Peripherals may not always be top of mind, but according to IDC Canada they are where the growth is.
The Toronto-based analyst firm reports the Canadian hardcopy peripherals market is booming, with printer and MFP devices totaling $2 billion in revenue in 2006. That’s a growth rate of 12 per cent over the previous year, outpacing overall IT sector growth by a factor of three.
IDC noted that with the server market pegged at $1.7 billion and the storage market at $1.2 billion, the peripherals market has surpassed even these IT stalwarts in terms of revenue, adding the figure doesn’t even include the higher-margin consumables market and services that surround the hardcopy peripherals market.
Within the printing arena Bradley Hughes, a senior research analyst with IDC Canada, said the segment is a crossroads with A4 technology having a disruptive impact on the A3 Monochrome MFP market.
“While the A3 market continues to be very lucrative and dominates the value of MFP shipments,” said Mr. Hughes, “A4 vendors already have customer mindshare due to the proliferation of single-function printers. Given these changes in the marketplace, training channel partners and salespeople is a critical element for vendors when promoting printing and imaging solutions.”
