Staples Wants a Bigger Slice of the IT Pie
Staples Wants a Bigger Slice of the IT Pie
Posted 02/17/2010 at 6:40am
| by Paul Lilly
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You probably know Staples as the local go-to shop for office supplies, but the Massachusetts-based retailer isn't just about selling ink and printer paper. Staples Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, announced the launch of Staples Technology Solutions, a new venture the outfit hopes will help it tap into IT dollars.
"At Staples, we've built our world-class reputation by making it easy for businesses to buy office products and services," said Jay Mutschler, senior vice president of Staples Advantage. "Staples Technology Solutions combines expert service, great product selection, and our low cost-to-serve model to satisfy customers who increasingly depend on technology to run their businesses. By launching this new line of business, Staples Advantage now not only makes it easy to buy everyday office products, but becomes a reliable and cost-effective supplier of network services, data center solutions, and more."
Staples envisions its new unit acting as an extension of an in-house IT department, but says they're also capable of running an organization's entire IT operations. Some of the services offered will include managed services like on-site and remote server and desktop support for Apple, Mac, Microsoft, and Linux platforms, printing solutions, data center assessments and solutions, and more.
Image Credit: Staples
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mdkplus
February 17, 2010 at 2:32pm
It all sounds pretty ambitious, and I like Staples. This may now steer me away, I don't need them eating into my meager Mom and Pop IT shop for a customer base, and I sure don't see them offering the kind of face to face, weeknight or weekend call- me -and- talk- to- a -human immediately service that I give....at least not without a hefty premium. This will be a good job opportunity for all the ex- carpenter now turned IT professional graduates pouring out of the Tech schools.
Thursday
February 17, 2010 at 8:07pm
Why in the world would a carpenter want to trade in their very high paying job to come work in our field? My friend Joe is a carpenter/cabinet maker and clears over $80k a year! LOL
I like Staples too but I don't think you'd see too many of your customers leaving for this service. What I'd be most worried about are new customers who potentially may jump at the convenience of getting their IT services from the same place they get a lot of their SOHO tech products. I've noticed a ton of business class products being offered at my local Staples lately (Toshiba Tecra models, HP Compaq Commerical laptops) so this actually makes sense.
nekollx
February 17, 2010 at 10:03am
they support Apple, Mac, Microsoft and Linux OSes? Their's a Apple OS and Mac OS?
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Sebie Kay
February 17, 2010 at 10:10am
Yeah, if they start advertising 'Apple OS support and Mac OS support'... I am so running the other direction. This sounds like the new 'geek squad', except with much higher stakes.
Forget about accidentally deleting grandma's pictures...these guys are out to delete your bank's monthly statements!!
Will these guys also say that Mac's don't catch viruses? If they do, I would like to introduce them to Norton Antivirus... for MAC!!
-=Do unto others... THEN RUN!!=-
Thursday
February 17, 2010 at 7:57pm
To be fair guys, it's a typo in the article, not what's printed in the press release. The press release states it properly as:
"...Managed services, including on-site and remote server and desktop support for Apple(R) (Mac), Microsoft(R), and Linux platforms, and engineers certified in industry-leading certifications, such as Cisco(R), Citrix(R), and Linux;..."
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