Print.IT Reseller - issue 54

PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 41 VOX POP Continued... As many print devices are becoming so reliable, for how long will customers continue to want service contracts? software solutions such as Filestream’s offering are particularly popular. “We feel these trends have steadily been increasing, not only due to the increase in demand for products and services to aid GDPR compliancy but also in large due to the continuing change in mindsets and the need for value-added propositions. “We’re also seeing traction with the sales of our A4 Colour MFPs, which is a result of our great pricing, low running costs and broad range of machine features. All of these benefits allow our partners to advance in the A4 colour market.” Glenn Kershaw: “ineo SECURE UK has been an enormous success, driven by customer requests for maximum data security for their Develop devices. With the need for compliance with the new General Data Protection Regulations from May 2018, attention is focused on the need for data security, including print as part of the IT infrastructure. “We had an original target of 20 partners to offer the service but this figure has been well exceeded and the vast majority of our headline dealers are now offering ineo SECURE UK, with many service renewals. “Sales of production print systems are also growing following a refresh of our colour and mono ranges and our production dealer partners are also benefiting from new and advanced capabilities for media handling, calibration and finishing.” James Pittick: “The imageRUNNER ADVANCE series is a range of intelligent office devices which are continuously evolving to provide the latest secure and sustainable business platform that seamlessly connects your office technology to the cloud. It complements every stage of the document lifecycle from creation to sharing, output to archival. Its cloud management capabilities help partners to serve a cost- effective solution to customers. “This range has won numerous awards including the coveted BLI ‘A3 line of the year’ for 2018. This range was recently refreshed with our imageRUNNER ADVANCE Generation 3 2nd edition, which provides more security features, cloud connectivity, web access and improvements to the platform all as standard and it is already proving to be a hit with our channel partners. “uniFLOW is our Canon integrated print and scan management solution which helps organisations to manage print related costs, increase staff productivity, reduce environmental impact and achieve new levels of document security. The introduction of uniFLOW online, now means users can access this platform both on site and from the cloud. This powerful solution is ever popular with partners and their customers.” Dave Weston, Head of Channel, UK & Ireland, OKI EUROPE (UK & IRELAND ) : “We are seeing great traction for our managed print and document solution, Smart Managed Page Services, which allows organisations to take control of their costs and provide savings across their printing function through managed resources and transparent financial visibility. We are now opening this up to our SMB range of devices and, in turn allowing even more resellers to access and make use of the solution.” Greig Millar: “Our MPS business has grown by an annual rate of 90 per cent in the UK, as end-customers have shifted more towards procuring print systems via contractual, value added services. Brother UK’s flexibility with MPS solutions means that we’re equipped to support resellers of a variety of sizes and sector specialisms when required. “By working in collaboration with resellers and partners, MPS delivers quick and noticeable returns for SMBs which helps to refocus on the core aspects of running their business. By offering the low-cost solutions that SMBs are looking for, the channel is then able to create repeat revenue opportunities.” Michael Burke: “In the current market environment, the channel is facing shrinking print volumes and reduced margins. Also, as many print devices are becoming so reliable, for how long will customers continue to want service contracts? This is forcing the channel to look at diversification as a way to retain or increase revenues. However, resellers wanting to compete in this new environment will need to deploy integrated, multi-capable and agile systems that support diversification into new business channels and accommodate the added complexity that this will bring. “Deploying an ERP such as FORZA from Purpose Software will provide a single source of data that supports the entire organisation’s activities and delivers incremental growth, drives operational excellence and maximises financial returns.” Nirav Patel: “I think it’s important to stress that while the GDPR deadline has passed, that was actually the start of the process and not the end. Hence the importance of working with the channel to remind their customers that device, document and workflow security needs should exist in a state of permanent assessment. Added to that, the print PrintIT Reseller: What in your opinion are the key challenges facing the print and IT channel at the moment and how can you help? Dave Weston