{"id":11735,"date":"2015-03-25T09:59:24","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T16:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=11735"},"modified":"2016-09-15T10:03:14","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T17:03:14","slug":"can-it-get-any-better-for-all-covered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/2015\/03\/can-it-get-any-better-for-all-covered\/","title":{"rendered":"Can It Get Any Better for All Covered?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nick

Nick Pegley<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s been nearly five years since Konica Minolta acquired All Covered and all indications are that the acquisition has been an unqualified success. The All Covered networked continues to grow with the company recently completing its fifteenth and sixteenth acquisitions in Detroit and Atlanta. Prior to those two acquisitions, All Covered had grown from 300 to 700 employees. Indeed, the company just keeps getting bigger and bigger.<\/p>\n

In February we sat down with All Covered\u2019s Vice President, Marketing Nick Pegley to talk about the organization\u2019s growth and performance along with what\u2019s in store for the coming year.<\/p>\n

It was hardly a surprise that Pegley predicts more acquisitions and more growth. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a big year for our organization. The growth curve is going to accelerate and acquisitions will be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pegley points out that the acquisitions bring with them new ideas, diversity, opportunities in new markets, and technology expertise for different vertical markets.<\/p>\n

One of All Covered\u2019s previous acquisitions added SharePoint development to the mix. \u201cWe\u2019ve always wanted to have real application development and now we have it,\u201d states Pegley.<\/p>\n

Prior to being acquired by Konica Minolta in what\u2019s almost ancient history by now, All Covered was no stranger to acquisitions. \u201cThe difference is because of Konica Minolta\u2019s resources we can acquire bigger companies,\u201d says Pegley. \u201cWe\u2019re not just looking at 10 or 15-person companies, we\u2019re now looking at 50-60 person companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

SMBs, companies with 10-150 employees, represent the prime market for All Covered services. But even that\u2019s evolving as the company targets midsized enterprises. In fact, All Covered now provides a Help Desk for a company with 24,000 employees.<\/p>\n

Could All Covered have handled a customer of that size before the acquisition?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wouldn\u2019t have looked at us,\u201d acknowledges Pegley.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the various acquisitions All Covered has virtually all major markets well covered. Now they\u2019re building out their footprint in the Midwest and markets such as Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cleveland. They\u2019re also making inroads in Des Moines and Kansas City. \u201cKind of that middle of the market,\u201d reveals Pegley.<\/p>\n

The goal, ultimately, is to fill be in any market where Konica Minolta has a strong presence. \u201cIf they\u2019re strong in a city and we\u2019re not there, we kind of have to do a deal there,\u201d notes Pegley.<\/p>\n

Also key to its growth strategy is building up its expertise within certain vertical markets. Legal, education, and finance are areas where All Covered has done an excellent job of strengthening its vertical expertise. For example, one acquisition in Philadelphia added an organization that was knowledgeable about FDIC compliance and specialized in servicing community banks.<\/p>\n

Healthcare is the next big opportunity. \u201cWe already have a foot in that marketplace so we have some confidence in security and compliance with HIPAA-type services,\u201d says Pegley.<\/p>\n

Besides looking for an IT company that specializes in healthcare, they\u2019re also looking for companies that are strong in manufacturing as well as state and local governments.<\/p>\n

Does he see a point where the All Covered network hits maximum capacity and there are no more markets to conquer?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so because you\u2019re talking about companies with between 10-100 employees in the U.S. or 1.1-1.4 million businesses. If you look at the bigger opportunities, Konica Minolta has 100,000 clients so I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll run out,\u201d responds Pegley. \u201cIt\u2019s just getting to them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

All this growth means nothing if Konica Minolta\u2019s dealers aren\u2019t buying into the Konica Minolta\/All Covered message. \u00a0Apparently, growing numbers are taking advantage of the resources All Covered offers. Plus because IT is complicated All Covered can be an asset to a dealer even if they are already offering some sort of IT services.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of bigger ones have own IT and sometimes we can help fill some gaps,\u201d states Pegley. \u201cIT is a complicated game. It\u2019s not 9-5, it\u2019s 24\/7.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Pegley explains, some dealers might be able to provide support during regular business hours, but can\u2019t provide the after-hours support. In addition, All Covered can provide them with application development, something many dealers don\u2019t offer. \u201cWe can be complimentary,\u201d states Pegley. \u201cThe message Rick Taylor gave us was build a program that helps Konica Minolta dealers transform their business in the same way we\u2019re transforming Konica Minolta.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pegley says he\u2019s satisfied with the number of dealers who have signed up for the program so far\u2014about one third of Konica Minolta\u2019s dealers. \u00a0\u201cI think it\u2019s great,\u201d says Pegley.<\/p>\n

In his line of work, Pegley talks to a lot of dealers and they\u2019ve got a lot of questions. Most want to get a better understanding of the basics of Managed Services while others are more interested in new technology\u2014cloud and security. There\u2019s also a lot of interest in the virtual desktop environment. \u201cThat\u2019s a great way for the dealer to present next-generation technology to a customer,\u201d says Pegley. \u201cThe more sophisticated ones want to know about technology, how do I go to market, and how do I hire sales people with the IT skills?\u201d<\/p>\n

If Managed Services is inevitable, what\u2019s the key to success?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you just dabble, you\u2019re going to have a problem,\u201d opines Pegley. \u201cBut if you go all in and say we\u2019re going to make this work, everyone in the company will take their signals from the leader. If they get the signal that this is serious and not just an experiment that\u2019s going to go away, it catches the light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can he discourage dealers from dabbling?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage them to try. We\u2019ve made the program accessible so there\u2019s no high hurdles. It\u2019s flexible, there\u2019s no upfront cash, but we do encourage them to make the commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

And making the commitment is what Konica Minolta has done with All Covered and that growth is an example of a commitment that\u2019s paying dividends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been nearly five years since Konica Minolta acquired All Covered and all indications are that the acquisition has been an unqualified success. The All Covered networked continues to grow with the company recently completing its fifteenth and sixteenth acquisitions in Detroit and Atlanta. Prior to those two acquisitions, All Covered had grown from 300 to 700 employees. Indeed, the company just keeps getting bigger and bigger. In February we sat down with All Covered\u2019s Vice President, Marketing Nick Pegley to talk about the organization\u2019s growth and performance along with what\u2019s in store for the coming year. It was hardly a surprise that Pegley predicts more acquisitions and more growth. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a big year for our organization. The growth curve is going to accelerate and acquisitions will be part of that.\u201d Pegley points out that the acquisitions bring with them new ideas, diversity, opportunities in new markets, and technology expertise for different vertical markets. One of All Covered\u2019s previous acquisitions added SharePoint development to the mix. \u201cWe\u2019ve always wanted to have real application development and now we have it,\u201d states Pegley. Prior to being acquired by Konica Minolta in what\u2019s almost ancient history by now, All Covered was no stranger to acquisitions. \u201cThe difference is because of Konica Minolta\u2019s resources we can acquire bigger companies,\u201d says Pegley. \u201cWe\u2019re not just looking at 10 or 15-person companies, we\u2019re now looking at 50-60 person companies.\u201d SMBs, companies with 10-150 employees, represent the prime market for All Covered services. But even that\u2019s evolving as the company targets midsized enterprises. In fact, All Covered now provides a Help Desk for a company with 24,000 employees. Could All Covered have handled a customer of that size before the acquisition? \u201cThey wouldn\u2019t have looked at us,\u201d acknowledges Pegley. Thanks to the various acquisitions All Covered has virtually all major markets well covered. Now they\u2019re building out their footprint in the Midwest and markets such as Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cleveland. They\u2019re also making inroads in Des Moines and Kansas City. \u201cKind of that middle of the market,\u201d reveals Pegley. The goal, ultimately, is to fill be in any market where Konica Minolta has a strong presence. \u201cIf they\u2019re strong in a city and we\u2019re not there, we kind of have to do a deal there,\u201d notes Pegley. Also key to its growth strategy is building up its expertise within certain vertical markets. Legal, education, and finance are areas where All Covered has done an excellent job of strengthening its vertical expertise. For example, one acquisition in Philadelphia added an organization that was knowledgeable about FDIC compliance and specialized in servicing community banks. Healthcare is the next big opportunity. \u201cWe already have a foot in that marketplace so we have some confidence in security and compliance with HIPAA-type services,\u201d says Pegley. Besides looking for an IT company that specializes in healthcare, they\u2019re also looking for companies that are strong in manufacturing as well as state and local governments. Does he see a point where the All Covered network hits maximum capacity and there are no more markets to conquer? \u201cI don\u2019t think so because you\u2019re talking about companies with between 10-100 employees in the U.S. or 1.1-1.4 million businesses. If you look at the bigger opportunities, Konica Minolta has 100,000 clients so I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll run out,\u201d responds Pegley. \u201cIt\u2019s just getting to them all.\u201d All this growth means nothing if Konica Minolta\u2019s dealers aren\u2019t buying into the Konica Minolta\/All Covered message. \u00a0Apparently, growing numbers are taking advantage of the resources All Covered offers. Plus because IT is complicated All Covered can be an asset to a dealer even if they are already offering some sort of IT services. \u201cSome of bigger ones have own IT and sometimes we can help fill some gaps,\u201d states Pegley. \u201cIT is a complicated game. It\u2019s not 9-5, it\u2019s 24\/7.\u201d As Pegley explains, some dealers might be able to provide support during regular business hours, but can\u2019t provide the after-hours support. In addition, All Covered can provide them with application development, something many dealers don\u2019t offer. \u201cWe can be complimentary,\u201d states Pegley. \u201cThe message Rick Taylor gave us was build a program that helps Konica Minolta dealers transform their business in the same way we\u2019re transforming Konica Minolta.\u201d Pegley says he\u2019s satisfied with the number of dealers who have signed up for the program so far\u2014about one third of Konica Minolta\u2019s dealers. \u00a0\u201cI think it\u2019s great,\u201d says Pegley. In his line of work, Pegley talks to a lot of dealers and they\u2019ve got a lot of questions. Most want to get a better understanding of the basics of Managed Services while others are more interested in new technology\u2014cloud and security. There\u2019s also a lot of interest in the virtual desktop environment. \u201cThat\u2019s a great way for the dealer to present next-generation technology to a customer,\u201d says Pegley. \u201cThe more sophisticated ones want to know about technology, how do I go to market, and how do I hire sales people with the IT skills?\u201d If Managed Services is inevitable, what\u2019s the key to success? \u201cIf you just dabble, you\u2019re going to have a problem,\u201d opines Pegley. \u201cBut if you go all in and say we\u2019re going to make this work, everyone in the company will take their signals from the leader. If they get the signal that this is serious and not just an experiment that\u2019s going to go away, it catches the light.\u201d Can he discourage dealers from dabbling? \u201cWe encourage them to try. We\u2019ve made the program accessible so there\u2019s no high hurdles. It\u2019s flexible, there\u2019s no upfront cash, but we do encourage them to make the commitment.\u201d And making the commitment is what Konica Minolta has done with All Covered and that growth is an example of a commitment that\u2019s paying dividends.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1638],"tags":[104,224,2122,328],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11735"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11735"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11795,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11735\/revisions\/11795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}