Ricoh and Xerox Make Marks in Managed Print Services

By Doug Barney July 24, 2013

Large printing companies aren’t exactly moving away from producing actual printers, but they are quickly moving towards managed print services.

For Ricoh, that seems to be working out pretty well, as the company continues to shine in IDC’s eyes. IDC once again pegged 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.

Xerox, synonymous with one piece of office equipment, it also a leader in printing, and, like Ricoh, was called a leader by IDC.

So why are managed print services so hot? We’ll give the copier king a crack at that question. “Companies are now looking for ways to integrate print and document workflows into the rest of their IT infrastructure and help clients not only print for less, but print less, said Mike Feldman, senior vice president, Xerox Global Document Outsourcing and Managed Print Services. “Our print environment experience allows us to build content management and business process automation strategies that simplify how work gets done.”

Now let’s hear why IDC thinks Ricoh is so hot. “In customer interviews Ricoh was noted for the quality of its people and strong service. Ricoh's customer references came from Europe, the US 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 entire more tightly control print resources.

Earlier this year MSP Today shared news about the Xerox print partner program, which is 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 is 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.

Here is how the data graphs out:

Graphic: Managed vs. Traditional Printing