There’s no question that resellers of printers, copiers and multifunction peripherals are under pressure to diversify. The reason is simple: Demand for their products and services is on the decline as cloud and mobility continue to chip away at the need to print images and documents.
The move toward the paperless office, fueled by the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, has reduced the need for printed pages. More and more, users turn to their mobile devices to view and share information, instead of relying on images and documents. With printed page counts on the decline, copier dealers need to find new sources of revenue if they have any hope of succeeding – or even surviving – in this changing market.
For them, the most advisable move is to diversify into managed services. Valued at just over 100 billion in 2014, the managed services market is on track to reach $293 billion in 2019, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets.
Managed services offer a natural path for copier dealers because their vast experience in delivering long-term services for a recurring fee can give them a powerful edge over traditional IT-born MSPs. Yet, business-model experience may not be enough, given the technical advances and varying nuances of IT services. Instead of building an MSP practice, then, some copier dealers and manufacturers have opted to buy or partner with an MSP to make it work. Examples include Staples, Konika Minolta and Ricoh. read more here