December 2013 Office Technology by Business Technology Association

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CONTENTS Volume 20 • No. 6

FEATURE ARTICLES 10

2014 Industry Forecast Manufacturers provide direction for the new year

FEATURE ARTICLES Touch the Future Toshiba announces Eco MFP, digital signage

by Elizabeth Marvel Office Technology Magazine

Compiled by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

With a focus on envisioning the technologies and solutions of the future — and a plan to “touch” that future — Toshiba America Business Solutions hosted its LEAD 2013 dealer and end-user meeting on Nov. 12-13 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Fla.

What will be the greatest opportunities in the new year? To find the answers, Office Technology magazine asked 11 MFP and printer manufacturers to share their expectations for 2014. Perhaps the insight shared will help you position your dealership for success.

Fall Colors Retreat BTA Southeast hosts district event in Waynesville, N.C.

Shape the Future Konica Minolta expands services, solutions offerings

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Working to further strengthen its partnership with its dealers, while emphasizing, in part, today’s burgeoning services revenue opportunities, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. hosted its 2013 Business Conference and Product Expo on Nov. 17-19 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Office technology dealers from throughout the Southeast gathered Oct. 25-26 in Waynesville, N.C., for the annual BTA Southeast Fall Colors Retreat to learn new strategies for success, evaluate the products and services of exhibiting companies, and network with one another.

Fast Forward Transforming Ricoh targets services-led approach

COURTS & CAPITOLS Toner Wars Ensure you are indemnified from any claims

by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

by Robert C. Goldberg BTA General Counsel

Emphasizing the changes that have been made by the company to better support its authorized dealers and guide them to greater success, Ricoh Americas Corp. hosted its Convergence 2013 national dealer meeting on Oct. 28-30 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

Tour de Force Sharp seeks to be catalyst for dealers’ evolution by Brent Hoskins Office Technology Magazine

Focused, in part, on introducing new business opportunities, reassuring dealers about the company’s financial strength and announcing a new product order fulfillment model, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America hosted its national dealer meeting Nov. 11-13 in Orlando, Fla.

In the past several months, the Business Technology Association has received input and inquiries from all sides of what I refer to as the “Toner Wars.” For decades, manufacturers have sought to require the exclusive use of OEM parts and supplies in their equipment.

D E PA R T M E N T S Business Technology Association

• BTA Highlights

Executive Director’s Page

BTA President’s Message

Advertiser Index

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S PAGE

‘The Entrepreneurial Spirit ... Will Prevail’

hen I first read the 2014 Industry Forecast feature appearing in this issue, two things kept coming to mind. The first was the significant enthusiasm for what lies ahead that I saw at the recent manufacturer dealer meetings I attended. The second was the old, now long-outdated ad slogan: “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” Of course, the thoughts are linked to one another. As the office technology industry essentially continues the process of changing course, manufacturers and dealers alike are poised to embrace the opportunities presented by today’s and tomorrow’s technology-savvy end users. Mobility, the cloud, managed IT services, the new generation of workers — all are areas of great importance that are being handily addressed as our industry transforms its approach to the marketplace. Back to the ad slogan. When I started working at BTA many years ago, the annual Industry Forecast was already an established feature in our magazine. Looking back, I can unequivocally state that you cannot compare the focus and content of the forecast submissions from then to those of today; it is a night-and-day comparison. So, allow me to modify and update the slogan: “This is not your parents’ office technology industry.” I don’t recall whether the Oldsmobile ad campaign was somehow disparaging toward the new Oldsmobile owners’ fathers (perhaps implying that they were predominately “stuck” in the old days and lacked vision), but in our industry that would not hold up. Today, while there are plenty of men and women who are long-time owners

of office technology dealerships who would say, “No, this isn’t the industry of my past,” you don’t have to look far to see those who are actively and successfully working to ensure the ongoing success of their businesses in the future. That’s what entrepreneurs do. I am sure each of those who submitted a 2014 Industry Forecast embraces and admires the promise of the entrepreneurial spirit inherent to the BTA Channel. However, in his forecast, Sharp’s Mike Marusic does a particularly nice job at communicating it succinctly: “We strongly believe that the entrepreneurial spirit of the independent dealer will prevail, continuing to navigate this new market and making the changes necessary to grow the business.” Mike’s comment also indirectly reflects the essence of the purpose for the Industry Forecast feature. That is, in order for entrepreneurs to navigate and make changes to grow their businesses, they welcome advice and counsel. Are you making all of the right decisions for your dealership? Have you considered all of the many opportunities available to you? I encourage you to take the time to read the 2014 Industry Forecast feature. A few excerpts provide a glimpse at the expectations and observations shared that are worthy of your consideration: “Demand for cloud and mobility will reach the point where dealers will have to invest in these technologies ... Dealers must offer managed services ... Millennials just do not see the paper document the same way that Boomers do.” Collectively, the forecasts will keep you looking forward, focused on new opportunities. They will also help you overcome any slight tug you may feel to return to past, outdated business strategies. Best wishes for a very prosperous 2014. n — Brent Hoskins

Executive Director/BTA Editor/Office Technology Brent Hoskins brent@bta.org (816) 303-4040 Associate Editor Elizabeth Marvel elizabeth@bta.org (816) 303-4060 Contributing Writers Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel Business Technology Association

Business Technology Association 12411 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145 (816) 941-3100 www.bta.org Member Services: (800) 505-2821 BTA Legal Hotline: (800) 869-6688 Valerie Briseno Membership Marketing Manager valerie@bta.org Mary Hopkins Database Administrator mary@bta.org Teresa Leerar Bookkeeper teresa@bta.org Brian Smith Membership Sales Representative brian@bta.org Photo Credits: iStockphoto. Cover created by Bruce Quade, Brand X Studio. ©2013 by the Business Technology Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published material. However, the publisher assumes no liability for errors in articles nor are opinions expressed necessarily those of the publisher.

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When you partner with a leader, success follows. What’s our secret to being the best? It’s simple. We put our dealers first. With Toshiba, you’re partnering with an award-winning team committed to helping dealers succeed. succeed Voted #1 for Overall Superior Performance by BTA Channel’s Choice for six straight years. Awarded “First in Class” for Dealer Support by Marketing Research Consultants. Winner of 2013 Better Buys for Business Innovative Product of the Year for e-STUDIO 2550c/2551c series. For more info, please visit us at business.toshiba.com/dealer or call us at 949-462-6201.

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BTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2013-2014 Board of Directors

Join BTA for Winter Break, Feb. 14-15

ooking for a break from the winter chill? If so, I invite you to join us for BTA’s first educational and networking event of 2014, hosted by BTA Southeast. Winter Break, to be held Feb. 14-15 at the Walt Disney World Swan in Orlando, Fla., will give dealers the opportunity to: gain fresh industry insight; learn profitable, new business strategies; network with fellow dealers and exhibiting vendors; and have some fun in the warm Florida sun. The event will kick off at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, when each dealership with registered attendees will have the chance to schedule up to four three-on-one, 25-minute meetings with participating vendors (attendees will be meeting with one vendor at a time, along with up to two other dealer registrants). These meetings will run until noon, and dealers will receive a $30 rebate for each meeting they attend; that is up to $120 cash back. BTA has established this program to allow quality time with the vendors of your choice and to help defray travel costs. At 1 p.m., Mason Olds, vice president and general manager of the Imaging Systems Group at Canon U.S.A. Inc. will present his keynote, “The Future for Dealers & Vendors in a Highly Connected Society.” After his keynote, the first two educational sessions will be held: “Making the Leap to MPS,” with Mike Lecak, president of Collaborative Consultant Group; and “Customer-Centered Engagement Model — A Key to Services Growth,” with Jim Heffernan, president of Insights53 LLC. Breaks between the educational sessions will give attendees time to visit with fellow dealers and exhibiting vendors. A welcoming reception from 5 to 7 p.m. will wrap up the

first day, allowing an additional opportunity for attendees to network with peers and more than 30 exhibiting sponsors. The schedule will resume the next morning, Saturday, Feb. 15, with breakfast from 7:30 until 8 a.m., followed by opening comments, four additional educational sessions and breaks to visit with exhibiting sponsors. The sessions: “A’s Hire A’s, B’s Hire C’s,” with Ronelle Ingram, vice president of technical service at Steven Enterprises Inc., and Rock Janecek, division service manager at Burtronics Business Systems Inc.; “How to Turbocharge Your Sales Leadership,” with Steve Waterhouse, president of Predictive Results; “Identifying Your Vertical Market Opportunities,” with David Ramos, director of channel strategy service at InfoTrends; and “Disrupt — How to Spark Transformation in Your Business,” a dealer panel moderated by Ramos. The panel will consist of several BTA member dealers who are working to leverage business disruption and transform their businesses into leading technology companies in their respective markets. Following the educational sessions and closing comments, prize drawings will be held and lunch will be provided. From 3 to 9 p.m., attendees will enjoy a visit to the Epcot theme park, located near the event hotel. BTA’s FIX: Cost Management for Service Workshop will be held on Feb. 13 as a front runner to the event. FIX attendees receive free registration to Winter Break. Visit www. bta.org/FIX for additional information. Dealer registration (including an Epcot ticket) for Winter Break is $199 for BTA members; additional attendees from the same dealership are $159 each. Non-member dealer registration is $249. Register for Winter Break today at www.bta.org/BTASoutheastEvent. I am looking forward to seeing you in sunny Orlando. n — Todd J. Fitzsimons

President Todd J. Fitzsimons Automated Business Solutions DBA Network Imaging 122 Spring St., Ste. B3 Southington, CT 06489 tjfitzsimons@ni-ct.com President-Elect Ron Hulett U.S. Business Systems Inc. 3221 Southview Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 ron.hulett@usbus.com Vice President Dave Quint Advanced Systems Inc. 2945 Airport Blvd. P.O. Box 57 Waterloo, IA 50704 dquint@asiowa.com BTA East Rob Richardson Allied Document Solutions & Services Inc. 200 Church St. Swedesboro, NJ 08085 robr@ads-s.com BTA Mid-America Dan Castaneda International Copy Machine Center 1515 Lee Trevino, Ste. EE El Paso, TX 79936 dan@icmc-elp.com BTA Southeast Linda Hayes Purcell’s Business Products 222 E. 1st St. Campbellsville, KY 42718 linda@purcells.com BTA West Mike Ehlers Yost Business Systems 685 E. Anderson Idaho Falls, ID 83401 mike@yostonline.com Ex-Officio/Immediate Past President Terry Chapman Business Electronics Corp. 219 Oxmoor Circle, P.O. Box 531066 Birmingham, AL 35253 tchapman@businesselectronics.com Ex-Officio/General Counsel Robert C. Goldberg Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg LLC 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 2100 Chicago, IL 60606 robert.goldberg@sfnr.com

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2014 Industry Forecast Manufacturers provide direction for the new year Compiled by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

hat will be the greatest opportunities in the new year? To find the answers, Office Technology magazine asked 11 MFP and printer manufacturers to share their expectations for 2014. Perhaps the insight shared will help you better position your dealership for a new level of success. Each of the contributors was asked to address the following questions in essay form: What do you believe will be the greatest market and product opportunities for dealers in 2014? What are the best sales and marketing strategies for dealerships in pursuing these opportunities? What will be the most significant challenges dealers will face in 2014 and how can they best address them? What notable changes in demand/needs/expectations do you anticipate from end users in 2014? What do you see as the characteristics of the office technology dealership that is best positioned for success in 2014? Following are their responses. Canon U.S.A. Inc. Dennis Amorosano, Senior Director of Solutions Marketing & Professional Services, Business Imaging Solutions Group The business landscape headed into 2014 is fraught with challenges. With the economy not showing any signs of rapid expansion and huge uncertainty associated with the Affordable Care Act, most businesses are expected to take a measured approach when considering their plans to acquire office technology. And with overall industry trends showing a continued decline in page volumes, average selling prices and lower overall margins, one might think that the prospects for 2014 are bleak. Even against this backdrop, however, 2014 brings numerous opportunities for dealers in both hardware and software. The growing popularity of A4 and multifunction

printers (MFPs) in 2013 indicates that those technologies are here to stay, which dealers of all sizes should take advantage of. Additionally, the market for large format and production printing continues to grow, providing dealers with an excellent opportunity and reason to enter if not already engaged in selling these systems. While introducing large format and production printing does require an investment, the rewards in terms of revenue, pagevolume capture and service/aftermarket profit is a strong enticement for making such investments. Managed document services is also on the rise and the delivery model’s shift from onpremise to cloud will have a positive impact on dealer costs. On the software side, businesses of all sizes will continue looking to simplify, automate and streamline their workflow processes with output management software. With a greater emphasis on overall cost control, output management technology is scaling from what was once a large customer opportunity to one that is prevalent even in small and medium businesses. It also represents a logical jumping-off point for dealers interested in providing more comprehensive services. In 2014, increasing demand for cloud and mobility products and services will reach the point where dealers will have to invest in these technologies in order to remain competitive. More and more companies realize the tremendous impact office technology can have on their entire organizations — such as leveraging content management software to combat the ever-increasing problem of “information overload” and output management to streamline workflows. This burgeoning interest in optimization also affects hardware, with more customers demanding, for instance, that MFPs be incorporated into workflow solutions. Dealers should ensure they are up to speed on content management services, such as scanning and business process automation, as there will be enormous opportunity in these areas for dealers capable of selling these services.

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Unsurprisingly, the greatest chalmaximize their footprints, fleets, MFPs Key to gaining industry lenge that exists for today’s dealers is and page volumes, will be well situated keeping up with the rapid rate of innoin 2014 to expand their services. expertise and to being vation. While 2014 promises to be an The office technology business is able to provide services exciting year of change, dealers will be moving rapidly toward including any and solutions around challenged to cultivate new skills to be technology or service that revolves the document will be competitive and meet customer needs. around the document. This includes an initial investment To aid dealers, Canon offers the ability print, as well as software solutions and to utilize Canon’s Professional Services services. We see opportunities in print, in the right personnel. organization as an extension of their particularly in helping customers with own capabilities. By “shadowing” our print optimization strategies, as well experts, Canon dealers can learn the required skills to offer as the growing opportunity in production print. Solutions the most in-demand products and services, as well as pre- aimed at helping the customer with document security, pare for newly emerging technologies. helping the customer enable mobile strategies or helping Despite the challenges facing our industry, I believe that the customer work more autonomously, are all examples traditional hardware-oriented businesses are here to stay. of great solutions that revolve around the document. ManHowever, the dealerships that will remain the most competi- aged print services that help make the customer’s workflow tive in 2014 and beyond will make the transition toward con- easier, or IT services that provide infrastructure service and sulting and will demonstrate the ability to support important support, will also be key. changes, including cloud, software and mobility. At Canon, With the amount of data being produced every day, the we have noticed that dealers who embrace the challenge of opportunity to help manage that data and support the indiversifying their offerings typically have higher revenue per frastructure of that data will be very important. Data plays transaction and are more profitable overall. In 2014, we will a pivotal role in the office environment, as most campaigns continue to support our dealers in transitioning their busi- today are data driven. The level of information available to ness models in relation to the changing market landscape. the consumer or business buyer allows marketers to identify buying patterns and characteristics that provide the Konica Minolta Business opportunity to craft very specific, targeted messaging that Solutions U.S.A. Inc. can increase the propensity to buy. Working with data has a Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, distinct advantage — it is an excellent way for companies to Marketing make themselves indispensable to the customer, which, in As we look back at 2013, we are en- turn, can also help capture more page volume. couraged by how this year has been Another way for dealers to be experts on the customer is to a strong year for the dealer commu- develop their vertical market expertise, particularly in fastnity. We have seen much growth and growth industries such as health care. However, the distininnovation, and we have observed guishing factor for success will be the ability to gain experthat those dealers who embrace the culture of change are tise on particular portions of an industry in order to be able starting to differentiate themselves from those who do not. to solve specific business or regulatory issues for customers. As we look ahead to 2014, it is apparent that there is much Key to gaining industry expertise and to being able to potential for the dealer community to succeed. However, provide services and solutions around the document will be adapting to change and the pace of change will be an ongo- an initial investment in the right personnel. The ability to ing challenge, particularly in this technology-driven industry. attract, hire, educate and retain the right people with the The world of technology is changing rapidly and any business- right expertise will mean the difference between success es that do not adapt to those changes will soon fall behind. and failure as the business transforms. Dealers who invest BlackBerry mobile devices are a great example of how in the right people and who initiate progressive ideas within quickly these changes can occur. Five years ago, BlackBerry their businesses will be really successful in accelerating and devices were the standard mobile devices for businesses differentiating themselves from their competitors within across the country; now, they are largely things of the past. the marketplace. The same holds true for the office technology environment. Investment in people and resources will also positively Those in the dealer community who assume that their busi- change the experience that dealers provide to customers. ness model is always going to be the perfect business mod- According to industry surveys, the office industry customer el are going to be in trouble. However, those dealers who typically feels that the industry is not doing a great job with 12 | w w w. o f f ic et ec hno log y m a g.c om | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

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service. So, the final determining factor technology and business applications for success will be how businesses manmore effectively to their customers. The dealer’s approach age their customers’ experiences, and At KDA, we help dealers meet cuswill need to go beyond those who wish to succeed will need to tomer challenges via a two-pronged selling “a box” — every look at every aspect of how they relate to approach: complete resolution of the opportunity should be the customer and continuously measure issues and an unwavering focus on the approached as the first that experience. customer’s total environment. We do We see a lot of opportunity in the new not just help dealers envision a cusstep toward becoming a year, particularly for dealers who will tomer’s future enterprise; we help pave customer’s ... partner. be able to adopt a document-centered the way. For example, our dealers can business model, specialize their verticalnow offer multi-tiered color pricing market expertise, hire the right employees and work toward options. This proactive strategy allows dealers to solve new ways to serve their customers. Through it all, our goal the immediate color needs for a wider range of businessis to be our dealers’ valued partner, ensuring that our dealer es — and helps them plan enterprise-wide solutions that partners can count on Konica Minolta to deliver the best match virtually any budget. It also makes color costs more overall value to their customers in 2014 and beyond. predictable and affordable for the end user and increases profit for the dealer. KYOCERA Document Solutions At KDA, we see our role as helping dealers stay ahead America Inc. of an ever-evolving market. We have two ways of fulfilling Peter Hendrick, Vice President of this mission: the first involves developing new, innovative Marketing products and advanced business applications; the second, As we look ahead to 2014, I would which is equally important, requires partnering with deallike to thank our dealers and ac- ers to extend their service capabilities. In order for dealers knowledge their success throughout to offer a true TDS solution — one that addresses all facets 2013. KYOCERA Document Solutions of today’s document-processing networks — they will need America (KDA) is, and always has to offer a suite of IT services and embrace new, emerging been, a dealer-centric organization — a key component of technologies. They will also need to keep up with customer KDA’s market uniqueness. expectations — a proactive strategy that depends, in part, The theme at our April 2013 Pan-American Dealer Meet- on teaming up with a forward-thinking manufacturer. At ing was “Resolution 360.” There, we demonstrated how our KDA, we continually study the trends in the marketplace. advanced imaging devices and custom business applica- In fact, our latest technology research shows that today’s tions, when combined with a dealer’s services expertise, customers are looking for document imaging solutions that deliver a more holistic resolution to customer challenges offer flexibility and security in all environments, including today, and help to create a bond to fulfill their growth mobile printing and bring-your-own-device (BYOD), just to needs of tomorrow. This philosophy of combining KDA’s name a few. core competencies with the independent dealer’s unique, So, to succeed in 2014, a dealer needs all of these tools — a local capabilities, extends throughout our entire organiza- TDS offering, a holistic approach to resolving customer istion and is a major driver of our technology development sues, the ability to extend services throughout an entire netand business strategies. work and an eye on the customer’s ever-changing expectaIn April 2013, we launched the Kyocera Total Document tions. The dealer’s approach will need to go beyond selling “a Solutions (TDS) Provider Program. We now train our dealers box” — every opportunity should be approached as the first in all aspects of TDS, elevating their offerings beyond man- step toward becoming a customer’s long-term consultative aged print services (MPS) or managed document services partner. At KDA, we will continue (MDS), and arming them with a distinct advantage over to be a dealer-centric manufacturer, their competitors. So far, the response has been astounding. offering dealers the resources they In the coming years, we will continue to focus on expanding need to succeed in 2014 and beyond. our unique TDS capabilities. And, as always, we will support our dealers — in this case, as they modify their sales Lexmark International Inc. approaches from traditional “box-selling” to consultative Phil Boatman, Business Alliance ones. We will partner with them as they create enterpriseManager wide solutions that market Kyocera’s document imaging 2014 marks a return to economic 14 | w w w. o f f ic et ec hno log y m a g.c om | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

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growth for dealers. In past years, CIOs data is critical to reducing storage and — and managers responsible for inforcompliance costs, and minimizing corMobile device usage mation and communications technolporate risk. Enterprise customers — as continues on an ogy (ICT) spending — have been torn well as SMBs — realize employees need exponential growth between their need to invest in new access to content in a multitude of forpattern and dealers mobile, cloud and smart technologies mats, not just traditional hard copy. And need to be well-versed in and their fear of losing their competitive to alleviate the burden of handling this edge (http://www.forrester.com/US+Te content themselves, more and more custhe number and variety ch+Market+Outlook+For+2013+And+2 tomers are paying for managed services. of ... devices available. 014+Better+Times+Ahead/fulltext/-/En Access — Recalling documents on RES83003). This has had a chilling effect an anywhere, anytime basis is becoming on office technology spending. Now, with economic con- the new standard in today’s business environment. Employcerns finally easing up, businesses have greater flexibility in ees in different office locations across different time zones purchasing and implementing new systems. require secure yet unfettered access to scanned documents The result is that customers who have aging product lines around the clock. find it increasingly difficult to put off technology upgrades. Looking ahead, with a return to economic growth, 2014 And when they do purchase, they are interested in “beyond- is the year in which dealers must connect the people and the-box,” services-led technologies. We are seeing a definitive processes necessary to solve real business issues faced by paradigm shift toward managed services, for which custom- customers today. Large enterprise customers down through ers will pay a premium — provided these services function SMBs now recognize the importance of accessing content seamlessly to alleviate a particular pain point or risk. in a multitude of ways. So, in order to connect with customIn fact, according to a new study issued by Research and ers, dealers will need to be well-versed on all aspects of the Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ document life cycle, and able to recommend specific hard3sb6vj/managed_services), the managed services market is ware configurations — as well as best-fit managed solutions expected to grow from $142.75 billion in 2013 to $256.05 bil- — to deliver optimal results. lion by 2018. The flip side is that dealers who do not provide managed services, and focus only on the hardware side of the Muratec America Inc. market, are having to get creative to stimulate growth and Jim D’Emidio, President prevent their revenue streams from withering. And while a For the past several years, the messubset of dealers currently offer true managed services across sage to independent office technology the entire ICT spectrum, including document management, dealers has been to transition their those who do not — especially independent dealers — will businesses from hardware-centric increasingly find themselves lagging behind the curve. models to services-led models. At MuThe bottom line is this: to remain competitive in 2014, ratec, we believe that this message will dealers must offer managed services in addition to basic carry even greater importance in 2014. hardware leasing and sales. Knowing when a copier lease Most dealers have acknowledged that this business transexpires is no longer adequate when trying to attract and re- formation is inevitable, however, they have struggled to imtain customers. Dealers must ensure their representatives plement this structural change into their dealerships. We are well educated on a broader “beyond-the-box” output have seen many dealers succeed with this transition and strategy and offer strategic management solutions that adjust as many — if not more — fail. Since Muratec exclusively dress three principal points, spanning from the beginning distributes its products, solutions and services through the to the end of the document life cycle: dealer channel, our mission is to offer the best programs, edun Capture — Mobile device usage continues on an expo- cation and support to assist dealers in making this transition. nential growth pattern and dealers need to be well-versed in The result of our efforts was the creation of the Muratec the number and variety of disparate devices available. This ManageIT program, which launched in mid-2013. ManageIT extends well beyond the traditional office-based multifunc- is a turnkey managed services program that enables dealertion printer (MFP). Dealers must understand how to inte- ships of all sizes and experience levels to provide IT services grate an assortment of leading-edge devices into a seamless without significant investment. The program assists dealers in managed environment. becoming trusted IT advisors to their customer bases, which n Manage — Unstructured data accounts for 90 percent of allows dealerships to be better positioned to capture future enterprise data and its growth is accelerating. Managing this hardware placements, service contracts, IT infrastructure 16 | w w w. o f f ic et ec hno log y m a g.c om | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

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enhancements, and document manageOKI Data ment and workflow opportunities. The benefits of Americas In developing this program, we Carl Taylor, Vice your program, and reached out to both dealers and manPresident of specifically why your aged service providers (MSPs) who had Marketing customer should pay a launched successful managed IT servicLooking ahead recurring monthly fee for es programs for their advice to dealers to 2014, OKI is just making the transition. As the goal of your services, should be optimistic for the this forecast is to provide guidance that future of the dealclearly outlined. can benefit dealers in 2014, I thought er community. A common theme to this I would provide the most common recommunity’s success will be transitionsponses from these successful managed IT providers. ing to a more solution/services approach. Dealerships that n Keep your program simple. The benefits of your pro- are able to build strong solution portfolios with open archigram, and specifically why your customer should pay a recur- tecture devices that can easily integrate with leading apring monthly fee for your services, should be clearly outlined. plications and services will enjoy continued success. On the You should focus on proactive network/device monitoring, other hand, those who do not evolve will likely not survive. maintenance and support, as well as automatic data backup, This is an exciting time of incredible growth potential for antivirus updates and asset management. These are com- our industry and channel partners. As the output market mon pain points and typically customers do not have the ap- continues to transition from hard copy to digital, stronger propriate resources to manage them. emphasis is being placed on data and document capture, n Get your foot in the door with a network health assess- workflow and management. More customers are pushing ment. This is similar to the data collection agent you are us- for printer-based multifunction devices that offer features ing for managed print services (FMAudit, PrintFleet, etc.). and functionality at parity with traditional copiers. As a reThe goal is to deploy your IT management software within sult, manufacturers and dealers continue to seek alternayour current customers’ network environments in order tive ways to remain relevant and provide the solutions and to discover current and potential IT issues they are facing. services that are essential to end users. These assessments, combined with the reporting capabilities Market data indicates that there is a sweet spot in the inof your IT management software, should serve as the con- dustry for A4 multifunction printers (MFPs) and that it is goversation starter for a proactive managed services program. ing to expand quickly into 2014. In fact, studies suggest that n Your commission structure must be simple. Sales reps the bulk of office pages are produced by A4 devices, of which will focus on the products/services that offer the highest approximately 97 percent is standard letter-size output. Infocommission potential. Adding IT services to the mix often Trends notes that A3 devices produce roughly 20 percent of fails due to the sales reps’ lack of understanding of the com- output, but only a fraction of office output (about 2.5 permission structure. Successful managed IT providers often cent) is actually on 11-by-17, A3-sized paper. That said, the provide a “closing fee” to the sales rep once the IT services market forecast is definitely not all doom and gloom. contract is put into place (e.g., the first two months’ profit As a dealer pursuing new opportunities, it will be imfrom the contract). This provides an immediate incentive to perative to secure internal commitment from executive close business and begin hunting for new deals. management. Executives will need to understand how solun Clearly outline your services and pricing structure to tions-based services can help improve their business modyour customer. The goal of a managed services program is for els, while dealers will need to understand emerging market your dealership to become the trusted advisor to your client. trends resulting from their customers’ evolving needs. DealIf your statement of work (SOW) contract is ambiguous, as ers who develop a compensation plan that provides earnings is the pricing, then your relationship could quickly become based upon securing recurring revenue streams and transiadversarial and negatively impact your reputation and profit tioning to a service-based selling model are more likely to margins. Clearly outline what you will deliver and the pric- realize success at a much faster pace than those who do not. ing for those services. In addition to these opportunities, there will be chaln Perform quarterly reviews to reinforce the program’s lenges for the dealer community. First, the printing industry value. Many providers readily admit that they have lost ac- is largely a user-driven marketplace and today’s users are counts because they failed to conduct regular quarterly re- well-informed regarding which systems, tools and technolviews. A simple quarterly review can quickly and effectively ogies they need to better perform their jobs. reinforce the value and benefits of your program. Another challenge is the declining profit margin for 18 | w w w. o f f ic et ec hno log y m a g.c om | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

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hardware plus an accelerated demand Selling production color equipment As page volumes decline, for more data, process and workflow aumay create new opportunities for tomation. As a dealer, it will be difficult dealers to sell additional services and moving into color to stand out if you are not transitioning solutions around the equipment. So, production printing helps to an “as-a-service” solutions model. with an aggressive color production dealers acquire higherIn addition, enterprise businesses are printing strategy, dealers can find new volume customers who outsourcing their IT tasks in a concustomers, layer services on top of the are focusing on their tinuing effort to cut costs and counter equipment sale and establish lasting, continued revenue declines. Finally, inprofitable relationships. most lucrative work. creased client adoption of alternative Meanwhile, tremendous opportuinfrastructure and data management nity exists across the entire product methodologies — such as electronic content management, line for dealers who transition into a services-led mindset. managed print services and hardware-as-a-service — will Although we truly believe we have the best technology, we have customers demanding a turnkey solution from a sin- understand that equipment is viewed as a commodity. The gle-source provider. customer really needs services to help them prosper with End users are expecting their vendors to better under- the equipment they buy. stand their total, unique business needs — from IT netSo it is important that the people who are selling the working to data management and security, through help- equipment go “beyond the box” and deeply understand the desk and back-end services. This requires a dealership to business applications of their customers’ businesses. Dealmake new investments or to partner with a complementary ers need to understand exactly how their customers provendor to add to its existing portfolio of offerings. duce and manage their business information. The servicesAnother way to succeed in 2014 is to assist your customers led approach will address customers’ pain points and create with simple mobile strategies that enable them to seamless- tangible new efficiencies. ly move documents between their PC, cloud-based services Although selling meaningful services is more complex and mobile devices. This could be as simple as demonstrat- than selling equipment, dealers who orient themselves this ing how an MFP can be set up to scan documents into the way may have a powerful strategy for gaining wallet share. cloud or to the client’s PC to initiate the document workflow They may be more likely to thoroughly satisfy the customer, process. Simplification and ease of integration is a must. uncover new problems that require Ricoh solutions and We see a wealth of opportunity for dealers in the new make it difficult for the customer to ever switch dealerships. year, particularly for those whose business models can easThe new year will not be without its challenges, howily adapt to changing environments, who maintain the right ever. We are living in a new world of work. New generamix of in-house expertise and talent, and who are willing to tions of workers, and new generations of work tools (e.g., challenge the existing norms. Through it all, it is our goal tablets and smartphones), have entirely disrupted the to be the dealers’ “VIP partner” — a partner that delivers traditional notion of the document. Millennials just do innovative and relevant hardware, solutions, services and not see the paper document the same way that boomers support for many years to come. do; it has lost a lot of its inherent meaning. This evolution will be a challenge for dealers in their roles both as sellers Ricoh Americas Corp. of document imaging equipment and sellers of business Jim Coriddi, Senior Vice President, information solutions. Business Development These generational differences also affect dealer operaWe project another solid year for tions directly. For example, young people are naturally adour dealers. Business spending contin- ept at using the technology they are selling, including cloud ues to recover and larger dealers are services and mobile printing. But they are often less astute acquiring smaller ones to grow market when it comes to developing relationships and turning prosshare and capture economies of scale. pects into customers. At the same time, dealerships have A particularly exciting opportuni- wise, older salespeople who may need to sharpen up on how ty for dealers is helping customers establish and grow their newer platforms fit into powerful information solutions. color production printing capabilities. As page volumes deOne way we are addressing this generational dilemma cline, moving into color production printing helps dealers is by identifying dealer sales candidates in their first and acquire higher-volume customers who are focusing on their second years of college. We are finding them internships most lucrative work. and preparing them for success upon graduation. Right www.offi cetechnol ogymag.com | De c e mb e r 2013 | 19

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now, too many bright young people fail As for the best sales and marketing because, through no fault of their own, strategies for 2014, we believe it will be We see opportunity by they are just not prepared to be effecimportant for dealers to focus on infocusing on vertical tive salespeople out of the gate. We need side sales as well as building out social markets and looking at to do a better job of training them and marketing strategies. In terms of social how devices work clearly defining vertical markets, target marketing, dealers who embrace new together ... to meet the customers and ways to move a prospect technology and media can leverage their through the sales process. brands through their communities and unique application ... One thing these young people can their existing customer bases and, ultineeds of each customer. learn is the evolving mindset of end usmately, see more opportunity. ers, who increasingly expect a one-stop A big challenge dealers will face in shop for technology — “one throat to choke” for both equip- 2014 will be their inability to expand into adjacent busiment and infrastructure. They rightly see our printers and nesses that give them growth opportunities and “share-ofMFPs as integral parts of their networks. In our MFPs, they wallet” opportunities for their customers. Dealers focused see cloud applications, mobile printing services, file servers solely on printing solutions might be facing more difficult and information-capture kiosks. times in the future. Their ability to expand can predict their So when customers need support, they will not tolerate future success. network vendors blaming MFPs for network problems or We also see competition from dealers’ vendor partners as MFP vendors blaming network gear for MFP problems. It is a challenge. Most other print, copy and IT manufacturers just one integrated business information environment and have significant direct sales resources competing against the should be managed that way. very same independent BTA dealers who represent them in The successful dealer in 2014 will understand this new the end market. Unlike other manufacturers, Samsung does world of work and eagerly adapt to it, understanding that not sell direct and will not ever conflict with dealers’ sales it brings abundant new opportunities. Of course, the chal- efforts. This has received a positive response among dealers lenges will be exciting, too. Let’s tackle both! who have been frustrated by direct sales organizations. With IT managed services promoted by IT resellers, Samsung Electronics VARs and distributors, dealers need to build out their own America Inc. resources in terms of technology and talent. They either Peter Richardson, Director of Printer need to partner to provide services or invest in technology Marketing, Enterprise Business capabilities themselves. Dealers should also have the right Division people in addition to the right technology. At Samsung, we see several marDealers need to be “big” and at the same time remain agket and product opportunities in ile. They need to be able to scale to address customer needs; 2014. We see opportunity by focusing they cannot be bogged down like a manufacturer’s direct on vertical markets and looking at operation might. Dealers who can adjust to the market and how devices work together in an interoperable way to meet to customer needs while also embracing technology will be the unique application or workflow needs of each customer. ahead of the game. The purchasing process is changing and the need to show We believe mobile printing will continue to increase next technology delivering on a need has become more impor- year as print volume continues to shift from laptops and PCs tant. In fact, Samsung recently opened an executive brief- to mobile devices. Print will come not just from traditional deing center at its U.S. headquarters that shows the interoper- vices, but from other technologies. In addition, the use of nearability of its technology within vertical industries, including field communication (NFC) — now seen in Samsung smarteducation, finance, retail and health care. phones where devices tap a Samsung NFC device to begin the For example, a dealership that focuses on education, ad- printing process — will become more prevalent next year. dressing things like one-on-one learning or bring-your-ownWe see interest in security increasing as IT managers device (BYOD) initiatives in the classroom around integrated want to make sure that devices support company policy and mobility and collaboration, will be increasingly valuable to protocols. In addition, we see a requirement for tight inteschool districts. Dealers who can address retail solutions, in- gration with enterprise software managing infrastructure cluding digital signage, will become more relevant as many access and security. retailers are moving from static to digital signage. Dealers Dealers are being tasked with ways to address this; Samwho embrace this trend will be ahead of the curve. sung or other manufacturers can provide what dealers 22 | w w w. o f f ic et ec hno log y m a g.c om | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

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might not be able to on their own. changes to their businesses. It is not only the dealers The transition from A3 to A4 will conOver the past year, Sharp dealers tinue in 2014. Customers are realizing have seen a dramatic shift in our busiwho must evolve, but the benefits of lower hardware costs and ness model. In October 2012, we crealso the manufacturers want lower total cost of ownership verated “Promotional Plus Pricing,” which who must re-examine sus lower cost per page alone. eliminated the burden on dealers to outdated infrastructure We see the importance of investing in “load up” inventory in order to get comand practices to make training in newer technology beyond docpetitive pricing. The traditional manuument workflow. One example would be facturer concept of “a loaded dealer is a significant changes ... vertical specialization in sales, marketing loyal dealer” was upended as we offered and business development; a dealer can our dealers the best price from unit one, best address an end user with the specific industry knowl- every day. This allows dealers to support customers with the edge and expertise relevant to that client’s own industry. products they need, not what is stocked in the warehouse. Samsung structures its own sales staff in a vertical manner. Better cash flow has enabled dealers to reinvest in their busiDealers need to adapt to the way their customers want nesses rather than in our inventory. The results have been to buy; those who have a robust customer (Web) portal will overwhelming as Sharp’s single-line dealers grew 30 percent help position their customers for success. year-over-year by leveraging this new model. In the coming year, we look to further transform and Sharp Imaging and strengthen the business by creating new alliances to better Information Company support our customers. We recently announced a program of America with Tech Data that will allow our dealers to experience Mike Marusic, Senior Vice President, world-class logistics to enhance their cash flows and invenMarketing & Business Solutions Group tory management. But, more importantly, this program will As we look forward to the coming allow dealers to broaden their reach into the managed seryear, we see a world of opportunity vices arena. By providing access to leading suppliers of IT for BTA dealers and are excited about products and training, dealers can further grow their busithe prospects for the Sharp dealer nesses with 100-percent support from the Sharp team. community. 2013 has been a year of change, impacting both At Sharp, we look forward to the opportunities and chalSharp dealers and the dealer community at large. I would lenges in the coming year. We strongly believe that the enfirst like to thank our dealers for their continued support trepreneurial spirit of the independent dealer will prevail, and confidence as Sharp Corp. restructured its business for continuing to navigate this new market and making the future growth. Without the dealer community’s unwaver- changes necessary to grow the business. The Sharp team ing support, we would not have achieved the outstanding shares that entrepreneurial spirit, evolving our business to results reported in 2013. best support our dealer network and its customers. Our dealers enter the new year with a complete line of On behalf of the Sharp team, thank you again to all our products including production print, a refreshed A3 line and dealers. We hope you have an outstanding close of the year new printer models. The core hardware components are in and see explosive growth in 2014 and beyond. place for an outstanding year. We have also introduced our Cloud Platform and Cloud Portal Office, bringing dealers Toshiba America into a new arena of cloud services with a secure environment Business Solutions Inc. to further enhance their customer relationships. Our dealers Scott Maccabe, President & CEO have never been better positioned. While our team looks forward to Often overlooked in these yearly forecasts are the manthe new year, I want to take a brief ufacturers’ responsibilities to the dealers they serve. New step back to review a terrific 2013. As products, training and dealer support are all part of the a result of the diligent efforts of our manufacturer’s role to help their dealers grow and enhance independent dealers, TBS operations their businesses. But the convergence of our imaging world and Latin American distributors, all with IT and managed services requires a more fundamen- of Toshiba’s sales channels exceeded their financial goals, tal shift for everyone. It is not only the dealers who must even in a still tepid economic environment. Our new Toshievolve, but also the manufacturers who must re-examine ba Managed Business Services (TMBS) organization comoutdated infrastructure and practices to make significant pleted its first full year of operations in the black with some www.offi cetechnol ogymag.co m | De c e mb e r 2013 | 23

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impressive wins under its belt. Ellumina solutions are completely cusEllumina solutions are We saw impressive growth in both tomizable and allow for outside data intecolor and managed print services gration, making them perfect for key ver... customizable and (MPS) — trends we expect to continue ticals such as retail, hospitality, education allow for outside data in 2014. We saw that being brand agand more. Toshiba has built a program for integration, making nostic works. Our collaborations with dealers that is turnkey, easy to sell and althem perfect for key trusted partners were profitable and lows them to go from managing customverticals such as retail ... helped our dealers grow their businessers’ printing to managing their content. es. And, finally, we welcomed a plethora Toshiba understands the importance education and more. of new dealers to our world-class netof adapting to our changing market. We work that we look forward to supportare committed to remaining ahead of ing with products, programs and incentives. the technology curve to provide our partners with the necRecognizing that while overall print may be declining, essary products and services that will assist in the expanbut color printing is increasing, Toshiba is committed to sion of their businesses. In 2014, we will continue to leverage providing our dealer network with top-notch products. our core competencies and innovation and address market Our latest color series won an array of awards including the opportunities in collaboration with our most valuable partAmerican Business Awards’ “Best New B2B Product” and ners — our dealers. Better Buys for Business’s “Innovative Product of the Year” and “Editor’s Choice Award.” Xerox Corp. Aside from developing award-winning products, Toshiba Douraid Zaghouani, President, understands the importance of providing our dealers with Channel Partner Operations customized MPS programs. To commemorate the 10th anDealers who have embraced the niversary of Toshiba’s award-winning Encompass program, services-led mindset can move conwe launched Encompass X. The updated program offers fidently into the new year knowing feature-rich elements such as real-time reporting, satellite their expanded offerings increase relviews of customer locations, 3-D data cubes, a more intuievancy with their customers, leading tive user interface and customizable quotes. to stronger and more profitable bonds. In addition to MPS, mobility and security are two arThe trends we see in 2014 mirror many from this year — eas that I foresee to be high priority in 2014. To support only the stakes are higher as the number of mergers and acthese, Toshiba offers solutions enabling mobile print and quisitions have increased as partners strive for more scale, capture from any Android or iOS device, as well as DRM which will strongly influence the market convergence in the for documents. print space. In addition, IT providers are gaining access to As our tagline “Leading Innovation” suggests, Toshiba higher-end multifunction printers (MFPs), while an increasis a company that is creating dynamic products and solu- ing number of dealers are offering IT services; both models tions to complement our dealers’ offerings. We understand striving to be the sole office technology provider. that there is too little differentiation among products and To help dealers expand into new sources of profitable services. To extend our heritage of innovation and provide revenue, Xerox has enhanced its MFPs with ConnectKey™, dealers with a unique offering, we launched the e-STUDI- a robust software platform that allows dealers to differentiO306LP/RD30, also known as the Eco MFP. This product is ate their offerings by solving customer needs in the areas of the world’s first MFP using erasable toner. With its unique mobility and security. design, it can reuse a single sheet of paper up to five times With the mobile worker’s impact on daily business processand reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50 percent. es, ConnectKey’s mobile print capabilities enable dealers to Furthermore, the erasing unit sorts usable/unusable paper simplify and unify printing, and let customers print from just and can scan data to the network while erasing images from about anywhere. Documents can be securely scanned directly a page. Not only does the Eco MFP reduce the waste of pa- to cloud services for storage and collaboration. ConnectKey per itself, but it also reduces the amount of natural resources devices also use the industry’s first embedded security protecthat would have been consumed to produce the paper. tion from McAfee and Cisco, giving customers more control in To further create additional revenue streams for dealers, “bring-your-own-device” workplaces. Toshiba launched its new digital signage brand, called ElluIn 2014, managed print services (MPS) will continue to mina. Ellumina offerings include everything from interactive grow in small-to-medium businesses (SMB), which means touch displays to large networked digital signage solutions. dealers should re-evaluate their MPS strategies to ensure 24 | w w w. o f f ic et ec hno log y m a g.c om | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

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data-driven performance management. they are delivering the greatest value to Understanding ... Beyond MPS, dealers must move uptheir customers. stream to leverage software platforms To help dealers do so, Xerox has customers’ environments that enable collaboration and workflow. strengthened its MPS framework based puts dealers in a better Understanding and supporting customon three important phases: assess and position to drive value ers’ environments puts dealers in a betoptimize; secure and integrate; and autoand relevance, such as ter position to drive value and relevance, mate and simplify. This proven methodoloffering Web- and cloudsuch as offering Web- and cloud-based ogy offers value and differentiation in each applications. Smart dealers are using phase. Dealers will have access to many of based applications. these tools to drive out complexity bethese new offerings early next year. cause they know complexity equals cost. As dealers look for ways to evaluate As the business world continues to move at Mach speed, their MPS offerings, they should consider data-driven decision making. That means having the right tools to quantify choosing the right partner is vital. To help dealers outpace the the projected benefits MPS can bring to clients, such as Xe- competition, Xerox’s strategy is three-fold: expand, connect rox’s Newfield IT Asset DB, which tracks how printers and and simplify. We are committed to helping dealers expand copiers are used throughout an office. In addition, Xerox’s into new sources of profitable revenue by connecting Xerox Complete View Pro™ helps enterprise clients determine how technology and managed print with your unique services so their fleets are being managed and what bottom-line ben- you and your customers can simplify how work gets done. n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology efits are being delivered. Operating in a service-level-agreeAssociation, is editor of Office Technology magazine. ment (SLA)-driven environment is second nature for an IT He can be reached at brent@bta.org or (816) 303-4040. provider and Xerox can help dealers match IT practices in

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Fall Colors Retreat BTA Southeast hosts district event in Waynesville, N.C. by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

ffice technology dealers from throughout the Southeast gathered Oct. 25-26 in Waynesville, N.C., for the annual BTA Southeast Fall Colors Retreat to learn new strategies for success, evaluate the products and services of exhibiting companies, and network with one another. The retreat was held at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa. “In the tradition of our past events in Waynesville, this year’s retreat provided a relaxing, yet energizing, opportunity to connect with fellow dealers,” said Gerry Purvis, president of BTA Southeast. “Of course, the educational session presenters were very informative. I’m sure that our dealer attendees left with new ideas that will help them to ultimately boost the bottom lines in their dealerships.” The Fall Colors Retreat featured three educational sessions: “Recruiting Best Practices — Developing a Recruiting Strategy for Your Dealership,” with R. Thomas Bruguiere, Crawford Thomas Recruiting; “Optimizing Your Service Operation to Reduce Expenses & Satisfy Your Customers,” with Ken Staubitz, BEI Services; and “Managed IT is Not For Me ... Or Is It?,” with Lindsay Dick, Collabrance. The retreat also featured a round-table discussion, “Additional Revenue Sources from Service,” led by the BTA Southeast district dealer volunteer leadership team. In addition, there was an opening cocktail reception, which included time to visit with the exhibitors, a closing dinner and the opportunity to enjoy the sites of the Waynesville area. The nine exhibiting sponsors at this year’s retreat were: EverBank Commercial Finance, Fonality, Frontier Imaging, GreatAmerica Financial Services, Lexmark International, Parts Now, Smart Power Systems, Supplies Network and TonerCycle/InkCycle. The next educational and networking event to be hosted by BTA Southeast will take place Feb. 14-15, 2014, at the Walt Disney World Swan in Orlando, Fla. For more information, see the ad on pages 2-3 in this issue or visit www. bta.org/BTASoutheastEvent. n Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine.

Clockwise from top: BTA Southeast’s Fall Colors Retreat featured three educational sessions; attendees learn more about the products and services of Fonality, one of nine exhibiting sponsors at the retreat; attendees enjoy dinner at the conclusion of the retreat; the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa; and Gerry Purvis, BTA Southeast 2013-14 president, who served as emcee during the retreat.

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Managed IT Services I

Clockwise from top: Attendees participate in the opening round-table discussion, led by the BTA Southeast district volunteer dealer leadership team; Todd J. Fitzsimons (left), 201314 BTA national president, presents a plaque to express appreciation to Terry Chapman for his year of service as the 2012-13 BTA national president; attendees visit with exhibitors during one of the breaks between educational sessions; educational session presenter Ken Staubitz, national sales manager, BEI Services; following the educational sessions, there were drawings for a number of prizes from exhibitors and BTA Southeast; presenter R. Thomas Bruguiere, vice president of recruitment, Crawford Thomas Recruiting; and presenter Lindsay Dick, director of sales, Collabrance.

n her Fall Colors Retreat educational session, “Managed IT is Not For Me ... Or Is It?,” Lindsay Dick, director of sales for Collabrance, discussed the opportunity for managed IT services and what dealers should consider before writing off the market opportunity as “not for me.” Collabrance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GreatAmerica Financial Services Corp., works with many office technology dealerships providing remote IT services and support. Acknowledging that managed IT services involves a “very different business model than the business model you are in today,” Dick began by describing the scope of the opportunity, resulting, in part, from the recent recession, which led many companies to “hold onto old technologies for a very long time.” Today, she said, “you have many customers who are in a lot of IT pain and are ready to spend some money.” Dick noted that Gartner, the market research firm, reports that the U.S. IT market is projected to surpass the $1 trillion mark in 2015, with 42 percent of small to mid-sized businesses expected to increase their IT budgets. “So, this is a wide-open opportunity,” she said, citing the growing list of IT-related areas of concern among business owners, such as mobility, the cloud, operational efficiency, management of new technology, data management and disaster recovery. With the list of current end-user concerns in mind, Dick emphasized the important difference between break/fix IT services and managed services — the former being reactive and the latter being proactive. “With many of the small business customers you serve today, the IT vendors that take care of technology outside of the print space are very reactive in nature,” she explained. “They wait for something to break, come and assist the customer and charge a fee to get things back up and running. They are just firefighting one problem and then moving on.” In contrast, Dick said, in managed services the provider is working to mitigate risks using technology. “This is a proactive model,” she said. “You are going in and really understanding what the customer needs and addressing these business concerns with technology using IT services.” With such workplace technology needs as infrastructure, help-desk support, software as a service and data storage, Dick challenged attendees to think beyond just providing hardware to customers. “You have made a lot of money doing that, but what we are trying to help all of our partners understand is that the customer sees the printer or copier as an extension of the network — as an extension of something that they interact with in their office that provides them their office technology needs,” she said, listing the six “business needs buckets” dealers should pursue as hardware, security, data protection, communication, software and support. “Managed services allows you to address all of these ‘buckets’ and capture more revenue.” Today’s dealers should not overlook the managed IT services opportunity, Dick said, noting that the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of customers of the Collabrance dealership is between 15 and 50 users. “We are targeting companies that don’t have an internal IT department,” she said. “So, they are willing to pay you.” Managed IT services not only provides new opportunities for sales reps and more predicable utilization of service techs’ time, but it also provides greater margins than hardware, Dick said. “And, the better you get at it, the more margin you will see.” n —Brent Hoskins www.offi cetechnol ogymag.co m | De c e mb e r 2013 | 27

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Fast Forward Transforming Ricoh targets services-led approach by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

mphasizing the changes that have been made by the company to better support its authorized dealers and guide them to greater success, Ricoh Americas Corp. hosted its Convergence 2013 national dealer meeting on Oct. 28-30 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The meeting drew 703 attendees from 257 U.S. Ricoh, Savin and Lanier dealerships. The total attendance, which also included Ricoh Latin America and Ricoh Canada dealers, as well as Ricoh employees, Technology Expo exhibiting partners and industry analysts, surpassed 1,200. While the meeting’s theme, “Fast Forward,” was reflected in the content of the various educational sessions as well as in the Ricoh products and services featured in the Technology Expo, it was, perhaps, most prominent in the comments of company executives in the opening general session. They focused on the support, operational and staff changes Ricoh has made since the last dealer meeting 16 months ago and the resulting “momentum” reflected within the company and among its dealers. Jim Coriddi, senior vice president of business development at Ricoh, said changes within the company to better support its dealers have helped drive a 10-percent increase in dealer channel sales, with dealers claiming 34.5 percent of Ricoh total unit sales by the end of the 2012 fiscal year, up from the 32 percent reported at the company’s last dealer meeting. So far, for the 2013 fiscal year, he said, the dealer channel represents 35.3 percent of total U.S. unit sales. “Together we have tremendous momentum and a unique opportunity to take it to the next level — to take advantage of this changing business environment,” Coriddi said. “When we say ‘fast forward,’ we mean that we are building on this momentum and we are using it to move forward. It is a statement of where we are going and how fast we are getting there.” The company’s efforts to better serve its dealers are driven by a “sense of urgency,” Coriddi said. “We want to support you to secure your customers and win new business. That means we have to work closely. We have to develop business plans together. We need to leverage our resources better and we need to help you execute on those strategies.”

Clockwise from top: Attendees learn about the latest products and services of Ricoh and other technology and exhibiting partners in the Technology Expo; Martin Brodigan, chairman and CEO, Ricoh Americas Corp.; and Jim Coriddi, senior vice president of business development. Noting that today, “we are a very different company,” Martin Brodigan, chairman and CEO of Ricoh Americas Corp., reminded dealer attendees of three commitments he made to them at the last meeting — for Ricoh to “be open and honest with you at all times,” to make the assets of Ricoh available to dealers and “to be an easier company to do business with.” With the commitments to dealers in mind, Brodigan said changes have been made at Ricoh as it transforms itself, including a number of personnel changes within the company. “Over time, with all of the acquisitions and new investments we have made over the last 25 years in the United States, our organization created many silos and inefficiencies, and added many levels of complexity that we really didn’t need,” he said, explaining that the company recently assessed all of its employee positions, in terms of how each lined up with

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support dealers in pursuing market opRicoh’s business model. “This process portunities with a services-led approach. took over six months and we made a lot “We were an inefficient “More and more of our customers are of tough decisions, but it was necessary organization and an asking us for help in the management for the health of Ricoh ... We were an ininefficient organization of documents and information across efficient organization and an inefficient cannot be easy to do the board,” he said. “This means that our organization cannot be easy to do busibusiness with; it can’t technology has to change; our MFPs and ness with; it can’t take quick action to printers [need to provide] access to the improve performance.” take quick action to cloud, offer mobile printing and offer a While some “tough decisions” were improve performance.” variety of relevant information managemade at Ricoh in terms of its employees, ment services that we would not have Brodigan noted that changes included the addition of new employees to better serve dealers and imagined possible 10 years ago.” Corridi likewise emphasized the transition to a serend users. “The process of reorganization enabled us to reduce our costs significantly, but it also helped us identi- vices-led approach. “You know that our reputation is clearfy many knowledge gaps that we have filled,” he said. “We ly a competitive advantage in the marketplace and we want went out and recruited many subject-matter experts from to build on that,” he said. “Our intent is to expand your leading companies in the services world. They brought with business reach to a services-led approach to the marketthem the skills and industry-leading best practices that we place. Use it as a differentiator to your advantage to grow your business.” n could never have built ourselves.” Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Brodigan said the staff changes — as well as a number of Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. other changes at Ricoh — better position the company to

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Tour de Force Sharp seeks to be catalyst for dealers’ evolution by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

ocused, in part, on introducing new business opportunities, reassuring dealers about the company’s financial strength and announcing a new product order fulfillment model, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA) hosted its national dealer meeting, Tour de Force, Nov. 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Fla. The meeting drew a total attendance of approximately 900, which included 600 personnel from 240 U.S. Sharp-authorized dealerships. Laura Blackmer, senior vice president of sales for SIICA, welcomed attendees, as the opening general session got underway. She began her remarks by pointing to the theme of the Tour de Force meeting — music — comparing the changing office technology industry to the similarly changing music industry. She described the need for the music industry’s recording artists and labels, as well as distributors, to “change or become extinct,” given the new buying habits of customers, who are now downloading music from the Internet rather than buying it in stores. “Our industry is undergoing its own evolution,” Blackmer said. “But the reality is, you want to evolve. You want to find new business models to continue this trend, this growth. Sharp wants to be the catalyst for that evolution ... We want you to thrive and grow.” Tour de Force provided Sharp the opportunity to announce its latest solution to help dealers “thrive and grow” — the Cloud Office Portal, providing secure, anywhere, anytime access to business content through a range of capabilities. The solution facilitates both remote and in-person collaboration, creating a single repository for documents that is accessible from a wide range of business platforms, such as tablets, smartphones, PCs and Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs. “This product will really help you develop business with your customers,” said Mike Marusic, senior vice president of SIICA’s Marketing and Business Solutions Group. “It has mobile desktop applications, meeting room applications and scan/print functionality. It is literally a one-stop shop for your customers.” Beyond highlighting Cloud Office Portal, and other new

Clockwise from top: The Product Expo featured the latest products and services of Sharp and other technology and exhibiting partners; dealers attend one of the meeting’s breakout educational sessions; and Doug Albregts, president of SIICA. products and tools intended to help dealers grow their businesses in the evolving industry, the opening general session provided an opportunity for executives to address the concerns that arose in 2012 regarding the financial health of SIICA’s parent company, Sharp Corp. Following the “worst financials the company has ever posted,” the negative press was “extremely tough” and the competition “got fierce,” Blackmer said. “That led to ongoing rumors.” Doug Albregts, president of SIICA, continued the dialog in his comments. “There were some amazing, elaborate, concocted stories by our competitors,” he said. “And those ambitious bloggers; anybody can get a keyboard today and just start typing away.”

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Beginning in early 2014, he said, Sharp For the first six months of the 2013 fulfillment for dealers will be handled fiscal year, Sharp Corp.’s financial situThere was plenty to by the distribution company Tech Data, ation improved significantly versus the prevent success, but ... rather than by Sharp. He cited two key same period in 2012, Albregts told dealyou kept selling, reasons for the change. “First, we would ers. “Sharp Corp. grew revenues to $13.7 finding new deals and like to reduce the amount of time it takes billion, which was 22 percent better than new customers. The for you to receive a product from Sharp; 2012,” he said. “Operating income for the that means, from the time you place the first half of 2013 was $340 million, versus reality is, you are the order until the time that product is deliva loss of $1.7 billion in 2012.” real heroes here.” ered — our goal is a two-to-five-day time Albregts also reported that for SIICA, frame,” he said. “And second, we want to in the first half of fiscal year 2013, sales revenues through Sharp-only dealers increased by 30 per- allow you the ability to order third-party products on the cent year over year, while dual-line dealer sales revenues same invoice.” Albregts assured dealers they will continue to have exclufor Sharp increased by 10 percent. “It’s amazing what you accomplished on our behalf,” he said. In her comments, sive access to the Sharp products they sell. “To be very clear, Blackmer also praised dealers: “There was plenty to prevent this is not an open distribution relationship,” he said. “This success, but that’s not what happened. What happened was, is for Sharp-authorized dealers and partners only. Your relayou kept selling, finding new deals and new customers. The tionship remains directly with Sharp; that includes pricing and programs. None of that will change.” n reality is, you are the real heroes here.” Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Finally, during the opening general session, Albregts anAssociation, is editor of Office Technology magazine. nounced a new product order fulfillment strategy for Sharp.

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Touch the Future Toshiba announces Eco MFP, digital signage by: Elizabeth Marvel, Office Technology Magazine

ith a focus on envisioning the technologies and solutions of the future — and a plan to “touch” that future — Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) hosted its LEAD 2013 dealer and end-user meeting on Nov. 12-13 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Fla. The event drew 924 total attendees, which included 205 independent dealers, 183 Toshiba Business Solutions (direct) dealers and 255 end users. In his presentation during the Nov. 12 opening general session for dealers, Scott Maccabe, president and CEO of TABS, listed some of the company’s successes for the year. “We’ve seen impressive growth in color system sales — up 14 percent year over year from 2012, a trend we expect to continue,” Maccabe said. “Color now represents 42 percent of our unit shipments, which are up 37 percent from the same time last year, thanks to your efforts.” But it was not only color products that showed growth for TABS in 2013. “We’ve also grown the managed print side of our business, just as we planned,” he said. “MPS revenue jumped 37 percent year over year and now represents 20 percent of our total business.” The theme of the event, “Touch the Future,” was evident in Maccabe’s comments. “Our fast-paced, high-tech business is quickly evolving into new areas of opportunity,” he said. “We’re no longer just leading innovation in the printbased world we started in. We’re building a future in a fully integrated digital world where print is only one part of what we offer.” During the general session, Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions for TABS and general manager for Toshiba Managed Business Services, introduced one new area of printing opportunity in the e-STUDIO306LP/RD30 set of products. Together, these machines represent an important innovation in green printing. “By far, the product that’s garnered the most interest and discussion has been our new e-STUDIO306LP,” Melo said. “We like to call this the Eco MFP. It’s the world’s first copier that uses erasable toner. Now, it does that because it allows us to reuse a single piece of paper up to five times.

Clockwise from top: Dealers had the opportunity to see the dealer demo version of the Virtuoso platform in action during the meeting’s Product Fair. The demo version explains Toshiba’s products and services in an interactive way; Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions for TABS, and general manager for Toshiba Managed Business Services; and Scott Maccabe, president and CEO of TABS. The accompanying unit ... is called the RD30. This is actually the unit that lifts the images off the paper. In addition to that, when you put the paper in the machine, it actually sorts recyclable/reusable paper from paper that cannot be reused. And also, if you configure it, [the RD30] will scan the images that are about to be removed to a network drive.” Melo also introduced a second opportunity for TABS dealers to “touch the future” — digital signage through Toshiba’s Ellumina Digital Signage Services. Ellumina Digital Signage Services consist of two platforms:

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software platform used for passive disVirtuoso, a platform for interactive expeplays in public places that are intended riences, and Experience Manager, a softVirtuoso is synonymous to grab attention, inform, entertain and ware platform for passive digital signage. with interactive communicate. Experience Manager can “Virtuoso is synonymous with interexperiences ... touch create, manage and distribute content active experiences,” Melo said. “Now, screens that can be for these types of passive displays. when I say interactive, typically we’re controlled ... by touch, Toshiba leaders also presented the talking about touch screens that can be company’s annual dealer awards during controlled either by touch, sometimes by sometimes by gesture the opening session. BTA dealer memgesture or also by remote — so, a tablet or or also by remote ... bers swept all five U.S. categories — Easta smartphone. They are typically utilized ern Region: Nauticon Imaging Systems, by audiences of one or a few [people gather around] and in what I refer to as ‘self-service’ or assisted Gaithersburg, Md.; Southern Region: Stargel Office Solutions, Houston, Texas; Midwest Region: Document & Netselling situations.” Melo showed examples of Virtuoso being used in sever- work Technologies Inc., St. Louis, Mo.; and Western Region: al vertical markets, including hospitality, automotive and Zoom Imaging Solutions, Roseville, Calif. wayfinding. Each Virtuoso package includes a touch-screen, TGI Office Automation, Brooklyn, N.Y., was commercial-grade display from 23 to 70 inches, a stand and named Toshiba’s U.S. Dealer of the Year. n Elizabeth Marvel is associate editor of custom-made software. Pricing is based on screen size and Office Technology magazine. the type of application, but manufacturer’s suggested retail She can be reached at prices run from $14,995 to $31,995. elizabeth@bta.org or (816) 303-4060. The second signage offering, Experience Manager, is a

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Shape the Future Konica Minolta expands services, solutions offerings by: Brent Hoskins, Office Technology Magazine

orking to further strengthen its partnership with its dealers, while emphasizing, in part, today’s burgeoning services revenue opportunities, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. (Konica Minolta), hosted its 2013 Business Conference and Product Expo on Nov. 17-19 at the Venetian and Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas, Nev. The meeting drew a total attendance of just over 1,100. As Rick Taylor, president and COO of Konica Minolta, welcomed attendees during the opening general session, he set the stage for the meeting by commenting on the significance of its “Shape the Future: Strategy, Passion, Leadership” theme. “Is there really any more important topic for all of us than thinking about what the future might hold and how we might partner to shape the future?” he asked. “In the current state of our business, I think we have a great foundation for our future.” In his general session comments, Masatoshi Matsuzaki, president and CEO, Konica Minolta Inc., looked to the future as well. “The hardware itself will still be important in the future, but it will be less and less of a differentiator,” he said. “We need to adapt together to a business model that focuses on services — not just IT services, but services in general.” Maintaining the expertise and developing the right customer insight “will take time and effort, and we will need to make some changes to the way we operate, but I am very optimistic about the future,” Matsuzaki said. “Konica Minolta has a strong global presence, a broad product portfolio and continues to invest in all of our strategic, chief growth areas. I believe we need to work together to empower our dealers so that they can develop added expertise and services. If we do this, we will continue to be successful. Let’s evolve together.” Taylor reported that Konica Minolta dealers found great success with today’s new revenue opportunities during the company’s 2012 fiscal year, which ended in March 2013. “Our [dealer] solutions business — our software business — grew 44 percent; that’s unbelievable,” he said. “And our IT services business — we think we have a good platform for all of us in the future — for dealers grew 59 percent last year ...

Clockwise from top: The Product Showcase featured the products and services of Konica Minolta and other exhibiting partners; attendees listen to various Konica Minolta executives and guest speakers in the opening general session; and Rick Taylor, president and COO, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. So, you can see by the results that we are well on the way to transforming our business from a hardware-oriented business model to a solutions and services business model.” The “good platform,” noted by Taylor, is a reference to Konica Minolta’s All Covered division, which offers dealers a means to provide IT services to their customers. An expansion to the IT services lineup through All Covered was announced at the meeting. Beyond the traditional IT services of desktop management, email security, server and network monitoring, and 24/7 client help-desk support, dealers are now able to provide cloud services (backup and disaster

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committed to its core business. “In case recovery), enhanced security and applisomebody thinks that I’m saying ‘give cation development as well. “I’m not saying abandon up on the MFP business,’ I’m not saying “We have a lot to offer with our manthe MFP business and that at all,” he explained. “I’m not sayaged IT program,” said Sam Errigo, sengo into the IT services ing abandon the MFP business and go ior vice president for Business Intellibusiness ... Everything into the IT services business. That’s not gence Services at Konica Minolta, as he we do now and into the the case. Everything we do now and into announced the expanded All Covered the foreseeable future is going to drive services. “We are going to continue to foreseeable future is print, whatever print is left.” embrace it and continue to invest in it. going to drive print ... ” In fact, Taylor reported a notable inHopefully, you see the power that you crease in hardware sales through the will be able to leverage as you engage dealer channel in fiscal year 2012. “Our hardware revenue with All Covered.” In addition to the IT services expansion, Konica Minolta grew 8 percent; a great number,” he reported. “We sold 9 announced the expansion of its EnvisionIT vertical solu- percent more units than the previous year.” Taylor also announced a recent key milestone in terms tions to include the financial, manufacturing and government industries. EnvisionIT provides managed print servic- of hardware sales. “During the first six months of this fiscal es, IT services, integrated solutions via the company’s bEST year, we sold 52 percent of our units on the dealer side and program, professional services, hardware and support, all only 48 percent direct,” he said. “October is one of the biggest dealer months that we’ve ever had ... You are the greatest.” n under a single platform. Brent Hoskins, executive director of the Business Technology Despite the growing focus on services and solutions, Association, is editor of Office Technology magazine. Taylor assured dealers that Konica Minolta will remain

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COURTS & CAPITOLS

Toner Wars Ensure you are indemnified from any claims by: Robert C. Goldberg, General Counsel for the Business Technology Association

ealers have it hard enough competing with direct operations, shifting from break/fix to managed services and running a profitable business. In the past several months, the Business Technology Association (BTA) has received input and inquiries from all sides of what I refer to as the “Toner Wars.” For decades, manufacturers have sought to require the exclusive use of OEM parts and supplies in their equipment. “Tying” this requirement with the equipment itself raises legal issues, so the manufacturers took what I consider a better approach. Dealers would be rewarded with rebates, spiffs and incentives depending upon the level of parts and supplies that were purchased. In the break/fix environment, this worked well for dealers. It helped solidify relationships with suppliers, provided OEM parts and supplies (which always meet specifications) and resulted in lower prices. Managed print services (MPS) has changed the business model; securing the lowest costs is essential. For MPS, many dealers went to rechargers and secondary sources for their toner requirements in order to lower their costs. Manufacturers, in response, turned to the regulatory and legal system to enforce patents that exist on their cartridges. The legal course is complex and uncertain and, at this point, is not fully resolved. Canon, which manufactures both for itself and HewlettPackard (HP), turned to the International Trade Commission alleging the unlicensed importation into the United States of certain HP and Canon toner cartridges that infringe upon Canon’s “twisted drum gear coupling” patents. An unresolved issue is whether patent rights continue to apply after the first sale of the product in a foreign country. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled they do not in regard to a copyright, but as to patents, the matter is unresolved. Regardless, the International Trade Commission issued a General Exclusion Order protecting Canon’s patents from infringement. The Exclusion Order is in effect and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is on the lookout for any infringing product shipped to the United States. Many of the third-party toner providers have stated that their products do not infringe upon Canon’s patents and can still be imported. Importers and domestic companies have developed “design-arounds” that are represented as non-infringing. BTA

does not take a position on whether these products infringe or not, but suggests that dealers request an indemnification from any supplier that the supplier will hold them harmless from any claims (including attorney fees) made against them or an enduser customer for products that are alleged to infringe. While these disputes continue, dealers should take all necessary steps not to become involved by not selling products that are in violation of the General Exclusion Order or which infringe upon an existing patent. While Canon proceeded before the International Trade Commission, Lexmark took its patent infringement claims to the courts. Lexmark has proceeded against more than 35 companies that it alleges have infringed upon its patents. Although several of the defendants have settled the dispute, many have not. At least two companies have brought their own actions seeking a court declaration that their products do not infringe upon Lexmark’s patents. Lexmark’s litigation and those of others regarding the Lexmark patents are still pending and have been for more than three years. BTA will continue to monitor the “Toner Wars” and keep you advised. At this time, an ounce of prevention in the form of an indemnification should be sufficient. n Robert C. Goldberg is general counsel for the Business Technology Association. He can be reached at robert.goldberg@sfnr.com.

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Dealer Members A&B Business Solutions, Sioux Falls, SD Bennett Office Equipment, Lawton, OK Carefree Office Technology, Fairfax, VA Datamax, St. Louis, MO DocuQuest, Pooler, GA Preferred Business Systems, Tulsa, OK Presto Document Solutions, Indianapolis, IN Simile Imaging Solutions, Charlotte, NC TGI Office Automation, Brooklyn, NY Service Associate Members Beyond Technologies, Perris, CA Predictive Results, Fleming Island, FL For full contact information of these new members, visit www.bta.org.

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For the benefit of its dealer members, each month BTA features two of its Vendor or Service Associate members in this space. For more than 30 years, BTA Vendor Associate Member Densi has been providing customers with consistent, dependable toners, parts and supplies, while maintaining the highest standards of service. The company’s qualified technicians manage and certify the internal testing of all of its products according to ASTM protocol. Every batch of toner received is analyzed and tested in the actual copier/MFP, fax or laser printer and Densi looks for OEM-equivalent density, yield and consistency from batch to batch. Whether you are in the same city or around the globe, Densi stands behind its products and guarantees 100-percent satisfaction. www.densi.com DirectCloud is a division of DirectNetworks Inc., which has been installing on-site server networks for 20 years and has listened to the frustration of customers regarding replacements, software upgrades, disaster recovery, IT support costs and incompatibility issues. So the company designed WebTop, its cloud-based virtual desktop, with a goal of eliminating these problems. A short while later, DirectCloud was born, with the mission of spreading WebTop’s capabilities to businesses around the country. www.mydirectcloud.com A full list of BTA Vendor and Service Associate members can be found online at www.bta.org.

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