IDC's Hardcopy Peripherals: Software and Services research examines the software and services affecting the hardcopy peripherals market and analyzes their impacts, such as hardware attach rates, channel margins, customer stickiness, and selling success factors. The service identifies the benefits to hardcopy peripherals vendors in a world increasingly transitioning to electronic document creation, management, and distribution. Potential software and services partners are highlighted. The analysis in this service, and in our complementary hardcopy services (Hardcopy Peripherals: Overview, Hardcopy Peripherals: User and Channel Data, and Hardcopy Peripherals: Production and Large Format Markets), arms clients with the insights needed to make profitable business decisions.

The following segments of software and services are covered:

• Hardcopy market services (professional and managed)
• Hardcopy market software/hardware solutions

Throughout the year, this service will address the following topics:

• Software solutions market analysis
• Scanning ecosystem
• Outsourced services market analysis
• Business process maps
• How vendors and their partners can benefit from software and services
• Consulting services partnership opportunities
• User attitudes
• New document technologies and delivery infrastructures

Our research addresses the following issues that are critical to your success:

1. What is the formula for success for hardcopy vendors and their partners to make money at selling software and services?
2. What opportunities are there in the document/content management market for hardcopy peripherals vendors?
3. How big is the hardcopy outsourcing market, and which players are key?
4. What are the applications and processes where hardcopy vendors can bring value in outsourcing offerings?
5. What types of solutions do users really want from hardcopy peripherals vendors?
6. What are the new document technologies and delivery infrastructures, and how are they being utilized?
7. Where in the document value chain (document creation, production, distribution, or management) are the opportunities for hardcopy peripherals vendors?

IDC's Hardcopy Peripherals: Software and Services research reviews the strategies, market positioning, and future direction of several key players, including:

Hardware companies: Canon, HP, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Lexmark, Océ, Oki, Panasonic, Pitney Bowes, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, and Xerox.

Solution vendors: Captaris, eCopy, EFI, Equitrac, Hyland Software, Kofax, Laserfiche, NSI, Nuance, and Omtool.

Services vendors: Computer Sciences Corporation, Iron Mountain, RR Donnelley, Standard Register, and Williams Lea.

This service focuses on the following core research. In addition to the insight provided in this service, IDC may conduct additional research on specific topics, or emerging market segments, via offerings that require additional IDC funding and client investment.

This study describes the incremental revenue opportunity represented by document solutions for hardcopy peripherals vendors and their distribution channel partners. It examines revenue from both software and professional services.

These studies help clients understand where opportunities exist within document-centric processes, both vertical and horizontal, and how they can develop offerings to meet these requirements.

This study analyzes the current and future scanning ecosystem for single-function devices, MFPs, and the software that supports these devices. It also includes profiles of vendors.

This study provides a revenue forecast and competitive analysis of the major players in the outsourced imaging/printing marketplace.

These studies address how key technology developments help hardcopy vendors and their solutions/services partners develop robust offerings. Key topics include security, data capture, outsourcing delivery infrastructures, and hardware platform development environments.

These studies highlight how document management solutions help transform line-of-business operations. The studies examine a firm's decision-making process, from identification of the challenge to benefits derived.

IDC provides primary research into the impact on hardcopy demand when document solutions and services have been implemented.

IDC offers a complete market intelligence solution customized to meet your business requirements. The array of products and services available to you includes:

• The opportunity to have your specific questions answered through personal interaction with industry experts who cover the topics and markets in your service
• Around-the-clock access to our market intelligence on idc.com, IDC's personalized Web experience
• A view of the market's future with 12 months of continuous intelligence about its direction and the reasons behind it, along with actionable advice for taking advantage of existing and emerging opportunities
• Special client discount pricing on purchases of research from other services
• Complimentary admission to IDC's annual Directions conference, where you'll hear our latest forecasts and network with IDC analysts and other industry professionals
• Complimentary invitations to monthly executive telebriefings, interactive forums designed to provide you with insights about research and strategies directly from IDC analysts

To find out how our flexible packaging options can meet your specific business needs, please contact your IDC sales executive.

As a privately held company, IDC believes that our customers are our primary constituency. A large percentage of every revenue dollar is reinvested back into our products, including more analysts, more geographic coverage, and extensive primary research.

Our steady growth over the past 10-plus years reflects our commitment to investing in our customers.