Epson Eyes Managed Print Services

Could Epson finally be ready to join the managed print services party? Most of the other big printer companies have already been there for quite some time – HP, Lexmark and Xerox to name a few that have enjoyed considerable success. Konica Minolta launched its own managed print service in January after acquiring the large and acquisitive managed services provider (MSP) All Covered. So where does Epson fit in?

Epson has been slow to embrace this path and showed no interest in it as 2011 began, according to what one Epson executive told a UK publication. What a difference a year makes. First of all, check out Epson’s UK site now which clearly talks about the company’s managed services plans.

For instance, “Epson works in conjunction with its resellers and service partners to provide the expertise and day-to-day management of your print environment.”

So sure, that’s fine for the UK, but are there any plans to take this managed print services offering to North America?

This week, buried at the bottom of a CRN story about new Epson printers senior product manager for business imaging at Epson, Kathleen Nguyen confirms that the company plans to launch a new managed print services program in the fall of this year, offering partners remote management services on Epson printers, enabling the tracking cartridge levels and providing technical support as needed.

MSPmentor has reached out to Epson to find out more about the program, and we’ll let you know the details when we get them.