01732 759725 42 VOX POP As yet another year draws to a close, here’s a selection of some of the channel’s key industry players’ thoughts on what 2023 will hold for the print and IT sectors Print Predictions: part one Chris Bates, Business Unit Manager, Print & Supplies, UK, TD SYNNEX: “I think there will be three main trends in 2023. First, we will continue to see growth in demand for managed print and managed services in general. Second, we’ll see customers settle into a pattern in hybrid working. Third, the momentum behind sustainability and moving towards net zero carbon will grow even more. “All three will present good opportunities for print resellers and MSPs and we’ll be ready to help them maximise the potential. We’ve seen good uptake of our OpenMPS service in 2022 and will be making further enhancements to the programme. These additions will make OpenMPS even more appealing, both for our partners and their end-user customers. “We also launched our own printer installation and break-fix service options this year. We expect to see good growth with these offerings in 2023. One reason for this is that resellers (and their customers), are finding it difficult to find and hold onto skilled IT workers. It’s much easier to hand the responsibility of managing print devices and supplies to a trusted third party. “Our services portfolio makes it possible for partners to offer a complete offering on printers – from initial sale and installation, through to everyday management and maintenance. That’s becoming more important now that we are entering the era of hybrid working. “Hybrid work patterns should settle down much more over the next few months, and there is no question that most people are going to split their working time between the office and the home. That’s going to make managed services more appealing. When the workforce is more distributed, and devices located in peoples’ homes as well as the office, it makes sense to use a trusted provider to manage and maintain all devices. “Sustainability and the acceleration towards net zero carbon will be the third major trend. We expect to see even more interest in printers that have refillable ink cartridges and devices that consume less power. This will increase the sell-out revenue potential and may also lead to more customers wanting to use subscription options like those available through our Tech-as-a-Service (TaaS) offering. That’s been especially popular with schools and the public sector, and we can only see that building even more next year. “From a wider perspective, the channel as a whole will be hoping for more stability throughout 2023, with more predictable product supply and fewer currency fluctuations. We will be ready to support partners and work with them to meet whatever challenges may arise and ensure that they can take every opportunity to grow their print and managed services business.” www.TDSYNNEX.com Phil Madders, Managing Director, PAE Business: “I ended last year’s predictions with the hope that the worst was behind us as we emerged into 2022 with the pandemic in our rear-view mirror (for now). Companies getting used to the post Brexit world and supply chains beginning to improve. A whiff of optimism was in the air, and I thought we would push on into 2022 and embrace the new normal, whatever that looked like. “It turned out the new normal was hard to spot amidst a European war, resulting in an energy crisis and surging inflation. A government embroiled in a scandal of its own making – ‘Partygate’, Chris Bates Phil Madders
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