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Print players need to cover rising cloud demand
Shift to hybrid and fully hosted environments continues to be a trend the channel must address
The demand for cloud print management services has continued to grow, putting pressure on the channel to cover both on and off-premise options.
The latest annual Cloud print services market landscape report from Quocirca has highlighted the ongoing shift to cloud, and urged print players across the channel to be transparent with customers about their capabilities around on-premise, hybrid and cloud-native offerings.
The market watcher identified two major trends, with the demand for more hybrid options from customers coming at a time when the channel print market has become more crowded, with more cloud print management offerings coming from independent software vendors (ISVs) and a larger number of players getting involved with Microsoft’s Universal Print Platform.
“The prevalence of hybrid cloud reflects a pragmatic approach to IT modernisation that is conscious of requirements for data security and sovereignty,” said Quocirca CEO Louella Fernandes. “Providers need to clearly articulate the capabilities and advantages of their solutions and tailor them to customer needs. The hybrid environment and multi-vendor fleets create demand for specialist solutions from independent software vendors that can seamlessly integrate and manage printing across diverse environments.”
Customers have been putting funds into supporting the shift to cloud, as well as prioritising increased investments in security and artificial intelligence, with customers looking to develop a flexible and accessible print strategy.
Quocirca is forecasting the continued dominance of the hybrid cloud approach, with three-quarters of firms using hybrid print management already. Only 4% of respondents were fully cloud-based, but the expectation is for that level to quadruple by 2027.
The fragmentation of the print market from a software point of view is also a challenge for partners to navigate. Vendors typically provide a proprietary managed print option that works with their hardware, but increasingly, ISVs are developing options that could be attractive to customers.
Sophistication levels
There have also been improvements in the levels of sophistication both OEM and ISV products can offer customers as they look to go beyond just providing basic print management.
As a result, more customers are indicating they want to work with a supplier that has high levels of print management expertise. They are increasingly looking for a managed print provider that has extensive cloud experience and can help them navigate through the shifting on- to off-premise world.
“The varying levels of cloud maturity, industry-specific requirements and organisational priorities across the market mean MPS providers must offer flexible, adaptable solutions that can accommodate these diverse cloud strategies,” said Fernandes.
With the number of options being developed to increase cloud-based capture and intelligent workflow automation, the choices are expanding for customers, and print providers need to ensure they remain on top of market developments and are able to guide users through the various options available.
“Providers in this market need to focus on addressing cloud print awareness gaps and tackling historic barriers to adoption such as security and sovereignty concerns,” said Fernandes. “Organisations are still largely heading in the direction of the cloud. Nevertheless, it is important to meet customers where they are on the cloud print journey, with flexible options that integrate cloud and on-premise solutions.”
After a tough few years because of the pandemic, the print world has bounced back and is now facing a period in which many employers are instigating return-to-office mandates that will once again increase the use of office-based print fleets.
