As 2011 Approaches, There Are Still Few MSPs in the MPS Market
According to the ongoing MSPmentor 100 survey, only about 20 percent of MSPs focus some of their efforts on managed print services. In his recent blog post, Managed Print Services: Still Overlooked By Most MSPs, Joe Panettieri asked, "if managed print services is such a huge opportunity how come we hear from so few MSPs on the topic?"
He suggested that one reason could be because the OEMs are difficult to work with and are focused on enterprises rather than the SMB market. For the most part, it's true that OEMs put the majority of their focus on enterprises, but this point is true regardless of whether you're an MSP, VAR, or managed print provider. This says that MPS providers are not always relying on their OEM relationships to help them succeed. While I do think that some of the OEMs are starting to put more effort towards supporting their channel, there are other organizations for MSPs and VARs to turn to for help entering the managed print market—and companies that haven't dealt much with printers before will indeed need more help.
Let's say you're a company that sells servers, PCs and networking equipment, and perform break-fix service on this hardware. Now you decide to become an MSP and start using software tools to monitor and manage the hardware remotely. In the end, other than some new software you've had to learn, you're still working with the same products you've sold for years. You know how to fix them and when it's time to replace them. Now let's say you're a copier company, selling and servicing MFPs, and you decide to get into managed print. Again, you need to learn some new software tools to manage the devices remotely, and maybe you need to learn to service some additional types of machines, but in the end you're still working with printing devices. Printing devices require consumables to be replaced on a regular basis and servicing them requires dealing with many moving parts—these two things alone make them inherently different to manage than most other IT products.
Panettieri said in a previous MPS-related blog, "Like all managed services, the difference between success and failure typically has little to do with technology and everything to do with sales/marketing strategies." This is the case for independent copier or printer dealers moving into MPS. They already know printers and everything about related supplies and service, and while they may have some difficulties getting up and running with remote monitoring software, the bulk of the transition has to do with learning and implementing a new marketing and sales strategy. But for an MSP or VAR starting out in managed print, it's not just about marketing and selling, and it's not even about the remote monitoring technology (which should, in theory, be easier for them). It's about acquiring the expertise to be able to service and supply printers. In a lot of cases, it probably doesn't make sense for an MSP or VAR to go out and acquire this expertise on their own—hire and train printer service technicians, source a supplies vendor, source a parts vendor, etc. It makes sense to partner with a company that can provide all of this—plus remote monitoring software and sales training—in one shot. These programs work well for many companies that have been working in the printer and copier industry, and can make the transition much easier for MSPs and VARs looking to get into managed print. Panettieri's blog initiated a discussion about the various programs available in the comments section, which I recommend reading.
I have always thought that it makes sense for managed service providers to offer managed print services. Regardless of the uniqueness of printers, they are still a component of an organization's IT infrastructure. It can be an additional source of revenue for an MSP and one less vendor for a client to deal with.
I hope that 2011 brings more partnerships between MSPs and the managed print companies that can help them succeed in this segment of the industry. Happy holidays everyone!
Posted on 12/14/2010