MPSA Press Releases

Charlotte, N.C. – July 22, 2013 – The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is proud to announce the winners of its 2013 MPSA Leadership Awards.

The MPSA Leadership Awards were established in 2010 to honor those companies that have excelled in various areas related to managed print. Winners serve as shining examples to the community of their commitment to and expertise in managed print services (MPS).

Awards submissions were vetted and scored by an esteemed judging panel of nine industry leaders chosen from the call to membership, led by a member of the MPSA Standards Committee who ensured impartiality and adherence to guidelines. The company scoring highest in each category was deemed winner of the respective award.

 

“This is far and away the best run, most contested MPSA Leadership Awards, ever. It’s a  credit to the MPSA membership and our evolving industry on a global scale,” said Greg Walters, MPSA president. “If one wishes to see the future of MPS, just look at the list of winners.”

 

The 2013 MPSA Leadership Awards winners are:

• Best MPS Innovation: Print Audit, printaudit.com
• Direct Managed Print Services Plus Provider: Ricoh, mds.ricoh.com
• Independent Managed Print Services Provider: Flo-Tech, flotech.net
• Independent Managed Print Services Plus Provider: Xtandit, xtandit.nl
• Managed Print Services Infrastructure Provider: Supplies Network, suppliesnetwork.com
• Professional Services Provider: Photizo Group, photizogroup.com
• Software Provider: Office Document Consulting, officedocumentconsulting.com
• Regional Managed Print Services Provider: Xtandit, xtandit.nl

Winners will be officially recognized and awarded crystals at the MPSA Leadership Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, at CompTIA’s ChannelCon event at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

“The MPSA extends a hearty congratulations to all of this year’s winners,” added Walters.

###

About the MPSA:

Founded in 2009, the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is a global, nonprofit organization that provides independent communications, collaboration, education, standards and success to MPS professionals. The mission of the MPSA and its members is to address and optimize businesses’ office document management while enhancing the growth, efficiency and profitability of the MPS segment through advocacy, marketing, education, research, standards and a general community of interest.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Europe-based Xtandit Joins MPSA  

Charlotte, NC. USA  (July 2, 2013) undefined The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) announced today that Xtandit, a leader in Managed Print Services (MPS), has joined the association.    Xtandit joins more than 1000 other MPSA members to participate in proactive outreach to advance the awareness and value of MPS across sectors. Members of MPSA work together to promote and advocate for MPS in a vendor-neutral forum to the mutual benefit of end-users, members and other stakeholders in the global MPS industry.

Edwin Jongsma, Xtandit Commercial Director, is pleased to become an MPSA member, “As a European provider of Managed Print Services, we are convinced that an MPSA membership will help us in maintaining our European leadership position.  The MPSA membership will allow us to knowledge share with the worldwide leaders in Managed Services. This will be knowledge we will use in developing further customer value”.

Greg Walters, MPSA President, stated, “We are very excited to welcome Xtandit to the MPSA.  We’ve seen an increase in interest from European companies and individuals in  the future of managed services.  Xtandit is poised to take a leadership role in developing a solid MPSA presence in the Netherlands and across Europe. ”

About the Managed Print Services Association
The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that serves the MPS industry. Its focus is on the development of standards, education and industry guidelines which unite the different segments of the industry that bring value to all those participating. For more information about benefits and memberships, visit www.yourmpsa.org.

About Xtandit B.V.

Xtandit is Xerox largest Concessionaire in the Netherlands and Europe. For more than 23 years Xtandit has been a specialist in document solutions. With a team of 110 motivated employees, Xtandit offers its customers a total Managed Print Services solution. Its MPS offering helps customers improve their IT and document processes, gain cost control and achieve the right management information. For the third year in a row Xtandit has been awarded with a Xerox partner of the year award.  Xtandit’s head office is located in Woerden with two branch offices in Capelle a/d IJssel and Amsterdam. For more information about Xtandit visit: www.xtandit.nl

# # #

MPSA Media Contacts:

Greg Walters

President, Managed Print Services Association

greg@waltersshutwell.com

614-882-4121

http://yourmpsa.com/

All 2013 nominations are due by June 7, 2013. We look forward to announcing the winners at theComptia ChannelCon Event in Orlando, FL on Tuesday, July 30th.

The MPSA Leadership Awards recognize the leaders, the innovators, and the dedicated members of the MPS community. Award nominees test the boundaries of our industry, look to the future, respect the past, take risks, serve their profession, and welcome diversity of thought.

The 2013 Award Categories 

The following TEN categories of awards reflect the diversity of the managed print services industry. Within each category description listed below, click on the link indicating "Form" to open a document submission form for that category. Once you have filled out the submission form, save it and email it to the 2013 Awards Committee by the deadline.

Direct MPS Provider – An Organization selling basic managed print services (Supply fulfillment, B/F Service, & equipment services) which is owned directly or indirectly by a manufacturer (includes branches and subsidiaries). Direct MPS Provider Submission Form. 

Independent Managed Print Services Provider  – An Organization selling Basic managed print services (Supply fulfillment, B/F Service, & equipment services), but not owned by a manufacturer. Independent MPS Provider Submission Form. 

End User – an Organization that has a contract for the receipt of managed print services from a reseller, services provider, or manufacturer. End User Submission Form.

Professional Services Provider – an Organization with more than one full time employee providing training, research, or consultancy.  Professional Services Provider Submission Form.

Software Provider – An Organization that develops software for the managed print services sector, whether sales management, device management, user management, service management, or billing. Software Provider Submission Form. 

Regional Managed Print Services Provider – any Organization that provides managed print services outside of North America.  Regional MPS Provider Submission Form.

Manged Print Infrastructure Provider – An Organization that has no reseller agreement with end users, but provides necessary combination of components to create a succesful program, e.g. Distribution, Leasing, Parts, Supplies, and Break Fix Services, etc. Manged Print Infrastructure Provider Submission Form.

Direct MPS Plus Provider – An Organization selling basic managed print services (Supply fulfillment, B/F Service, & equipment services) which is owned directly or indirectly by a manufacturer (includes branches and subsidiaries) AND offers additional solutions around document management, document workflow, and/or business document processes. Direct MPS Plus Provider Submission Form. 

Independent MPS Plus Provider  – An Organization selling Basic managed print services (Supply fulfillment, B/F Service, &  equipment services), but not owned by a manufacturer AND offers additional solutions around document management, document workflow, and/or business document processes. Independent MPS Plus Submission Form. 

Best MPS Innovation Award - Each year we see new developments and initiatives in MPS which have the potential to redefine the way we view the industry.  This award is intended to spot light the individual, the company, the product or process which can genuinely be hailed an innovation for the industry.  Best MPS Innovation Award Submission Form. 

The nomination forms each cover six areas. These areas range from the extent of the program or service, to the problem solving and approaches used. All entries will be requested to submit case studies, and the MPSA Judges will contact the nominee's self-identified customers to verify their statements.

New Business Unit Represents Continued Strategic Commitment to Technological Leadership

Charlotte, NC – March 18, 2013 – The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) today announced three new categories for its upcoming 2013 MPSA Leadership Awards. This means that this year, there is a total of 10 categories of excellence in which various companies involved in MPS may be nominated and awarded – up from seven categories last year.

The 2013 MPSA Leadership Awards categories are as follows (new categories are underlined):

• Best MPS Innovation
• Direct Managed Print Services Provider
• Direct Managed Print Services Plus Provider
• Independent Managed Print Services Provider
• Independent Managed Print Services Plus Provider
• Managed Print Services Infrastructure Provider
• Professional Services Provider
• End User (Buyer of MPS)
• Software Provider
• Regional Managed Print Services Provider

One exciting new award category – “Best MPS Innovation” – was added to highlight advances made in MPS this past year. “We wanted something to create some splash about new innovations in this industry, and we wanted to recognize those who are leading the industry with new ideas," said MPSA President Greg Walters.

In order to allow organizations providing core MPS services as well as those that go beyond traditional MPS to be recognized, the MPSA divided the Direct and Indirect (now called “Independent”) MPS Provider categories into four distinct categories with two levels each. There is one level for organizations that provide core MPS services and then a “Plus” level for those that go beyond MPS into areas such as document management and workflow. MPSA Standards Committee Chair Ron Alphin said this new structure helps recognize areas where the industry has evolved: “This will allow the wide range of organizations that provide MPS services – from core to more advanced services – to be recognized equally by the MPSA.”

Finally, the category formerly known as “Independent MSP” was further clarified this year, and the name was changed to “Managed Print Services Infrastructure Provider.”

The nomination and voting periods for the MPSA Leadership Awards will open on April 2, 2013, through the MPSA website (www.yourmpsa.org). The MPSA Awards reception (and board meeting) will be co-located with CompTIA ChannelCon, taking place at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Florida, July 29-31. Both MPSA board meeting and awards reception attendance includes a free CompTIA ChannelCon registration, which can be obtained by visiting http://www.CompTIA.org/channelcon and using the MPSA’s priority registration code, which will be announced shortly; it is recommended that MPSA members wait for the code to take advantage of this special offer. Additional information about nomination processes and voting is forthcoming.

###

About the MPSA: 

Founded in 2009, the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is a global, nonprofit organization that provides independent communications, collaboration, education, standards and success to MPS professionals. The mission of the MPSA and its members is to address and optimize businesses’ office document management while enhancing the growth, efficiency and profitability of the MPS segment through advocacy, marketing, education, research, standards and a general community of interest.

MIDWAY, KY, March 14, 2013undefined Photizo Group proudly announces that Ricoh Americas Corporation will be a Platinum sponsor of the Transform Global Conference, which will take place on May 6-9, 2013 in Scottsdale, AZ. Photizo’s Transform event is the premier conference for the imaging channel and draws a global audience.

 

Ricoh has a clear commitment to helping its channel partners successfully navigate the imaging industryundefinedthe company is a longstanding sponsor of the Transform conference series. Most recently, Ricoh was a Diamond sponsor of Transform 2012 Europe, which drew close to 350 attendees. Ricoh also recently signed a global contract to utilize Photizo Group’s Partner Transformation Series, which is a comprehensive transformation program designed for those who are serious about succeeding in MPS and strive for increased profitability, revenue, and organizational power.

 

"As the imaging industry sees significant changes, it's important for companies to strengthen customer relationships and help solve their business problems – MPS can play a significant role," said Terrie Campbell, Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "Ricoh continually supports educating our industry professionals, which is why we are proud to be a Platinum sponsor of Photizo Group’s Transform Global Conference."

 

Ricoh is sponsoring the keynote speaker, Ryan Estis, who will be presenting Passion on Purpose: Turning Corporate Culture into a Competitive Advantage. Estis is a business performance expert who helps companies and sellers effectively connect with their employees and customers. In addition, Ricoh Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Terri Campbell, will be on the executive panel at Transform. The executive panel brings industry leaders together, providing an opportunity to speak out on the future of business and managed print services and answer questions from the audience.

 

“I remain impressed by Ricoh’s dedication to keep up with the advancing pace of the managed print services industry,” said Photizo Group Founder and CEO, Ed Crowley. “As longstanding partners of Photizo, we could not be more inspired by Ricoh’s commitment to bring the channel the most cutting-edge education available.”

 

Transform Global provides attendees and sponsors with the opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and receive cutting-edge education, diving beyond managed print services and into the future of imaging. The year 2013 marks the fifth anniversary of the Transform conference series, and the event will feature industry leaders, experts and analysts, end-user case studies, and channel success stories of transformation.

About Photizo Group

A leading transformation firm, Photizo Group assists clients in transforming their businesses from product-centric to services-centric companies. We provide clients with innovative and practical market intelligence, consulting, and education services based upon our deep industry insight and objective analysis. Photizo is a trusted advisor and provides clients, as well as the entire imaging market, with visionary guidance to help make successful business decisions.  www.photizogroup.com.
 

 

About Ricoh

 

Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems, and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Ricoh Group, operates in more than 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2012, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,903 billion yen (approximately $23 billion).

 

The majority of the company's revenue comes from products, solutions, and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialized industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service, and its sustainability initiatives.

 

Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change., Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees.

For further information, please visit http://www.ricoh.com/about/

Media Contact:

Stephanie Morris

Brand Manager

smorris@photizogroup.com

1.859.846.9830 ex 119

Charlotte, NC – March 5, 2013 – The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) today announced the completion of its Standards & Best Practices Committee’s first white paper of 2013, “MPS Business Models & Components.” This white paper identifies four managed print business models MPS providers can use to go to market, details the pros and cons associated with each and provides charts outlining additional components related to the delivery of managed print services.

 

“Ron, his committee members – indeed, all who contributed to this initiative – have brought to light a sound, easy-to-understand description of foundational managed print services models and components,“ said MPSA President Greg Walters. “We are very proud to provide this document to our membership. Look for more in the near future.”

 

The MPSA Standards & Best Practices Committee was chartered to help define industry areas that, once clarified, would result in a better understanding of MPS and an increased rate of adoption. One such area identified by the committee as a major source of confusion faced by its membership base centers around MPS business models. “We have members that are end users. We have members that are resellers. We have members that are software providers. There are all types. The MPSA did a very good job of defining what managed print services is, but there needed to be further explanation of how each type of member that delivers MPS services could go to market with that,” said MPSA Standards Committee Chair Ron Alphin.

 

Subsequently, the committee created a white paper around the topic that will prove invaluable to anyone interested in providing MPS. “Any new members to the MPSA or MPS industry could use this document to define what business models they would reasonably be able to go to market with,” Alphin said. “Right now, people have to go to different websites, look at different statements by other people, or ask others what they’re doing. This document, on the other hand, outlines the MPS business models available to them in one place, so people can start using it as a standard benchmark to determine what kind of delivery model they can take to the market and explain to end users exactly what will be provided to them.”

 

The MPSA Standards and Best Practices Committee’s white paper is now available to all MPSA members, who can access it by logging in to the MPSA website (www.yourmpsa.org) and clicking on the White Papers link under the Members-Only Content category in the navigation bar. Members can also register there for a webinar scheduled to take place on March 19, 2013, that will provide them with additional details and insight on this white paper. Nonmembers may become members by visiting the following link: http://yourmpsa.org/join.

 

“This was a great initiative to work with all the committee members on and get consensus on from the various perspectives,” Alphin said. “I am excited this is getting released to the general membership.”

 

                                                                                        ###

 

About the MPSA:

Founded in 2009, the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) is a global, nonprofit organization that provides independent communications, collaboration, education, standards and success to MPS professionals. The mission of the MPSA and its members is to address and optimize businesses’ office document management while enhancing the growth, efficiency and profitability of the MPS segment through advocacy, marketing, education, research, standards and a general community of interest.

LAS VEGAS -- The 1105 Media Office Technology Group is pleased to announce a new event in 2013. Business Imaging Expo will take place Dec. 11-12, 2013 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The two-day expo will be preceded on Dec. 10 by two separate full-day conferences. The first, presented by the Office Technology Group’s Workflow magazine, will feature a high-level lineup of speakers focusing on targets surrounding business process optimization, enterprise content management and similar topics. The second, presented by the Office Technology Group’s The Imaging Channel magazine, will focus on managed print and related topics.

“The office technology industry is changing rapidly,” said Group Publisher Patricia Ames. “Printed pages are shifting to mobile devices, printers are increasingly becoming part of the larger managed information technology programs at small and large business, and sellers and consumers of related devices are looking for ways to streamline their processes. Business Imaging Expo recognizes these shifts and creates a centralized resource for all facets of the industry.”

Business Imaging Expo capitalizes on the resources and experience of 1105 Media, a leader in B2B publications and events. The two-day expo and related education and conferences will include:

• Two-day trade show featuring the leading vendors in the business imaging industry, Dec. 11-12
• Top-level education sessions
• One-day Workflow conference, Dec. 10
• One-day Managed Print conference, Dec. 10.

Pricing plans for the various elements will be announced shortly. Visit http://theimagingchannel.com/pages/bix-2013-fact-sheet.aspx for more information.

NEWTON, MA, January 24, 2013 - Recognized as the industry's premier event, ITEX National Expo & Conference is excited to announce new features for the 2013 event, including new sponsors, dozens of new exhibitors, new technology zones on the Expo Floor, as well as expanded industry partnerships. ITEX 2013 will take place at The Rio Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from April 17-18, 2013, with Pre-Conference Workshops held on April 16, 2013.

"ITEX showcases all aspects of the evolving office market and the growing influence of IT services as will be evident in our education program and technology zones on the Expo Floor showcasing the latest products and services for Managed Services and Document Management and Workflow Solutions," said Wendy Loew, Event Director, Questex Media Group, producers of the Show. "The Show Floor will offer hundreds of best in class exhibitors including dozens of industry leading companies who will be exhibiting for the first time. We invite past attendees and those new to the industry to register today."

One of the features on the Expo Floor is the Managed Services Zone, which will feature ITEX's Diamond Sponsor, Continuum, as well as ConnectWise, LabTech Software, N-able Technologies and Tigerpaw Software. Continuum provides a leading SaaS-based managed services platform that managed services providers (MSPs) use to efficiently backup, monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain desktops, servers and other endpoints for small and medium-sized businesses. In addition to the Zone on the show floor, the Managed Services Strategy Forum will offer education sessions on ways to expand a company's services portfolio to optimize today's technologies including managed network services, cloud services, and ease of use of digitized documents.

According to Michael George, CEO, Continuum, "the gold rush has begun as many firms want to capture the $118 billion opportunity in the underserved SMB IT market. Office equipment companies are in the best position to capture new revenue streams and gain exponential market share by delivering on the promise of efficient, reliable and cost-effective managed IT services. The key is finding a true technology and service delivery partner with the right combination of experience, scalability and support to drive rapid adoption. Continuum is the market leader in IT Managed Services and has created a white-labeled, fully integrated service delivery platform designed specifically for office equipment providers. We are excited to be on the center stage at ITEX 2013 and help these providers seize this transformational opportunity."

The other Technology Zone on the show floor will focus on Document Management & Workflow Solutions. Zone Sponsor Fierce Content Management, will be joined by several other document management and workflow solutions focused companies including, Cima Software, DocuWare, Kodak Document Imaging, Nuance Communications, PSIGEN Software, and WebbStone.

Complementing this area on the Show floor is the education track Automate, focused on document management and workflow solutions. Power Hour sessions in this year's program include:
Utilizing CRM and ECM Integrated Technology as a Sales Tool and Profit Center
On-Premise and Cloud: Best Market Strategies for Document Management
Case Study: Process Trumps Paper: How Ventura County Automates to Digital Services
The Show floor will feature several new exhibiting companies including Breezy, Continuum, Cima Software, Fellowes, Innovolt, IPM - Imaging Products Manufacturing, Kodak Document Imaging, Kuroki Industrial Co. Ltd., Laser Line, Nuance Communications, PHSI, PNC Equipment Finance, Static Control Components, Tigerpaw Software, as well as Crexendo, a telecom hosted services provider. These new exhibitors will join hundreds of vendors offering the products, solutions and technologies to serve ITEX attendees best.

During the 2013 event, ITEX has partnered with several industry groups, who will be co-locating their annual meetings and receptions. International Business Products, Inc (IBPI) will hold its Annual Dealer Meeting at The Rio on Wednesday, April 17 from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm, open only to IBPI members. IBPI is the largest buying group in the industry, representing the interests of over 330 independent commercial copier and print dealers. The National Printer Repair Network (NPRN) will be holding its Annual Member Meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at The Rio.

For the first time, GreatAmerica Financial Services, is excited to hold its "Managed IT Navigator: Best Practices User Group Meeting" in conjunction with ITEX 2013. Sessions will focus on the lessons learned in selling Managed IT Services, and solutions selling practices used when performing consultative selling. This user group meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 16 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.

About ITEX National Expo & Conference
ITEX National Expo & Conference is presented by imageSource magazine. ITEX is produced and managed by Questex Media Group LLC, a global, diversified business-to-business integrated media and information provider, headquartered in Newton, MA. For information on attending, visit www.itexshow.com or call 800-624-3248. The early bird registration discount deadline is Friday, February 8. Click here to register today and save up to 30%. For information on exhibiting or sponsoring, contact itexsales@questex.com.

# # #


For further information, contact:
Amy Riemer, Media Relations
978-475-4441 (office)
978-502-4895 (cell)
amy@riemercommunications.com