Resellers whose customers are longing to print to networked printers
from their mobile devices now have another tool in their solutions
toolbox with the launch of PrintMe Mobile from vendor EFI.
Targeted for customers of all sizes, from the SMB through the enterprise, PrintMe Mobile
lets users connect with printers from their Apple- or Android-based
smartphone or tablet via WiFi or email. The Direct to Print feature
lets users print directly from their devices via WiFi. The Email to
Print function lets users print an email and its attached files by
sending it to the network. Release to Print functions holds printing
jobs until the user releases a file with a retrieval code.
EFI's software is deployed on a
Windows PC, server or virtual machine inside the corporate firewall and
facilitates communication between mobile devices and networked
printers. The software is printer-agnostic.
"We have built PrintMe Mobile to meet the needs of our reseller partners
and their customers," said John Henze, vice president of Fiery
marketing at EFI, in a statement. "We will be expanding our existing channel by recruiting a strong set of IT resellers with mobility practices to enable us to fulfill the growing demand for mobile printing in businesses of all sizes."
EFI is initially targeting the health care, legal and education
markets, with managed services and mobility-focused VARs to follow."We
have a very active channel program. We have thousands of existing
channel partners in the print industry and what we're going to be
looking for is to take those programs and deliver them to the IT
resellers that fit the right profile," said Tom Offutt, director of
Business
Development at EFI.
"This is the opportunity for the reseller to look like a hero to their
customer base because they can bring in a really cool solution that will
solve problems that people aren't even aware that they have," he said.
Resellers will have access to free demo software, qualified leads,
priority technical support and volume discounts, EFI said. A free demo
video is available here.
"Managed Print Services is exploding. It's the equivalent of what IT
outsourcing was several years ago in delivering cost savings to
businesses," said Holly Muscolino, research director for the Hardcopy
Peripherals: Software and Services program at IDC, in a statement. "Combine this with
the undeniable fact tablet adoption in the enterprise is accelerating,
and all signs point to the need for mobile printing solutions in the
enterprise that can support any device regardless of OS, operate
effectively in a heterogeneous printer environment and conform to
corporate IT security policies. EFI's PrintMe Mobile solution is an
example of this type of solution."
