Level Platforms has
added managed print service features to its remote monitoring and management
platform. Managed Workplace 2011 R3 provides the traditional managed print
service (MPS) functions, and also provides additional capabilities,
including remote monitoring, firmware updating and stopping/starting services
on printers – something Level Platforms hopes will give an edge to its channel
users.
With remote monitoring and management (RMM)
MPS features in addition to IT service features, the latest version of
Managed Workplace will make it easier for IT service providers to offer
managed print services, said Peter Sandiford, CEO of Level Platforms.
With MPS growing as a
significant revenue opportunity as businesses of all sizes look to cut printing
costs and streamline their printer fleets, Sandiford said there is a huge
opportunity for solution providers and managed service providers.
“That means through Level Platforms, MSPs
can come up with their own print programs ... or to resell those of the print
manufacturers. This is certainly a big revenue opportunity,” he said.
Sandiford noted that most MPS tools focus
on features that enable customers reduce and manage costs of printing, and the
features available in Managed Workplace provide a level of automation that can
enhance the print user experience. The software is not just about managing
the cost of printing, but actually managing the printers, he said.
“That’s a great way to be pretty disruptive
in the managed print services market,” Sandiford said.
For MPS providers, this will enable them to
offer expanded services beyond what they can offer now, he said. For managed IT
service providers, it will make it easier for them to get into the growing MPS
space because they can use the same software platform they use for RMM
services.
Additionally, Level Platforms has added
more features around cloud management. The R3 release includes the
ability to
monitor and manage Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs. With Office
365, in
particular, the channel partner may have sold or recommended the cloud
applications to customers, but they are provided with little in the way
of
managing and monitoring it for performance. Managed Workplace now
offers that capability, and allows for more deeper channel
relationships for Microsoft partners.
New features enable Managed Workplace users
to monitor the performance and response times of Office 365 and Google Docs
applications. When problems do occur, they can be more proactive and better
able to pinpoint where the problem lies, whether it’s in the cloud, a network
connection or elsewhere, Sandiford explained.
The third big key addition to Managed
Workplace is power management.
“A lot of organizations are concerned not
only about green IT but the cost of power, and so what we’ve done is we’ve
introduced complete power management, particularly for Windows devices, that
should save a lot of money,” Sandiford said.
According to Sandiford, the remote power
management features will be of most interest to medium-sized businesses. With
the new capabilities, customers (or their service providers) will be able to
establish power schedules for groups of computers. Approximately 30 percent of all PCs
are left on all night, all the time, but the power management features
could be set to put those PCs into hibernate mode at 6 p.m., for example.
With this release, which will be available
on Dec. 17, Level Platforms has also removed the necessity for agents on
the monitored devices. Managed Workplace 2011 R3 provides for agentless
monitoring and management.
Managed Services 
