In the periphery

Managed print services gained credibility in mid-2000, and have come a long

way since. Companies are dives­ting its print output management functions to a

third party service provider, mainly because enterprises in the last few years

are outsourcing non-core activities and want to focus on their core business.

A software usually has multiple versions, and hardware is fast to become

obsolete, so outsourcing peripheral devices has a high degree of value to

enterprises. With printers being a major component of IT peripherals, it is a

big market for outsourcing.

Experts also believe that hardware costs are escalating, and enterprises do

not want to create fixed device assets that will become redundant as new

technologies come to the fore. Issues related to managing peripheral devices

like printers can be time-consuming. Technology becoming obsolete is another

compelling reason for outsourcing by enterprises.

Vendors in the Fray



According to Samir Shah, director, commercial and enterprise printing

business, HP IPG, “As part of the balanced deployment strategy, we provide

different services. One, we create print assets of various configurations and

manage them. The other is total outsourcing where HP owns the assets and manages

them as per the client demands.”

Clearly, there are many models in print managed services. Companies can

choose to outsource the managing part alone or go for complete outsourcing. SMBs

are adopting the second option more and more, as they do not want to own print

assets. The biggest advantage in total print outsourcing is that the customer

pays for what is printed, hence it keeps the costs low, and the CIO no longer

needs to worry about consumables, papers, device selection, buying, etc.

One of the oldest players in the print outsourcing space is WeP Solutions.

The managed print solutions (MPS) division of WeP Solutions offers a complete

suite of services addressing the printing requirements of mid-market and large

enterprises in India.

Another leading player is Xerox Global Services (XGS). The company provides a

slew of document management services to hundreds of clients in India.

Why Managed Services?



Enterprises were taken aback when audits of investments made on acquiring

and managing new printers were undertaken. Different departments within an

organization started having different printers, and in time this led to

accumulation of different print technologies like Inkjets and MFD with no real

justification of having multiple varieties of printers. Also, consumable makes

for more then 80% of a printer's costs, and indiscriminate use of printers by

employees added to the cost.

This baffling scenario has forced the management of many enterprises to align

output device management and document workflow into the CIO's kitty. However,

CIOs are hesitant in taking accountability for printers, as they need to focus

on larger IT deployment and management issues. Here, managed services, which

offers a mutually beneficial deal, is the best option. By outsourcing, CIOs have

control over their print infrastructure but the delivery happens through

third-party. The manageability aspect is what is really driving print

outsourcing.

Shrikanth G


shrikanthg@cybermedia.co.in