Analysis: The myth of managed print

Last year HP, with its channel partner Imagetec, managed to help the generations-old Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton save 35 percent on its printing costs after implementing an MPS solution.

The company reported greater control and visibility over costs, better service levels and reduced
demands on the IT department. Things such as toner management were automated, relieving staff of the responsibility for monitoring it.

WWRD also gained access to detailed data to support the analysis of demand and matching print services with the needs of the business as well as enabling the review of supplier performance. Before the deployment, the company had 23 printing and copying devices for 120 staff, all of which were largely being managed separately. Now it has just the one invoice for all of them.

HP has identified this end of the market as presenting huge opportunities for MPS. In fact, according to Bailey, HP is actively seeking to limit the number of MPS customers it serves so as to free up more resources to target the SMB space. “The reason is to be able to extend our reach and move deeper into the SMB space.”

Key to this, he adds, is developing an understanding of the key vertical markets for MPS.

“This very much influences our discussions about growth. In terms of partners it allows you to say who has expertise in this vertical, while it also applies to geographic issues,” he says.

Among the key verticals being identified in the MPS space are real estate, financial services, legal, medical and several levels of government.

Within these verticals it is expected new opportunities will emerge for suppliers to market new and emerging technologies from 3D printing to QR/Color code and context-enriched printing. QR/Color code enables the printing on multiple surfaces of coloured patterns designed to interact with mobile phones and other devices, while context-enriched printing allows for targeted messages to be incorporated into printing and other document management activities.