Staples Advantage, the North American business-to-business delivery unit of Staples Inc., has launched a new technology division, better known as Staples Technology Solutions, designed to service small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) and Fortune 1000 corporations.
The goal of the new technology division, which launched last Tuesday, is to act as a one-stop shop for businesses who seek office products and services, in addition to serving as an extension of a business’ in-house IT department, or whole IT department.
Joe Kalinoski, vice-president of finance for Staples Technology Solutions, said customers want one vendor-neutral source for all of their office products and technology supplies.
Thad Coming, regional sales director for Staples Technology Solutions, said the new division includes everyday desktop technologies, such as desktops and monitors, in addition to print management services, hardware, services and a data centre component.
“We’re leveraging our buying power and scale to be a one-source supplier to help customers minimize the number of vendors they work with, by working with a single partner,” Coming said.
Some of the managed services offerings included in the Staples Technology Solutions division include end-user remote support, technology consulting and online backup and disaster recovery planning. The division also has dedicated IT specialists on staff who work with business customers regarding their technology and services purchases, Coming said.
Staples Technology Solutions has a number of different vendor partners which include HP, IBM, Lexmark and Fuji, but what helps set this division apart is that it’s vendor-neutral with its business partners, Coming added.
“We’re not pushing one OEM (original equipment manufacturer) product over another,” Coming said. “We’re helping our customers find the best solutions possible.”
Currently, a lot of the offerings in the division are not yet available in Canada, although Kalinoski and Coming both say they do see “significant demand” here.
“We don’t have any plans in the short-term to extend full availability beyond the U.S. market,” he said, “Right now, we’re targeting businesses in the U.S., in support of the business they also do in Canada. The Canadian marketplace is definitely a compelling marketplace though.”