Cloud Computing has Started a Revolution

Over the last few months I have made mention of the Cloud and how it will become a major talk track among businesses in 2011. As a follow up to my previous articles (outlined in the list below) I would like to share some interesting marketing points that EMC has been using in their advertising about their Cloud Strategy!

• "Cloud Printing Services" Reprographics on the Cloud  
• 2011 the Year to Emphasize your Managed Services  
• PlanWell Collaborate & AbacusPCR Awarded BERTL's BEST  
• HP and Canon Announce Game Changing Wide Format Technical MFP Devices.
• On the Road with Fellow Reprographers (Part 1) BIM  

EMC has been advertising almost every week in Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek throughout 2011. Not only has EMC been evangelizing about the Cloud but many of the other leading technology players like Microsoft, IBM, HP, Oracle, Google, Amazon, Dell and Apple are too!

But this one advertising article I read, in the March 28- April 3, 2011 edition of BusinessWeek really summed up what the Cloud means for businesses and why it will be the next big shift in technology for the masses.

EMC begins their article by reminding the reader that all of us are using the Cloud today whether we realize it or not. The ad states “You probably did some cloud computing this week. The last time you posted a photo to Facebook, sent an email with Google account or bought something on Amazon.com, you put a finger in the cloud.”

The article goes on to describe what Cloud computing is and sights the key advantages of Cloud Computing and why it is such an exciting platform and that is should not be overlook by anyone especially businesses. Some of the advantages of Cloud Computing is highlighted below.

Key Benefits of the Cloud:

• Pay as You Go 
• Leaner and Greener 
• Cloud is Power to the People

 Terms you will want to get become familiar with:

• SaaS (Software as a Service or Software on Demand) 
• Paas (Platform as a Service) 
• IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

If you want to read the full article/advertisement please click the link here or read the March 28th edition of BusinessWeek or, better yet, subscribe to the Cloud based version of BusinessWeek by using the application called Zinio. Zinio is my preferred app to use with my iPad, iPhone and PC as it is one of the best ways to read your favorite magazines (electronically) and have them available anytime and anyplace.

So do not overlook the opportunities to position your business on the cloud and be prepared to talk to your customers intelligently about your ability to offer solutions that involve the cloud in some way or another. If you don’t someone else will.

Sincerely …..Shaun Meany

HP Says It's Time To Trade Up!

Take advantage of select HP Designjet printers and get cash back!

With the HP Designjet Cash In & Trade Up promotion, you can get up to $2,500 cash back* when you upgrade your eligible old product and purchase or lease an HP Designjet Z6100 or Z3200 series printer and submit the online claim form by October 23, 2009.

You have the option of keeping or trading in your eligible old HP or non-HP large-format product—you just need to show proof that you currently own one. The promotion runs August 1, 2009 through October 23, 2009.

Plus, you can save up to $200 when you add a qualifying HP Care Pack Service, which will help reduce unexpected repair costs and downtime.


*U.S. residents only. Cash back provided by mail-in rebate available for eligible purchases made August 1, 2009–October 23, 2009. Additional restrictions apply. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.
For qualifying product options, terms and conditions, and claim form, visit www.hp.com/go/cashin4.

Hewlett Packard Talks Shop - We Listen, And Learn

by Shaun Meany
President of The PEiR Group

This week I attended HP’s New Product Introduction (NPI) here in Northern California. I thought it might be helpful to update the members on what HP is doing in the technical or CAD printer market.

Our first session was an introduction by Pat Hester (HP’s Director of Wide Format Printing Solutions), highlighting HP’s success with their Designjet product line over the last 15 years or so.

Pat offered an extremely well done video about HP’s technical leadership in thermal inkjet technologies. Their focus on innovation is something that any prospect would like to see and learn about. Meany Note: one of our PEiR members, Andy Chiodo from Entire Imaging in Toronto, was featured in the testimonial portion of the video!

HP has a big “Cash-in and Trade-Up” promotion underway to attack the installed base of their older plotters. The opportunities are huge. Pat says there are more than 45,000 HP 600, 700 and 800 series and more than 27,000 HP 1050 and 1055 series still out in the market today.

Key products presented at the NPI were the HP1120, HP4020 and the HP T1120 MFP. Basically, HP updated their existing 1100’s and 4000’s with more RAM and Disk Space.

Something I took away from the session was how HP is positioning their products as solutions. HP is now bundling a variety of software tools along with their printers. One such tool is Accounting Excel 2.0, an easy to use utility that reports all printing activity along with related consumables into a worksheet used to recover project or department printing costs.

Another interesting component of their solution approach is an easy to use poster software application called Serif Poster Designer Pro. It gives end-users all the design power they need to achieve fantastic posters and banners for a variety of vertical applications (schools, real estate, retail, and other).

There are other software tools that you will want to familiarize yourselves with such as the HP instant print, embedded web server (EWS) and webjet admin.

HP knows it needs to help its channel partners promote and market their products as as a result have released some exciting marketing tools. If you visit the following web portals you will find a wealth of resources to aid your company’s sales and marketing efforts.

Partner Portal

Campaign Central

Designjet Expressway web site

www.hp.com/go/newdesignjet

www.hp.com/go/betterdesignjet

www.hp.com/go/media

If you are not offering FM’s it is my opinion you might want to start by looking at HP’s latest printers for the CAD, GIS and Technical marketplace. You will be glad you did!

If you are interested in attending one of HP’s New Product Introductions in your area click HERE to find one in your area.