Monday, April 11, 2016


“Managed print services (MPS) are services offered by an external provider to optimize or manage a company’s document output. The main components provided are needs assessment, selective or general replacement of hardware, and the service, parts and supplies needed to operate the new and/or existing hardware (including existing third-party equipment if this is required by the customer). The provider also tracks how the printer, fax, copier, and MFP fleet is being used, the problems, and the user’s satisfaction.”
There are three primary service areas within Managed Print Services:
1. Assessment of a company’s existing print and document creation environment,including tracking printing costs across all budgets. 
2. Optimization of the print environment, including managing the number of printers peruser and printing policies.
3. Ongoing management of printer work flow, including replenishing consumables and
equipment maintenance.
Most successful VARs embrace two or more of these areas as part of an MPS offering. Much of the offering depends on what their customer demand.
What MPS Services to Offer When considering which of these services to offer, consider the specific needs of SMBs. According to market research conducted by analyst firm IDC, the overwhelming reason companies adopt MPS is to reduce printing costs.

Beyond cost savings, reasons cited for MPS adoption include:
• Changing user habits to reduce waste;
• Short-term cost savings;
• Fleet rationalization or equipment consolidation or optimization;
• Streamlining document work flows;
• Environmental sustainability; and
• Improving security.
Print processing assessment: When you consider the demands cited by companies that have adopted MPS, it’s clear that being able to assess how and where to manage printing for real savings is the first place to start.
Aberdeen Group estimates that SMBs spend typically 10 percent of their overall budget on office printing. Being able to demonstrate how centralizing and managing office printing will result in immediate savings is a compelling sales pitch.
Optimizing the print environment: One of the biggest expenses to result from office printing is waste. Not only is there waste paper and materials, there also is waste in terms of time spent running to and from the printer, the space taken up by printing hardware, etc. By optimizing the print environment SMBs can realize savings in a variety of ways:
• Reducing the number of printers needed to support the office;
• Saving staff and IT time with printer management;
• Reducing user output and materials waste;
• Improving efficiency and facilitating document work flow; and
• Improved efficiency for stocking paper and consumables.
These are just a few of the ways that MPS can optimize office printing and save operating overhead. All of these benefits have costs associated with them that can be easily calculated and incorporated into the savings formula.





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