Six months have passed since Youmebee, Ltd. rebranded as Coreza and began its full-court, global channel development press. With nearly one million global endpoints, the eight-year-old, Wales (UK)-based software developer is making its push to grow, increase market share, and establish itself as the go-to solution for cloud-native, unified print management.
Coreza’s brand-agnostic approach is resonating with dealers, MSPs, and OEMs alike, given the operational complexity and transition in print architecture introduced by Microsoft Windows Protected Print (WPP). WPP Mode is a security-enhanced platform that fundamentally changes how users print, incorporating much of the basic print function directly into Windows, thereby obsoleting print drivers. Together, these remove significant security risks that can lead to attackers gaining system-level access but, at the same time, require enterprises to carefully evaluate their level of preparedness. David Jenkins, founder and president of Coreza, sees the WPP transition creating an opportunity for print providers to have strategic conversations with current and prospective clients and generate net-new revenue through solution sales.
Behind the scenes, the Coreza team has been preparing for this exact moment and is bullish on its ability to provide WPP compatibility across all brands and, more importantly, in mixed environments of legacy, socket printing, and IPP protocol devices. This January, the company hired industry veteran Joe Contreras in an executive consulting role focused on global revenue and go-to-market strategy for Coreza. (Contreras spent more than six years with Epson, where he headed up North American inkjet sales and channel marketing. The two decades before that (2000-18), he worked at Toshiba.)
While most manufacturers are on top of the WPP transition, many Print/MPS dealers have been caught off guard, Contreras noted. “It’s been a mixed audience in terms of the level of knowledge on the topic, with many seeing this as a bit of a surprise.” The biggest question surrounds legacy devices and what to expect from OEMs in support for those models. Many older MIF models, dating back 10 or more years, may not be supported moving forward. With Coreza, the uncertainty becomes a non-issue, and the transition to Microsoft’s modern print stack is seamless.
Contreras cited the case of a dealer whose customer turned on WPP, not fully understanding the implications, only to have all of its print drivers blown out. “This happened late last year,” he added, “and the OEM didn’t have a print support app yet. He described the frenetic scenario as a “fire drill where …the customer couldn’t print for a few weeks.” That may serve as an extreme case, but it’s a real-world example.
Some dealers have already stepped up their game. On March 19, Document Solutions Inc. (DSI) invited Contreras to New Mexico to talk about WPP as part of its college basketball-themed “March to the Madness” Tech Show. Their proactive approach to the transition is indicative of their success in the industry.
All eyes were on New Mexico dealer Document Solutions Inc.’s “March to the Madness” tech show last month.
Contreras also pointed out that other progressive dealers, such as UBEO Business Services, have been hosting webinars covering the quandary for some time. “It’s encouraging to see dealers taking a leadership role in educating the market and leading with a brand-agnostic, right-solution-for-the-right- environment mentality.”
More About WPP Mode
Windows Protected Print (WPP) mode exclusively uses Microsoft’s Windows modern print stack, which provides additional print security benefits on PCs. Enabling WPP mode is highly recommended. According to Microsoft, its benefits include:
- Increased PC security.
- Simplified and consistent printing experience, regardless of PC architecture.
- Removing the need to manage print drivers.
WPP is designed to work with Mopria-certified printers. Many existing printers are already compatible. For more information, see Windows protected print mode device compatibility.
Enterprise administrators can secure and simplify their printer management experience using WPP mode. For more technical information, see Windows protected print mode for enterprises.
