Jim Shulkin
The convergence of IT/Network and MFP/printer services that has long been predicted began tangibly evolving into a market reality in 2011. Over the last year, we’ve seen imaging manufacturers continue to launch and greatly improve variations of “MPS in a box” programs designed to remove many of the conventional barriers that make it difficult for MSPs (Managed Services Providers) to enter the world of Managed Print Services (MPS). In addition, imaging manufacturers have made acquisitions to expand their services repertoire (e.g., Konica Minolta’s acquisition of All Covered) and new viable options emerge for traditional BTA channel dealers to counter.
These developments are only expediting the growing trend of hybrid providers looking to penetrate and eat the lunch of incumbent providers that can’t cover both bases. The company managing a customer’s IT infrastructure has the customer’s ear and if/when they have the ability to provide consolidation for the customer by taking down the connected boxes that put toner on paper, you can bet they eventually will. The objective BTA dealer recognizes it’s frankly not as easy for them to walk in to that same customer and have a credible conversation about taking over maintenance of the IT infrastructure. To grow, or even protect their base, BTA dealers will be forced to widen their value proposition. This trend will continue to be fed from both directions, which is the market need that Agiliant serves.
The biggest challenge facing BTA MPS providers who want to evolve is their resistance to fully comprehending and executing the drastic changes that are required in order to successfully transform their existing business and integrate the new service offerings. The dealer’s misconception that this shift can be accomplished through an acquisition of a small IT services company or by purchasing some monitoring software and large plasma displays is the impetus for Agiliant’s most significant challenge for growth. As many have found out, it’s not that easy: it is capital-intensive, it requires massive business changes, infrastructure, tools and expertise to be successful and the time to market is extensive whether you build or buy.
2011 has been a year of development for Agiliant. A year ago we had a vision and an idea of how to provide a winning alternative model to BTA/MPS dealers that are rapidly approaching a “change or die” decision. The result is our comprehensive services engine and go-to-market model that removes the barriers, enables side-stepping of most of the challenges and dramatically reduces the time to market for our Affiliate companies to successfully enter and grow their business in this brave new hybrid IT services world. Agiliant lends dealers the necessary insight into what’s really required to be successful and provides all the tools necessary (both front and back end) to build and grow their existing business into a thriving, competitive and highly profitable IT services company.
With an “A to Z” recipe now in place for our Affiliates to successfully transition into IT services providers and the many benefits and economies we’re able to offer them as part of an integrated and highly synchronized national services network , 2012 will be largely focused on further extending the Agiliant Affiliate Network to cover more markets “in network” while continuing the enhancement and expansion of the services and solutions we provide to our Affiliates and they in turn deliver to their respective customers.
