Powered by MPS: Grammy Award-Winning Musicians

By Andrew Morrison, senior vice president, Xerox Managed Print Services Business

At the 2011 Grammy Awards, a young woman named Esperanza Spalding stepped on stage to accept the coveted honor of “Best New Artist.” Years of practice and instruction at the Boston-based Berklee College of Music had led her to this moment. In an interview with her alma mater, Spalding acknowledged the rarity of winning as a jazz musician. “We all know that jazz artists aren’t typically nominated in this category, so that alone is special about the award this year,” she says.

It’s also not typical for colleges and universities like Berklee to be focused on document management and printing processes – and many don’t have any idea of the cost or impact a the print environment has on  faculty and student efficiency. Time is a valuable commodity for an organization, no matter what industry. And this proves to be particularly true at Berklee, the largest independent college of contemporary music, where thousands of musicians from around the world come to learn.

Chris Swezey, director of Auxiliary Services at Berklee says, “We used to have seven different print manufacturers represented on campus. No two machines were the same model… and they were always breaking down.” This fragmented system led to a myriad of monthly vendor bills and frustrated print operators. Therefore to maintain a focus on what matters most, the college chose to adopt Xerox’s Managed Print Services (MPS) strategy.

As a result of implementing MPS, Berklee reduced its printer/copier footprint by two-thirds, freeing up valuable space in offices; saved more than $300,000 in annual costs and increased overall efficiency for students with faster print speeds. “With Xerox handling everything, we have more time and energy to focus on other, potentially more important, student and faculty issues,” says Swezey. “It’s a very positive relationship.”

Through her music, Esperanza Spalding has been able to place a newfound spotlight on the jazz community, including at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. And it is just as essential for organizations to place a spotlight on their IT infrastructures, to orchestrate greater efficiencies.  And for Berklee, that means they can focus on what matters most – making great music.  

Andrew Morrison leads the expansion and evolution of Xerox’s market-leading MPS portfolio.