Imaging Channel :The Current State of the Ecosystem

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Date: Tuesday June 5, 2012 08:19:15 am
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    The Current State of the Ecosystem: There Be Mutiny About …

    ITEX and Transform are two of the show I have attended this year. I’m not sure if it’s a badge of honor or one of shame, but I have attended so many industry/MpS conferences and shows that now I can get the feel of the industry by the tone of each show. This goes for industry, consumer, OEM and dealer functions. If the feeling is a somber one, business is down. That’s easy. Digging deeper, below the veneer and into the nuances, we can find out much more than just how business is going; we can see where business is going. Today, these shows, countless conversations and interviews help construct my opinion; the current state of managed print services in two words: dynamic and dubious.

    Dynamic

    It’s been said over and over: The times are changing. Finding the current MpS flavor of the month is dependent upon whom you ask, and everyone has a different take, view or plan. Traditional players in the ecosystem continuously position for the future, struggling between selling more equipment and offering services – a perilous proposition. MpS services result in a reduced number of machines, and reconciliation is a continuous venture – hence the challenge our OEMs face. The independent dealers are making the rules up as they go, designing and implementing beta versions of their specific MpS – defending current volumes while eyeing managed services. On top of this, end users are changing the game nearly every 30 days by bringing their own devices to work and defining, at a personal level, how data is converted into information and communicated. Not a print in sight. It is a free-for-all changing by the second.

    Dubious

    ITEX and Photizo’s Transform left me with an interesting impression. It seems the tone has stepped from panic to determination with a dash of optimism; those who would call it “cautious optimism” would be correct.

    But there’s more.

    At ITEX, it was difficult for me to capture the essence. The dealers and vendors I spoke with were giddy with success, touting the MpS way. However, the nebulous undertow of this sentiment crystallized between sessions at Photizo; what I am detecting from the successful MpS firms is doubt, skepticism and a level rebellion.

    Yes, rebellion. Who is on the receiving end of this mutiny? The established hierarchies, that’s who.

    Time and again, when I asked, “How’s business?” the answer was a resounding “Great!” – and not in that fake way we hear so often. When pressed into telling me what their biggest concern is, though, they smiled, looked both ways and whispered, “They don’t get it.” How very intriguing.

    This is what I got out of some of the offline conversations:

    Dealers are sick of seeing huge marketing budgets represent hollow MpS programs.
    They are tired of “This time, we’ll get it right,” MpS redux programs.
    They loathe the obvious “MpS now, hardware later” ploy.
    They can see right through the hardware-agnostic ruse.
    All programs talk a good game, but some handle their shortcomings by ignoring them.
    Many think most corporate views of the MpS future are pie-in-the-sky, plastic-banana excursions into fiction.
    And dealers feel they’ve been successful in spite of the old-school establishment.
    These aren’t blanket observations. Indeed, one program kept creeping into my conversations as a very good one; I’ll keep that one close.

    Most dealers I talked to are happy with their programs, in spite of realizing that they’re not 100 percent. They respect the provider’s honesty about shortcomings and willingness to assist in filling the gaps. They made it work on their own, taking the best of one, adding to another, eliminating the superfluous and creating a program in their own likeness.

    Here’s the point: The independents are rising up, not simply surviving but thriving. They’ve gotten some swagger back. Most of the successful MpS practices employ a combination of tools – call it a hybrid approach. These hybrids are self-sufficient, sustained and looking beyond the printed word. The smoldering undertone is that these independents no longer hold the old establishments in high regard. Indeed, the feeling I saw is nothing like the rivalries of the past. Nobody complained about pricing, toner costs or equipment constraints. No one lamented the tsunami or floods or placed blame.

    The tone is disbelief and disdain aimed at the establishment.

    The “big guys” are plagued by this quotidian assault on their sensitivities, becoming so numb, they barely see themselves, let alone anybody else. In the end, I wonder how the ecosystem will look five years or even 24 months from now. I guess we’ll know more when the show sentiment turns from disdain to pity.

    More

    A couple of additional deep thoughts:

    The first thing: a particular OEM.

    One of the “big guys” seems to have “gotten it” and is running away from the pack. More than once, this OEM was mentioned in a positive light – so much so that the successful providers were hesitant to reveal who it was, attempting to keep a good thing under their hats – a sure indicator of successful partnerships.

    The other: the Managed Print Summit.

    World Expo, in Vegas, is around the corner and is shaping up to be a stellar MpS show – further evidence that MpS has reached a ubiquitous level. The established heavy hitters of MpS will be joined by anxious newcomers at Mandalay Bay.

    The circle is complete. If you are still merely considering attending, I recommend you do. If you couldn’t make it to Orlando, I suggest you get to Vegas. Once in Vegas, attend my panel – it is scale Galactic – learn some stuff during the day and throw some bones with us into the night.

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