Tech Trends: Consider This: How Do You Pick The Right Managed Print Vendor?

By Gennifer Biggs, Business Solutions magazine.

There isn't much debate about the value managed print services (MPS) offer to VARs and managed services providers (MSPs), but that ROI only happens if you select the right vendor partner and the right MPS program to fit your customers and your business. Two leaders in the space, OKI Data Americas and Xerox, have agreed to offer their advice on vendor selection and getting the most out of managed print solutions. "We have a range of constituents to serve, everything from printer-centric dealers to IT VARs, and they all have different needs and different focuses," explains Tom Gall, director of value channel marketing at Xerox. "That range forces vendors to be flexible, and to build programs that are composed of building blocks rather than one size fits all." He says that, as with any vendor selection, channel partners should validate that the vendor in question has a full understanding of the various business models in IT and a willingness to create a program that meets an array of needs.

Tim Brien, director of MPS sales for OKI Data Americas, says that vendor selection should start with a full understanding of what managed print programs should offer the channel, because if you don't know what you should expect, you can't pick the best fit.

Even if you haven't jumped on the MPS bandwagon, Gall and Brien say there is plenty of time to adopt this technology as part of your portfolio.