01732 759725
40
MPS SOFTWARE
There wasn’t
any software
on the
market that
would help
us to get and
analyse the
information
we needed
so we started
developing
our own
tools
In the late 1990s when print vendors’
focus was more on box shifting
than on services, McRae believed
that managed print services was
the future. He had racked up a 21
year tenure at HP, helping end-users
get the best possible value out of
their printing estates and when the
business restructured, he took the
opportunity to leave and establish
EKM Global.
Headquartered in Warminster, the
software and services company has a
ten-strong workforce and is on track to
continue on a steady growth trajectory
that has seen it realise a 20 per cent
increase year on year. The company is a
supplier of professional print services to
the UK government under the RM3781
framework, to the higher education sector
under the NEPA framework and to schools
under the Crescent framework.
“When we first launched, we did
consultancy work,” McRae explained.
“We developed a methodology for
conducting print service assessments that
included looking at workflows, operational
processes, applications, IT set-up etc. At
the time that service was not mainstream,
it was predominantly done by the OEMs for
large organisations, and what we did was
bring it to the fore for more companies.”
He continued: “However there wasn’t
any software on the market that would
help us to get and analyse the information
we needed so we started developing our
own tools.” As a result of this forward-
looking approach, a number of OEMs
engaged EKM to train their staff to sell
solutions as opposed to hardware as the
industry shifted towards a services- and
solutions-led model.
Expertise in software and services
Whilst initially consultancy was its
mainstay, as the business grew, its
focus shifted to software design and
development. In 2007, the company
launched its in-house developed print
service management software – EKM
Insight which enables MSPs and end-users
to streamline print management, giving
them the tools they need to manage print
in the same way they would any other IT
service. The software has been designed
to manage the entire print service lifecycle
from strategy, design, transformation
and operation, with active continuous
improvement.
“It’s grown exponentially since
launch,” McRae explained. “Today, we
have thousands of users across the UK,
Europe and South America, and we’re now
expanding into North America and Asia.”
The rationale behind developing this
software was a belief that printers and
MFPs are an integral part of a business’
IT infrastructure and as such, support and
management should be handled in exactly
the same way as all other IT services.
PrintIT Reseller
spoke to Ian McRae, Managing Director of EKM Global, about
the company’s print service management software EKM Insight and the newly
launched integration with HP Smart Device Services
Helping the channel drive
incremental sales with
minimum cost
“Those services should be forward-looking,
planned, robust and secure, delivering an
optimised service for the business and
ensuring high service availability to support
users doing their jobs to deliver value to
the business” he added.
EKM Insight brings higher levels of
sophistication to the table, taking the
unique complexities associated with
managing printing equipment into account.
There are three core aspects:
Asset management:
“It’s essential
to get asset management right,” said
McRae. “EKM Insight provides detailed
and accurate information around the
location of all printing assets, ensuring that
consumables (and engineers) are delivered
to the right location. Furthermore all asset
moves and changes are updated and
controlled – something we view as essential
to ensure a high quality print service.”
Supply chain integration:
Another
key differentiator in the solution is the
ability to track consumables, not just
Ian McRae
