Ricoh Managed Print Reaps Rewards

Print makers are moving in droves to a managed services model, and now instead of fighting over just hardware, the likes of HP, Xerox and Ricoh are battling over services.

Ricoh is getting services recognition now from the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) which gave the print maker a 2013 Leadership Award for Best Direct Managed Print Services Plus Provider in the Managed Print Services Industry.

So what exactly is a Direct Managed Print Services Plus Provider? The MPSA says it is “an organization selling basic managed print services which is owned directly or indirectly by a manufacturer and offers additional solutions around document management, document workflow, and/or business document processes.”

The award was chosen based on a case study, services differentiation, and the service’s core capabilities.

More Kudos

Ricoh also looks good in IDC’s eyes, which picked Ricoh as a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Managed Print and Document Services 2013 Hardcopy Vendor Analysis report.

This is the third year for Ricoh as a leader.

“In customer interviews Ricoh was noted for the quality of its people and strong service. Ricoh's customer references came from Europe, the U.S. and Latin America, demonstrating the company's global footprint and market presence,” wrote IDC analysts Holly Muscolino and Terry Frazier.

Ricoh was also put into the leader’s portion of the Gartner’s most recent Magic Quadrant: Managed Print Services Worldwide report.

Managed Print Needs Partners

All the major printer makers, Xerox, HP, Lexmark and Konica Minolta are going into services. And these hardware makers are seeking out partners who won’t just resell gear and services, but really add value by helping the more tightly controlled print resources.

Earlier this year, MSP Today shared news about the Xerox print partner program, now just more than a year old. Xerox has been adding scads of partners for its managed print service, including 70 in Canada alone. Xerox is clearly transitioning to services, and registering some 30 percent annual growth in that sector.

Meanwhile Konica Minolta sponsored an analysis of the print services market, “Key Trends in Managed Print Services (MSP)”. Soon spending on services will exceed that of on-premises spending.