The print industry is preparing to seize cloud print services opportunities and channel engagement will be critical, according to Quocirca market research report
London, UK, Tuesday 3rd March 2020: Quocirca today published The Cloud Print Services Market Landscape 2020, which finds the industry primed for transition to the cloud as customers turn their attention to reducing the cost, environmental impact and administrative burden of managing print infrastructure on-premise. The report incorporates primary research among IT decision makers plus detailed analysis of the cloud print offerings from key industry OEMs and independent software vendors (ISVs).
Research underlines the cloud print services opportunity
Quocirca’s primary research among UK IT managers found that organisations with more than 1000 employees currently operate an average of three on-premise print servers. On average each of these servers costs £1900 ($2400) to provision, followed by £1500 ($1900) per annum each in operating costs. This delivers a complex, inefficient print management environment with significant administrative requirements.
As a result, businesses are exploring the potential of cloud print services to eliminate costs of on-premise servers while simultaneously improving security and efficiency. Quocirca’s research found that more than three quarters of organisations already use some form of cloud service to manage a percentage of print jobs and 73% expect to see an increase in their use of cloud print services in future. 8% expect to transition completely to cloud for print by 2025.
Quocirca Director, Louella Fernandes, comments: “Broad adoption of the cloud is creating opportunities for organisations to shift print management away from the traditional on-premise environment to the cloud. Cost, security and environmental impact are just three drivers encouraging the cloud transition as businesses aim to trim inefficiency from operations and control expenditure.
“This is a critical point for OEMs and ISVs,” continues Louella, “as the transition to cloud print services is an opportunity to establish relationships that have potential to endure and evolve into strategic, value-led partnerships – exactly what the print industry needs to retain future relevance.”
A diverse and evolving market
The Cloud Print Services Market Landscape 2020 report highlights how OEMs and ISVs are expanding their offerings to cater for customers who want public, private or hybrid cloud print services. Louella comments: “The market is diverse and evolving. Most major print manufacturers have a growing cloud services and solutions portfolio designed to tailor to varied customer requirements. Meanwhile, leading ISVs are also expanding their offerings. These are particularly well-suited to the many existing mixed fleet environments.”
Success hinges on channel engagement
Successful rollout of cloud print services will depend on strong channel engagement – particularly for those serving the SMB market. The report acknowledges the significant shift in business model required for many channel partners to adapt. Louella explains: “Partners accustomed to transactional models must be supported and potentially incentivised to invest in transforming business models and processes to a subscription cloud-based approach. Vendors must not underestimate the scale of the challenge for partners.”
The Cloud Print Services Market Landscape report includes buyer and supplier recommendations, plus detailed analysis of the following market vendors: Canon, HP Inc., Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Lexmark, Ricoh, Xerox, EveryonePrint, One Q, PaperCut, Printix, Process Fusion (formerly UniPrint) and Y Soft.
Download a free Executive Summary and purchase the full report here.
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About Quocirca:
Quocirca is a global market insight and research firm providing strategic market analysis and intelligence to print industry business and technology leaders. Quocirca specialises in analysing the convergence of print and digital technologies in the future workplace.
Since 2006, Quocirca has played an influential role in advising clients on major shifts in the market. Our consulting and research is at the forefront of the rapidly evolving print services and solutions market, trusted by clients who are seeking new strategies to address disruptive technologies.
Trusted by global industry organisations, Quocirca offers a wealth of specialist knowledge across the connected print ecosystem. Our extensive research activities are backed up with rigorous analysis and a robust primary research programme.
SOURCE Quocirca