Managed print service (MPS) providers have a major opportunity to capitalise as businesses plan significant hardware and security investments to deal with the perfect storm of planned hardware refreshes, Windows 10 end-of-life, and the rush to embrace AI, a new study has said.
Quocirca’s MPS Landscape Study 2024 shows that eight in 10 organisations plan to roll out AI-powered PCs across their business in the next 12 months, with 73% of these planning to refresh their print fleet at the same time. Accordingly, 48% of respondents expect to invest more in print and imaging over the coming year.
“The market is having to accelerate hardware refreshes across the board as customers abandon age-related renewal cycles in favour of implementing new hardware performance capabilities,” said Louella Fernandes, CEO, Quocirca. “This presents an enormous opportunity for MPS providers who can broaden their offering to adjacent IT services and offer customers AI solutions and advanced services to support the hybrid work environment.”
Further findings in the study include:
• Print volumes are now at 55% of pre-pandemic levels
• The top three technology investment areas for the coming year are cybersecurity (66%), AI (64%) and cloud computing (56%)
• The top three print management priorities for the coming year are: security (26%), hardware refresh (23%) and workflow solutions (23%)
• Although 48% say they are very satisfied with their MPS provider, 65% of organisations are open to change, with 26% saying they will definitely switch provider at the end of their contract
• Most organisations are seeking to standardise on single vendor fleets managed by one MPS provider.
“As customer loyalty continues to weaken, with almost two-thirds of organisations considering switching suppliers, MPS providers need to strengthen and diversify their propositions to retain existing customers and attract new clients,” added Louella. “Incumbent MPS providers must ensure they have a strong profile during discussions about hardware refreshment to avoid losing out to competitors.
“Our research shows that IT expertise is now the top selection factor for MPS providers, followed by cybersecurity expertise and workflow automation competency. As providers compete for contracts to undertake major hardware renewal programmes, they must refine and articulate their capabilities in these areas. Building partnerships with complementary technology providers will be an important success factor.”
The study also showed evidence that satisfaction gaps persist in certain areas. The top three challenges organisations are experiencing around print management are reducing its environmental impact (38%) – which has ascended the agenda from third place in 2023 – controlling costs (38%) and security (36%). The study found that MPS is underperforming in satisfaction terms in all three areas.
“MPS providers need to ensure they are addressing these concerns as a priority,” said Louella. “Businesses have high expectations of the application of AI and analytics and will be looking for providers that are leveraging these to improve efficiency, sustainability, security, and service delivery. Those that fail to do so will fall behind.”
