APAC Managed Print Services Getting A Makeover; Focusing On Services

IDC finds that managed print services (MPS) is undergoing an extreme makeover and is increasing its focus on ‘services.’ Vendors are starting to expand services offerings either in-house or via partnerships to bring MPS to the boardroom.

Accelerated by new technology services such as cloud, IDC believes that in the short term, enterprises in the APEJ region will be looking for consolidation of services offerings. Currently, multi-tower deals in the information technology outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services markets are seen blended into single contracts. As a result, IDC expects MPS to soon be integrated as part of such extensive contracts.

Suchitra Narayan, Research Manager, Asia/Pacific IT Services Research, IDC says, “We are witnessing three fundamental shifts in how MPS is perceived by the market. Firstly, MPS is entering the boardroom via managed services and is gaining the CXO’s attention. Secondly, it is no longer about services that you buy bundled with hardware; it is hardware that comes bundled as a services offering. Thirdly, with the shift to a services economy, there will also be an increased focused on channel-based MPS delivery. Channels will have to undergo a restructuring to ensure they build-out services capabilities and not just deliver and manage ‘boxes’.”

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According to IDC, the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) or APEJ managed print services (MPS) market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% in the period 2010-2014. It will reach US$530 in 2010 and surpass US$990 in 2014.

IDC expects the growth to be especially strong in China and India, assuming political stability in these markets. Narayan adds, “Enterprises in China and India are starting to understand the need for implementing document related solutions and MPS is of particular interest as it has a direct impact on cost reduction via infrastructure optimization, reduction in energy and reduction in print related costs. Australia, Korea and Singapore will also continue to see growth, driven by new technologies and solution adoption particularly in cloud, green and mobility.”

MPS continues to be driven by a need for organisations to re-focus their core competencies and outsource print-related services and solutions. The key to the success of MPS lies in its ability to act as a cost management solution and providing a predictable operational expenditure (OPEX) model for the end user in an unpredictable market.

Narayan concludes, “The cloud creates a perfect platform for the OPEX delivery model. MPS on the cloud will be a hassle-free solution for organizations, with a pay-per-use business model that delivers real-time analytics on print. It’s not just about fluff in the cloud. It’s about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. The keys to success for such a model lie in ensuring that clear service level agreements (SLAs) are in place, there is a clear plan to reduce the business continuity risk and there is commitment from the vendor on delivery capabilities.”