Joe Panettieri, Former Editorial Director

April 27, 2011

2 Min Read
Xerox Partner Summit: Managed Print's Time to Shine?

The Xerox Partner Summit, known as Fusion 2011, is set to start April 27 in San Antonio, Texas. For Xerox and the broader printer industry, the next few days provide multiple opportunities to shift managed print services (MPS) from a niche discussion to a mainstream channel opportunity. Here’s why.

Only about 20 percent of MSPmentor 100 companies currently offer managed print services (MPS). Among the challenges facing the MPS industry:

  • Many printer makers aggressively promote their direct sales managed print victories while failing to evangelize channel MPS engagements.

  • Many VARs and MSPs completely overlook managed print opportunities — focusing instead on more traditional server, desktop, network and mobile engagements.

Still, managed print services remains an undeniable near-term and long-term business opportunity. Even as cloud computing advancements accelerate, end-customers will always need printers.

Two Conferences, One Focus

With those realities in mind, MSPmentor is tracking both the Xerox Partner Summit as well as the Global MPS Conference (May 2-4, Orlando, Fla.). Naturally, managed print services will be a key theme at both events.

To Xerox’s credit, the printer giant continues to promote Xerox PagePack — a managed print services offering — to its channel partners, During the Fusion 2011 event:

  • Chris Iburg, director of managed print services at Xerox, is expected to describe how Xerox PagePack partners are winning customer engagements.

  • Xerox Platforms Development Manager Steve Carey is expected to describe why MPS is the fastest-growing component of the printer market.

  • Ryan Morris, founder of Morris Management Partners and an Everything Channel IPED veteran, will host a managed print partner panel.

Will Xerox put the focus on its most successful PagePack partners? MSPmentor will be checking in with MSPs for their perspectives…

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About the Author(s)

Joe Panettieri

Former Editorial Director, Nine Lives Media, a division of Penton Media

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