to outline, but he certainly conveyed that Dell understands the impact of having an MPS program. “We’re all under the assumption that if we don’t do something fairly quickly, the way that people procure devices is changing. Managed print is the way people procure devices and if we don’t figure out a way to leverage that, we’ll be left behind.”
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