The Year of the Dragon? The Year of MPS? The Year of …
2012 – I can’t believe it’s already here. Some people might fear this year, as the Mayan calendar has predicted that it will be Earth’s last. But I’d like to think the majority of people are looking at it from a more positive perspective – maybe even a more positive calendar: the Chinese calendar, which marks the start of the Year of the Dragon in 2012. At least that’s the calendar I am choosing to look at – for the purposes of this blog and my sanity.
Apparently, the Year of the Dragon is a good year. It signifies power, strength and success. The dragon itself – the only mythical creature in the Chinese calendar – is made up of different animals, including a tiger, fish, snake and eagle. These features add to the powerfulness and uniqueness of the dragon, and the Chinese culture believes that those born in the Year of the Dragon will stand out among the rest.
When I think of this industry and the strength it’s had throughout the past few years of economic turmoil, I wonder if 2012 might be somewhat of a birth year for “MpS” (yes, I’m stealing that from Greg Walters).
“How can this be?” you’re probably asking. “MPS/MpS has been around for years.” Of course I know this, but when I’ve talked to different people within the industry about what 2012 will be for the MpS industry, each person has a different response. Some people say 2012 will be the Year of the Cloud. Some say it will be the Year of Automation. Others say the Year of Converged Infrastructure, and still others the Year of the Hybrid Strategy. The list could go on forever.
MpS has grown, and the players within the industry are growing. Many believe that providers can no longer just offer managed print; companies are now seriously looking at and investing in the cloud, security, automation, managed network services – again, the list could go on forever. And this is why I say that 2012 may just be the birth year of MpS – a year where all these components of a complete, comprehensive offering come together.
Some of you are already there. You are the leaders, the companies others will look up to and try to emulate. But for those of you who are just starting to merge some of these components together, draw from the dragon. Be smart, have strength and be successful. It is your year!
Posted by Katherine Fernelius on 01/09/2012