IDC Report Reveals too Many Printers Per User
IDC Report Reveals too Many Printers Per User
March 27, 2007: A FujiXerox sponsored report by IDC has found of the 100 organisations surveyed, there are too many printers per employee with many organisations lacking a firm grasp of the total cost of printing.
The key according to FujiXerox Global Services’ general manager, Andy Berry, is understanding the total cost of printing. The IDC survey found that around 70% of respondents did not totally understand their print environment costs. According to some estimates, printing costs make up between 1% and 3% of a typical organisation’s turnover.
Berry says, “It’s really about cost management, not driving down costs and increasing productivity and asset management. It’s also about driving down the number of units while increasing services and transparency.”
The research showed the 44% wanted variable charging such as a per click charge to allow better management of costs while 50% of organisations said they would consider using managed print services.
Berry says, “Those that have outsourced have focused on addressing business needs, not just cost.”
Brisbane City Council is one organisation that has adopted the managed print approach. Phil Redmond Manager, iDivision, Managed ICT Services Branch, Brisbane City Council says a major focus has been on gathering information about print usage to better understand costs. Since part of the strategy has been to reduce the number of desktop printers by deploying more MFDs, employees have shown concerns about sharing printers with others. According to Redmond dealing with change management issues has been a challenge but one that he believes will deliver results for the organisation as a whole.
Steve Leadbeater, Business Improvement & Capability Manager, Energex says, moving to a managed print service was about “understanding print costs and gaining efficiencies to provide better service for the end user.”
IDC’s report says that many customers do not realise adopting a managed print service can provide significant benefits. However, a managed print service reduces capital and maintenance costs and offers increased cost certainty. Other key benefits include decreased administrative burden and improved service levels.
IDC says managed print services should encompass the three areas of printer management that touch on print offerings and are usually provided by a third party. These three areas are: traditional hardware (peripherals); the service or ongoing maintenance; and management of the whole environment.
A managed print service refers to the entire process of managing hardware procurement, supplier management, and ongoing support and maintenance needs during the life cycle of such a service. It is not merely a maintenance contract for servicing devices.