James Masters, VP EMEA Sales, Partner Levi, Ray & Shoup Inc. (LRS)
By Helmuth Fuchs
Moneycab: Mr. Masters, Output Management seems to be one of the unsolved IT mysteries. Wrong format, wrong driver, not the right credentials to use the selected printer… There are zillions of reasons why we don’t get the output when we need it, in the form we need it and where we need it. How is LRS approaching this issue?
James Masters: These problems exist when companies have not simplified the IT service for Enterprise Output and Print Management. This results in the problems you have listed in your question. LRS provides a standard IT software layer to manage all your Enterprise Output and Print Management. It reduces the IT service and infrastructure complexity required to support all of your output management whilst improving the user experience all of which results in better business outcomes and increased business efficiency and profits. Most organizations think this is covered by their Managed Print Service contract but this usually covers Office output only and doesn’t simplify IT across the enterprise.
«Our clients reduced costs by $50K per 100 printers with most of these savings coming from reduced IT service.» James Masters, VP EMEA Sales, Partner Levi, Ray & Shoup Inc. (LRS)
Mobility just added to the complexity with its variety of Operating systems and platforms like smart watches. How will the increasing level of mobility influence the way we manage our outputs and what are the most innovative solutions here?
The LRS standardizing IT software layer puts the foundation in place to support new platforms, applications, business initiatives etc. including mobility. If you implement a standard IT service for all enterprise output, new initiatives like mobility, virtualization, modernization, transformation and the cloud can be easily integrated into this IT service.
Another area that is catching more attention is security and compliance. How can companies make sure, that their information is not spread uncontrolled on the growing number of output channels?
The LRS software layer captures all of your enterprise output. Once captured, we manage the transformation however needed and track the delivery of this output resulting in improved security and compliance.
An increasing concern for many companies is the costs associated with output management. Do you have reliable information on how much you can improve the cost side with your solutions?
Yes, I do have such information. In December 2013, IDC interviewed 13 companies regarding their use of output management solutions to manage their printers (Business Value of Automated Output Management, December 2013). In aggregate, the companies reduced costs by $50K per 100 printers with most of these savings coming from reduced IT service and infrastructure consolidation and simplification. These numbers are backed by our experience with our large enterprise customers worldwide many of which have saved several million €/$ per annum.
«It is true that the “paperless office” is indeed a myth»
We consolidate enterprise output and by consolidating this output we reduce the IT service and infrastructure complexity required to manage it. This provides a solid base for future business agility and flexibility, improved user experience, business processes and profitability whilst meeting compliance and security initiatives. (Download Link IDC Report: http://www.lrsoutputmanagement.com/Learn-More)
While many companies propagated the paperless office decades ago, we still produce massive amounts of paper. Where do you see the output management’s most promising developments and innovations?
It is true that the “paperless office” is indeed a myth. We know that hardcopy volume growth is basically flat worldwide so this suggests that businesses and workers are increasingly leveraging softcopy solutions for application output since the volume of application output continues to grow as businesses expand worldwide.
For LRS, it does not matter whether a document is printed hardcopy or delivered electronically to some logical destination in softcopy format because the same challenges remain, namely application integration, security, formatting, auditing, consistent user experience, and assured delivery to the final destination. In terms of specific innovations and developments in the future, I believe changes will be modest in the area of output management, and are likely to be focused on security, mobility and business process optimization.
However, I see the greatest opportunity for innovation residing with large companies today because many of them have not deployed a standardized output management service layer across their entire enterprise. There is tremendous opportunity for innovation and competitive differentiation using the existing products and tools we provide today, and organizations can drive significant business improvements by taking an enterprise-wide approach to print infrastructure and output management.
You are, for the first time, a strategic partner of the Swiss Information Management Forum. What are your expectations for this event?
I am really excited for LRS to be a partner of this forum, and we expect to learn a lot from the attendees, regarding the IT and business challenges they face today. In turn, we will share ideas, perspectives, and real-world customer success stories to help the attendees understand potential solutions to the problems and challenges they face. Basically, we want to make a real difference and add value to the forum. In the end, we want everyone, including us, to leave with better insights and information than they came with. It’s all about solving problems, not creating more.
Come and see LRS at the Swiss IM Forum to pick up more information and your free IDC report about the advantages of an holistic enterprise output management approach and its significant potential for cost savings.
About James Masters
James Masters, EMEA Vice-President, Enterprise Output Management (EOM) Division at LRS has worked in the IT industry for 26 years, 22 of which he spent at LRS Inc., a U.S. based software firm. During his time at LRS he has grown their European operation to 70 plus staff with a turnover of over $25 million.
About Levi, Ray and Shoup (LRS)
LRS is a privately-held U.S. company with corporate headquarters located in Springfield, Illinois, USA. Remote offices are located throughout the United States and in key geographic regions around the world including Cheltenham, UK. More than half of the Fortune 500 and Fortune 500 Service companies rely on industry-leading LRS solutions, with products in use in over 30 countries. LRS keeps their businesses running with robust, highly scalable software that captures, stores and controls the huge volumes of document output they generate and reliably delivers it to hundreds of distributed locations regardless of format. With a ROI of less than 12 months, a 35-year track record of success and global sales and support organization—LRS is the market leader. Industry analyst groups recognize LRS as a global IT leader and Software Magazine consistently ranks LRS as one of the top software companies in the world. For more information about LRS, visit www.LRSoutputmanagement.com
Das Interview entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Swiss IM Forum.
