Ingram Micro Launches Managed Print Offerings

Ingram Micro plans to launch new managed print offerings this week, as well as a professional services offering around managed print, to solution providers.

The offerings, ranging from entry-level toner monitoring and auto-replenishment, up to a more complete managed offering that includes hardware, are the first under Ingram's Document Imaging Business Unit and were unveiled at the company's 2012 Cloud Summit this week in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"The biggest takeaway is it feels like we've built a flexible program. There are three packages that make it good for entry level or someone who is more sophisticated. And a big piece is the professional services. That's something companies have been asking for," said Ryan Grant, director of the Document Imaging Business Unit in the United States.

Related: SMBs Entering The Cloud: Five Things To Nail Down First

The first offering, Plus, monitors a customer's toner levels but also printing behavior so supplies can be shipped in time, said Grant.

"If it comes back that the toner is at 10 percent, that could mean it'll run out tomorrow or in two weeks, depending on the customer. We really make sure that we capitalize on the entire toner as well as making sure it goes to the right device at the right time so you're not sitting on too much inventory," Grant said.

Supplies are not only shipped directly to end users, but they include a note for which specific printer they're for, he added.

The next level offering is Advanced, which is a cost-per-page model that includes toner replenishment and device monitoring for maintenance and repairs, according to Ingram Micro.

"We're also offering help desk services, break-fix services in the cost-per-page model. The reseller would be procuring a page from Ingram and offering that to the end user. It's a true MPS model. It's everything built into a per-page cost," Grant said.

Plus and Advanced are offered at one-year-minimum contracts, according to Ingram Micro. The third offering, Total, is a three-year contract that includes all managed print services plus a lease on the equipment.

"That essentially takes the hardware and combines it with Advanced and bundles it for a monthly installment. Once per month, the end user gets a bill and the latest technology from a device standpoint and builds in a pre-set number of advanced pages," Grant said.

All three offerings are vendor-agnostic and available on any network-attached printer that Ingram Micro sells, said Grant. Solution providers can also pick and choose services in an a-la-carte model for data collection, supplies and service monitoring, and help desk and break-fix services, Grant said.

NEXT: MPS A Big Opportunity

Finally, Ingram Micro is offering Connect, a professional services assessment engagement performed on behalf of the solution provider to help determine what managed solution works best for the company and generate a quote.

"What we found in doing our homework is a lot of customers would love to get some help on that. We can install a data collection service and monitor it for 60 days and give a full assessment back to the solution provider to show them how to craft that deal and close it for the end user," Ingram Micro's Grant said.

UBM Channel's POV Study, conducted last fall, shows that 59 percent of VARs currently don't sell printer services and solutions and just over half that do sell print solutions currently sell managed print solutions. But by 2013, VARs expect 15 percent of their printer revenue to be managed services-based, compared to hardware-based.

Ingram Micro sees a big opportunity in helping VARs that haven't touched print in years to get more involved in managed print, Grant said.

"You'll see us go after folks who are transacting in print but not doing managed print services. We want to move them into an MPS environment. The other segment [to target] is the folks building managed services practices. We'll look to help them slide managed print into their portfolio," he said.

The distributor expects managed print to continue to grow at a similar rate, 15 percent to 20 percent, that it has seen the last several years, Grant said. "It's been mostly in the midmarket and enterprise, but we're seeing it pick up in SMB now. The market is ripe for this, and we've built a very simplistic solution. If VARs want to capitalize on the opportunity, we think they should," he said.