September 30, 2008
PartnerOne Changes
As we’ll detail in an upcoming Printing & Imaging Insights story, the changes Hewlett-Packard made this summer to its PartnerOne program could help reshuffle in a positive way the mix of technologies solution providers offer their customers.
Continue reading "PartnerOne Changes "
Posted by ajoch at 02:20 PM
More on Paper Innovation
Here’s an interesting follow up to yesterday’s posting about Xerox’s ongoing innovations in developing new types of traditional paper and forward-looking “erasable” stock for printing applications.
Continue reading "More on Paper Innovation"
Posted by ajoch at 11:38 AM
Good Advice for Tough Times
Yesterday’s 777-point drop in the Dow and the continuing deterioration of the overall economy is enough to make anyone jittery. But solution providers that want to proactively strengthen their businesses while facing turmoil can get some concrete advice from Scott Campbell’s excellent story, “How To Sell IT In Tough Times” in VARBusiness.
Continue reading "Good Advice for Tough Times"
Posted by ajoch at 10:05 AM
September 29, 2008
Advances in "Green" Printing
Green printing isn’t achieved only with energy-efficient printers and strategies for reducing paper waste. Eco-friendliness can also come in something as fundamental as the paper itself.
Continue reading "Advances in "Green" Printing"
Posted by ajoch at 12:06 PM
September 28, 2008
ECM Choices Grow as Prices Fall
There are two pieces of good news for solution providers selling mid-market electronic content management (ECM)solutions as part of their printing and imaging strategies: the range of application choices are bigger than ever and the prices for the software are steadily moving lower.
Continue reading "ECM Choices Grow as Prices Fall"
Posted by ajoch at 07:01 PM
September 26, 2008
Green 'Here to Stay'
Go green before your competitors do or before the government forces you to. Those were two of the messages that came out the recent "Capitalizing on Going Green" virtual tradeshow sponsored by ChannelWeb parent Everything Channel.
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Posted by ajoch at 03:23 PM
September 24, 2008
New MFPs Target SMBs
Earlier this week, Xerox announced two new multifunction products (MFPs) with electronic-document-management capabilities to strengthen its position among small- and medium-sized businesses.
Continue reading "New MFPs Target SMBs"
Posted by ajoch at 02:10 PM
MPS Conference to Offer Research, Best Practices
A new three-day conference devoted to managed print services is being planned to provide a mix of industry research, case studies, and advice for writing contracts when it opens in San Antonio next April.
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Posted by ajoch at 06:56 AM
September 22, 2008
MPS Pressures Mount
We’ve published a number of stories in the last few months about the sales opportunities afforded by small- and medium-sized businesses when it comes to printing sales. But a growing threat could undermine those opportunities.
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Posted by ajoch at 07:49 AM
September 19, 2008
Services Spark ECM Growth
Love it or hate it, Microsoft continues to be big enough to occasionally act as a game changer when it comes to business software. So when it began to succeed with its SharePoint document-management technology, some observers worried that the game would soon be over for competitors in that market.
Continue reading "Services Spark ECM Growth"
Posted by ajoch at 10:34 AM
August 31, 2008
Advice for Moving to Managed Services
Moving to managed print services can be daunting for transaction-oriented solution providers or for those that have just dipped a toe into the MPS waters. So what’s the best way to proceed when the time has come to cultivate new services business?
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Posted by ajoch at 04:51 PM
Don’t Accept Second Best
As concerns about housing, energy, and the overall health of the U.S. economy linger, one of the central questions forward-thinking solution providers are asking themselves is: Does the current economic climate make it easier or more difficult to sell customers on managed print services?
Continue reading "Don’t Accept Second Best"
Posted by ajoch at 04:45 PM
Sell Hardware Sophistication, Flexibility
A good tech-refresh sales strategy can mean new sales of faster and more-sophisticated printers or multifunction products. But as solution providers promote the benefits of latest technologies, they’d be wise to sell more than just the faster speeds and feeds of today’s hardware.
Continue reading "Sell Hardware Sophistication, Flexibility"
Posted by ajoch at 04:40 PM
August 30, 2008
Two Services Options for SMBs
As our latest Focus On: Upselling story explains, the SMB market is heating up for solution providers, and so too is the competition for SMB dollars. One choice for plying this important business segment is Hewlett-Packard’s two-tier Smart Printing Services program.
Continue reading "Two Services Options for SMBs"
Posted by ajoch at 04:31 PM
Seeing Red Over Poor Green Practices
As businesses become increasingly committed to environmental best practices, some employees are registering annoyance over anti-green actions by colleagues. The top peeve? It centers around printing practices.
Continue reading "Seeing Red Over Poor Green Practices"
Posted by ajoch at 04:26 PM
August 21, 2008
Scanning's New Groove
If you think scanning is a relatively staid and mundane activity, think again. Big changes are occurring in the larger document-capture market that could have solution providers selling MFPs and standalone scanners in entirely new ways.
Continue reading "Scanning's New Groove"
Posted by ajoch at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)
Tailor-Made Solutions
Today's color printing solutions offer a wide variety of potential business advantages for small- and medium-sized companies, ranging from cost-saving in-house marketing capabilities to securing and controlling important information and improving workflow processes.
Continue reading "Tailor-Made Solutions"
Posted by ajoch at 01:17 PM
August 20, 2008
Solution Providers Give Xerox Top Ranking
In VARBusiness magazine’s latest “Annual Report Card” rankings for workgroup color printers, Xerox Corp. scored two big awards for workgroup color printers: Overall Winner and Company of the Year.
Continue reading "Solution Providers Give Xerox Top Ranking"
Posted by ajoch at 03:38 PM
August 13, 2008
Color Market Poised for Growth
Eyeing “a very exciting time in the printing market,” market researcher InfoTrends recently released a new report that outlines new opportunities for fast growth in the color market driven by ink-based printers and multifunction products (MFPs).
Continue reading "Color Market Poised for Growth"
Posted by ajoch at 02:00 PM
New DocuShare Will Target SMBs
Responding to the growing need among small- and medium-sized businesses for more economical document-management applications, Xerox is launching a new “express” version of its venerable DocuShare solution.
Continue reading "New DocuShare Will Target SMBs"
Posted by ajoch at 10:55 AM
July 31, 2008
How to Cope With SharePoint
We’ll be posting a new Focus On Document Management story in the coming weeks that discusses the rise of Microsoft SharePoint and how end users are increasingly looking for technical help to get the most out of the multifaceted tool.
Continue reading "How to Cope With SharePoint"
Posted by ajoch at 11:01 AM
Free Tool Saves Paper
Few aspects of printing are more wasteful for paper and consumables than when we try to print information from the Web. Fortunately, now there’s help, and it happens to be free.
Continue reading "Free Tool Saves Paper"
Posted by ajoch at 10:17 AM
July 30, 2008
Understanding Services
Solution providers who have trouble getting their heads around why services are important may find comfort from a maxim that’s been floating around business schools for years
Continue reading "Understanding Services"
Posted by ajoch at 04:54 PM
'Green' Calculator Generates Savings
Northrop Grumman Corp., the international defense and technology contractor, cut its energy usage by 27 percent, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent, and saw a 33 percent drop in solid waste production with the aid of a new “sustainability calculator” from Xerox.
Continue reading "'Green' Calculator Generates Savings"
Posted by ajoch at 01:23 PM
Honoring Printing and Imaging Innovation
Pointing to some of the most innovative companies in the printing and imaging space, HP recently recognized four partners for what it calls “best in class technology advancements.”
Continue reading "Honoring Printing and Imaging Innovation"
Posted by ajoch at 12:48 PM
July 28, 2008
Services Prove Resilient
Xerox reaffirmed its commitment to service contracts, consumables sales, and leasing arrangements during a recent conference call with financial analysts that coincided with the release of its second-quarter earnings.
Continue reading "Services Prove Resilient"
Posted by ajoch at 09:16 AM
July 24, 2008
Document Management Means Business Benefits
Illustrating how eDiscovery rules are impacting organizations everywhere, the House of Representatives a couple weeks ago passed legislation requiring that all federal electronic messages be preserved, including ones created at the White House.
Continue reading "Document Management Means Business Benefits"
Posted by ajoch at 04:50 PM
July 23, 2008
Palm-Sized Security
The answer to more successfully controlling access to multifunction products and printers may soon be in the palm of your hand.
Continue reading "Palm-Sized Security"
Posted by ajoch at 10:27 AM
July 16, 2008
Controlling Collaboration
The good news is today’s document-management applications are getting so easy to use, typical line-of-business people can manage their information on their own without eliciting the help of technical experts. Unfortunately, that’s also the bad news.
Continue reading "Controlling Collaboration"
Posted by ajoch at 08:15 PM
June 30, 2008
Security Requires Discipline, Not Fear
By its headline-grabbing nature, security is a topic imbued with inherent drama. Solution providers can use this as a tool to get a customer’s attention, but they shouldn’t overplay their hand.
Continue reading "Security Requires Discipline, Not Fear"
Posted by ajoch at 08:07 PM
Reverse Psychology
In an era of steadily declining prices for color printing hardware, Xerox is trying a new pricing strategy with it’s solid-ink Phaser 8860 printers and MFPs—it’s actually raising prices on the devices.
Continue reading "Reverse Psychology"
Posted by ajoch at 08:02 PM
June 29, 2008
Putting Eco into Practice
Last year, technology researcher Gartner estimated that the IT sector creates about 2 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions, which is on a par with the airline industry. Hewlett-Packard has developed a corporate eco-strategy that takes this into account with advice that take directly impacts the printing and imaging area.
Continue reading "Putting Eco into Practice"
Posted by ajoch at 07:56 PM
New Standard Address eDiscovery Pain
The Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) XML standard is gaining steam as more software vendors announce their support for the platform. Wider adoption of the standard promises to make it easier for solution providers to develop answers to the tricky task of adhering to eDiscovery regulations.
Continue reading "New Standard Address eDiscovery Pain"
Posted by ajoch at 05:21 PM
June 27, 2008
A Digital Stepping Stone
Networked scanners are becoming much more widely deployed across U.S. businesses, a trend that may pave the way for increased penetration of document-management solutions.
Continue reading "A Digital Stepping Stone"
Posted by ajoch at 09:16 PM
Service Strategies Spread
Commercial print shops are direct competition for solution providers that pitch the benefits of in-house color as an argument for why customers should buy or lease color printers and multifunction products (MFPs). So it’s good to know what the competition is up to.
Continue reading "Service Strategies Spread"
Posted by ajoch at 04:53 PM
June 26, 2008
Help for Print Driver Headaches
Two new software drivers for printers and multifunction products (MFPs) promise to make life easier for solution providers and their clients.
Continue reading "Help for Print Driver Headaches"
Posted by ajoch at 11:37 AM
June 17, 2008
E-Discovery Concerns
E-discovery rules, the recently expanded laws requiring ready access to all electronic information,including e-mails,in the event of a legal inquiry, continue to challenge designers of content management systems. The ongoing confusion points to a sales opportunity for solution providers that target law firms for content solutions.
Continue reading "E-Discovery Concerns"
Posted by ajoch at 07:35 AM
June 16, 2008
The Thoroughly Modern Mid-Market
Tech refresh is a potent sales message for solution providers when they can show midsize customers how the latest printing and imaging technologies improve operations through faster performance and lower costs for maintenance and power consumption. Now it appears to be a message that is resonating throughout the IT infrastructure.
Continue reading "The Thoroughly Modern Mid-Market"
Posted by ajoch at 07:19 PM
Free to Be Green
We’ve been tracking the evolution of GreenPrint Technologies' eco-friendly software for over a year (see http://printandimage.com/upselling/BoostingManagedServices.jhtml). In a new development the company has teamed with Xerox to offer a free version of the paper-reducing program on solid-ink Phaser 8560 or 8860 printers and MFPs.
Continue reading "Free to Be Green"
Posted by ajoch at 05:30 PM
May 30, 2008
Dual Messaging
Print Audit isn’t the only printing company that’s making a direct connection between the green movement and financial savings (see previous blog posting). Printer OEM Kyocera encourages customers to use its TCO Tracker to demonstrate the benefits of its EcoPro printers.
Continue reading "Dual Messaging"
Posted by ajoch at 09:01 AM
May 29, 2008
Money Trail
Print Audit, the maker of print tracking technology, just released results from a customer implementation that demonstrate how the financial and environmental impact of green printing practices often converge.
Continue reading "Money Trail"
Posted by ajoch at 07:35 PM
May 27, 2008
Fear Factor
Sometimes, the biggest challenge when transitioning from straight hardware sales to selling solutions lies in getting buy-in from an essential part of your company—the sales staff.
Continue reading "Fear Factor"
Posted by ajoch at 04:31 PM
Paper is Alive and Well
Sure, electronic documents are making inroads against the crush of paper. But for the near future at least, there’s no danger that paperwork or the need to print it will become extinct.
Continue reading "Paper is Alive and Well"
Posted by ajoch at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2008
Web 2.0 Dangers
The benefits of extending Web 2.0 into the business environment as an “Enterprise 2.0” initiative are becoming clearer (see the latest Focus On Upselling story “Web 2.0 for Business Becomes Easier, More Pervasive”). But the strategy is not without inherent dangers.
Continue reading "Web 2.0 Dangers"
Posted by ajoch at 09:14 AM
Painful Transitions
Some solutions providers transition from volume hardware sales to solutions because they recognize the growth potential of the new business model. Others make the change because they recognize the extreme risk of inaction.
Continue reading "Painful Transitions"
Posted by ajoch at 08:50 AM
May 23, 2008
Calculate the Benefits of Green Printing
There’s a lot of buzz around going green to cut costs and reduce the environmental footprint of printing and imaging infrastructures. Hewlett-Packard may help solution providers turn buzz into sales with this week’s introduction of a broad, eco-oriented initiative for SMBs and enterprises.
Continue reading "Calculate the Benefits of Green Printing"
Posted by ajoch at 01:33 PM
May 20, 2008
Xerox Hints At Assessment Tool Changes
Xerox may soon offer new technology that will make it easier for solution providers to perform one of the key elements of a managed print-services solution—the ability to perform accurate and ongoing assessments of customer printing operations.
Continue reading "Xerox Hints At Assessment Tool Changes"
Posted by ajoch at 10:35 AM
May 19, 2008
New Motivations for Considering Managed Services
For a number of reasons, it makes business sense for solution providers to push their customers toward managed print-services (MPS) contacts. Now a growing body of evidence is showing that a “pull” factor is also coming into play—increasing numbers of customers are saying MPS is the way they want to secure printing resources in the future.
Continue reading "New Motivations for Considering Managed Services"
Posted by ajoch at 11:31 AM
May 07, 2008
Super Sized Profits
It’s hard to keep from marveling, if you’ll excuse the pun, at this past weekend’s opening box office sales for the action movie Iron Man.
Continue reading "Super Sized Profits"
Posted by ajoch at 07:50 AM
April 29, 2008
Cautious Economic Optimism
The daily dose of disconcerting economic news—everything from the declining dollar, to skyrocketing oil prices, to ongoing housing woes—won’t likely abate anytime soon. Nevertheless, solution providers on the whole are confident, if not optimistic about the months ahead.
Continue reading "Cautious Economic Optimism"
Posted by ajoch at 08:32 PM
