Outsourcing of Printing Services on the Rise
|
|
CREDIT: iStockPhoto.com
|
Looking to free up IT staff to work on more pressing issues, many businesses are outsourcing their printing needs, new research suggests.
According to a survey by CompTIA, a nonprofit trade association for the IT industry, about 50 percent of large firms with more than 500 employees report using the managed print service model in some capacity. In addition, 20 percent of small businesses with fewer than 100 employees outsource their printing needs.
"Familiarity and understanding of managed print services continues to gain momentum," Tim Herbert, vice president of research for CompTIA, said in a prepared release. "Firms recognize the benefits of focusing IT staff efforts on business activities and shifting routine maintenance and troubleshooting duties to service specialists who can do it more efficiently and cost-effectively."
With demand for workplace printing expected to grow or stay at current levels for the foreseeable future, Herbert said an increasing number of small businesses will start adopting the practice.
"Larger firms have more complex printing needs and more moving parts within their organization, which makes managed print services an ideal solution," Herbert said. "However, the next wave of customers for managed print services will come in the small- and mid-size company range."
Of the companies not using managed print services now, 35 percent said they expect to consider those services as a solution for their printing needs over the next year.More businesses outsourcing their printing needs means increased revenue for IT firms offering managed print services, according to the survey.The study found that 80 percent of those businesses anticipate year-over-year revenue growth, with 22 percent of firms expecting significant growth.
The CompTIA study also suggests many IT firms are utilizing a hybrid approach by offering managed print services as one selection in a range of business lines. Just 6 percent of respondents identified themselves as dedicated managed print service providers, though more than half of the firms claimed to offer managed print services.
The CompTIA study is based on separate surveys of 400 IT firms and 400 IT and business professionals involved in print and document management at their firms.
