IDC recently identified Y Soft as the fastest growing worldwide device and print management ISV. To keep up with that growth, Y Soft has expanded its channel sales support with Tim Williams, who recently joined the Y Soft North American team.
As a 20+ year Xerox veteran, Tim is responsible for working with dealers and resellers who service small/medium businesses to implement Y Soft SafeQ as the print management part of an MPS solution. Specifically, as a Regional Sales Manager, Tim will work with dealers who service the US East Coast. (Any state that touches the Atlantic.)
Tim’s career with Xerox began as a software engineer and he has moved through technical consultancy roles to project deployment management, solutions sales and most recently managed print sales.
We sat down with Tim to find out why he decided to join Y Soft’s North America.
- Since taking early retirement from Xerox but not ready to hang up your career hat, what made you want to join a smaller company like Y Soft?
I’ve always been involved in selling solutions and not just the output device. In my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with several business partners like Y Soft. When the opportunity came to join the Y Soft team, I saw it as a chance to be part of a small, entrepreneurial company that has tremendous growth potential and is an industry leader. Plus, the capabilities that SafeQ has to offer such as authentication, print roaming, reporting, to name a few, are the capabilities that customers are looking for today. The decision to come to Y Soft was an easy one.
- Being with Xerox since 1984, you’ve seen the industry evolve. In managed print, what would you tell SMB dealers about the opportunity for solution sales?
When you’re selling just an MFD or printer, most of the manufacturer’s devices have similar capabilities. As a result, the sell becomes more commoditized resulting in lower prices and profits. Selling solutions changes the focus from a commodity to one that focuses on the solution’s capabilities and the overall value, not just price. Solution selling is more consultative and distinguishes the Partner from their competitors. Plus, customer requirements are driving our partners to expand their managed print capabilities.
- IDC, among others, attributes security as a driver to adopting pull printing, authentication and policy management. Did you see this in your Xerox managed print business and how can you share that knowledge with your SMB dealers?
With my recent Xerox customers, security of all output devices has become an important concern for CIOs. The potential for unauthorized access to an enterprise’s network creates the potential risk for data loss. Customers are wanting to lock down access to all devices and through the use of card and/or pin authentication to provide secure access to MFDs and printers. Pull printing, while providing convenience, also provides additional security of not having printed documents sitting in the output tray, especially where HIPPA requirements are involved. The increased deployment of color devices have driven costs higher with color overage costs and color toner. Policy management or rules based printing can have a direct ROI reducing the cost of unneeded color by restricting the use of color by end-user or application such as Outlook e-mails, while forcing the utilization of duplex printing. Rules based printing also supports an organization’s “green” initiatives.
SMB solution providers in the US looking to partner with Y Soft can contact info.na@ysoft.com – specifically reach Tim at tim.williams@ysoft.com. He’ll talk managed print with you or (anything to do with cycling).
Who is Y Soft? Find out here.
