Jeff Jacobson, CEO of Xerox.
The head of the American OEM is looking to an innovative future for Xerox.
Jeff Jacobson, the CEO of Xerox, has given an interview to CRN in which he discusses, amongst other things, the Connecticut-based OEM’s new ConnectKey devices, which it claims will help capture managed document services opportunities.
“It’s fantastic,” says Jacobson, explaining the benefits to his company of the new devices. “A4 was an area where we didn’t have the same share or leadership position that we do in A3. And we’re very excited now, because we’re getting a lot of pull-through from it.”
He continues: “One of the disadvantages we had in the past, when we were doing a managed document services deal, we had to do the architecture primarily with A3. Now we can do A3 and A4 together.”
Questioned on the sort of opportunities unlocked for Xerox by the new products, Jacobson describes the potential for the OEM in the Small/Medium Business (SMB) space as “phenomenal.” “Managed print services are basically about a $13 billion market, and the SMB portion of it is now larger. Our shares there are not as great as they are in the enterprise, so it’s a great growth opportunity for us there. Plus, if you look at the multi-brand space, we’re significantly underpenetrated there. It’s a great opportunity for us there.”
The interview, available in full here, also discusses how new apps are transforming MFPs. “We don’t talk of them as multifunction devices anymore,” says Jacobson. “We talk of them as workplace assistants. How do we help our customers connect and communicate to work more efficiently, to work more collaboratively? Almost as you would with your smartphone.”
Following the rollout of ConnectKey, Jacobson describes Xerox as “an open interface environment, which is really great.” Asked of the merits of this, he replies “it gets us a lot more sales, which is what we love.”
Jacobson also discusses the OEM’s ‘Set The Page Free’ campaign, explaining the inspiration behind the drive, and the benefits of it. “’How do we collaborate better? How do we bridge the physical and the digital? How do we help our customers connect, communicate, and work more efficiently?’ […] That’s what ‘Set the Page Free’ is all about.”
“Combined with the 29 new ConnectKey products we just introduced, the apps, interface with the cloud, benchmark security, [and] the coherency between A3 and A4,” Jacobson concludes, “there’s just such an excitement that’s built up. And we’re very excited too.”