August 21, 2008
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.
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Posted by ajoch at 01:17 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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Posted by ajoch at 08:32 PM
Help Customers Guard Against Insider Security Threats
What type of security threat is currently keeping government intelligence officials in the U.S. and abroad up at night? It’s not the ever growing army of rogue and state-sponsored hackers who use brute force to storm through firewalls. It’s something that’s often even harder to defend against—untrustworthy insiders.
Continue reading "Help Customers Guard Against Insider Security Threats"
Posted by ajoch at 03:21 PM
April 25, 2008
Paper Proves Resilient
There’s little question about the long-term profitability and growth potential in helping customers alleviate the pain of paper. But paper isn’t dead yet.
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Posted by ajoch at 10:37 AM
Clarity for Content Management Confusion
Are you confused about who’s out there in terms of content management vendors and how their products compare? Now there’s help for sorting out this complicated market.
Continue reading "Clarity for Content Management Confusion"
Posted by ajoch at 09:59 AM
April 24, 2008
New Insights About Managed Print Services
The Photizo Group recently released the first installment of its MPS Tracker report, an ongoing study of managed print services deployments.
Continue reading "New Insights About Managed Print Services"
Posted by ajoch at 11:14 AM
April 23, 2008
Software and Services Take Flight at the Air Force
Showing that continuing signs of strength continue in certain pockets of the economy, Hewlett-Packard’s Imaging and Printing Group announced that it will participate in an ambitious five-year printing modernization contract from the U.S. Air Force.
Continue reading "Software and Services Take Flight at the Air Force"
Posted by ajoch at 11:12 AM
April 21, 2008
Strength in Service Revenues
With the first-quarter financial reporting season upon us, Xerox’s results show reasons for encouragement for solution providers that have or are contemplating an expansion of their services business.
Continue reading "Strength in Service Revenues"
Posted by ajoch at 07:38 AM
April 20, 2008
New Study Uncovers Surprise in MFP Purchase Drivers
When it comes to selling customers on multifunction products, should solution providers emphasize cost, output speed and quality, or print-fleet consolidation? Actually, the best pitch may be none of the above, according to a new study from technology researcher IDC.
Continue reading "New Study Uncovers Surprise in MFP Purchase Drivers"
Posted by ajoch at 08:52 PM
April 19, 2008
Easy Ways to Go Green
Solution providers can win customer loyalty by pointing out that green printing doesn’t necessarily mean big upfront investments and overhauled internal operations.
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Posted by ajoch at 08:45 PM
April 14, 2008
Advice for Tough Times
A new survey about the financial health of the economy and its impact on IT spending offers some illuminating statistics and anecdotes for printing and imaging solution providers.
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Posted by ajoch at 07:25 PM
March 31, 2008
A New Headache
As if anyone needed further proof that the printing business is getting cutthroat, drug-chain giant Walgreens should help dispell any doubts this coming Wednesday.
Continue reading "A New Headache"
Posted by ajoch at 09:10 AM
Printing Virtualization
Virtualization in all its many forms is a hot area that’s poised to just get hotter—even if the economy sputters in the months ahead.
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Posted by ajoch at 09:06 AM
March 28, 2008
Tailor Your MPS Message
Preliminary results from a new study analyzing buying attitudes about managed print services (MPS) offers some interesting insights for solution providers that are expanding this area of their printing and imaging practices.
Continue reading "Tailor Your MPS Message"
Posted by ajoch at 02:28 PM
March 26, 2008
An Important Question
The next time you’re ready to pitch a new project to an important customer, trying asking yourself the following question: “Does this recommendation solve actual business problems or is it just some new technology for technology’s sake?”
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Posted by ajoch at 11:26 AM
March 21, 2008
SDK Spells Openness
As we research the next round of stories for this site, we’re spending a lot of time talking with printing OEMs about a growing trend in the industry—the availability of software development kits (SDKs) for printers and MFPs.
Continue reading "SDK Spells Openness"
Posted by ajoch at 10:22 AM
March 05, 2008
Presidential Politics Invade AIIM
After spending most of last night analyzing yesterday’s primary results for television viewers, Washington insider Patrick Buchanan and journalist Howard Fineman brainstormed on where Democrats and Republicans go from here at a spirited AIIM panel discussion.
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Posted by ajoch at 12:24 PM
VARs Gain ECM Steam
Solution providers have a lot to like from AIIM’s annual State of the Industry address. President John Mancini forecast the channel will rise in importance in the coming year, a change significant enough to include it among 2008’s top 10 trends in enterprise content management (ECM).
Continue reading "VARs Gain ECM Steam"
Posted by ajoch at 12:21 PM
March 04, 2008
Peace, Love, and ROI
A lot of people think of Web 2.0 as Woodstock 2.0: A mash-up of peace, love, long hair, and hippies but not a serious endeavor for responsible adults. But now start-ups like Alfresco beg to differ, and the reason is profit potential.
Continue reading "Peace, Love, and ROI"
Posted by ajoch at 05:33 PM
