Print.IT Reseller - issue 77

MPS 01732 759725 42 DTP Group, a HP Platinum Partner, has recently onboarded MPS Monitor. Michelle Ryder spoke to Technical Consultant Tobias Dartsch to find out more about how the full-featured MPS solution will drive productivity, profitability and efficiency DTP Group deploys MPS Monitor to improve business efficiency universities are long-standing customers and it has also widened its reach into the corporate market, providing solutions to both large enterprise and SMB organisations. DTP Group is leveraging MPS Monitor to streamline its billing and consumables replenishment processes. Consumables management is integrated in a single, fully automated end-to-end process, while the engine for contracts management covers the whole invoicing process, up to the issuing of invoices in PDF, XML or CSV, ready to be sent to the customer and/or imported into the dealer’s accounting systems. The consumables management functionality is one feature which Dartsch believes is going to have a positive impact on the business. “We have got a number of different charging models for customers and we want to know if a customer replaces a consumable early. That can massively impact the profit that we can make on some accounts. With MPS Monitor we can access reports on this and raise any issues with the customer using the data to highlight what percentages consumables have been replaced when they should have probably stayed in the devices for longer.” He continued: “What we will also find useful is the different types of connectors that you can use for the solution, where you can install an embedded connector on a device. The majority of our customers are quite large, but we also do have smaller customers with maybe only a handful of devices that have very little infrastructure or even standalone devices. We’ve tested the embedded connector and it works really well in terms of getting meter readings etc. with no manual intervention.” Seamless process DTP Group has gone through a successful trial phase and has now onboarded the majority of its customers. “From the customers’ perspective other than letting them know what we were installing, it’s been an entirely seamless process, with no impact on their ability to print or disruption in continuity of service,” Dartsch explained. According to Dartsch, one of the most exciting elements of the platform is its full integration with the HP Smart Device Services (SDS) platform. The MPS Monitor SDS platform provides printer fleet managers with advanced tools for remote hardware management, diagnosis and problem solving, thus reducing effort and costs for maintenance operations, improving service levels and maximising customer satisfaction. “Over and above remote monitoring and managing our installed devices, our print solutions team delivers a full range of HP-driven security solutions. We are heavily involved in the implementation on the customer side, and we are really excited to look at the HP SDS capabilities, this is going to benefit many different areas of the business,” he said. The platform is feature-rich and provides a number of functions which save time and money, for example, device configuration and remote remediation allow dealers and maintenance teams to manage, configure and update all the printers installed at their customers’ premises without having to go onsite. Remote embedded web server access provides service staff with permanent DTP Group has been in the managed print business for over 30 years and has over time expanded its offering to include a range of complementary managed IT services. Headquartered in Leeds, the company services customers nationwide and also counts a number of European organisations among its customer base. In terms of print, DTP Group is a single line HP dealer and has achieved the highest – Platinum – status in the OEM’s partner programme. The company has a lot of experience within the higher education sector, a number of major Nicola De Blasi