PRINTITRESELLER.UK 37 opportunity, they will own it,” he said. “There is a pledge from us that we will never attempt to take a customer from a customer.” Furthermore, SCAN-BANK entitlements remain linked to the partner that originally developed the opportunity. “If one of your competitors takes that off you, we will not offer them SCAN-BANK.” Aligned with market trends Eaton believes the company’s arrival coincides with several major market trends. The first is growing demand for multi-vendor environments. The second is increasing concern around cybersecurity and data sovereignty. The third is the need for new recurring revenue streams at a time when traditional managed print revenues remain under pressure. “I think that’s sometimes it’s having the right thing in the right time in the right place. The products we’re bringing to market address security and compliance, and they are hot tickets right now,” he said. Eaton points to the growing regulatory pressure facing organisations and their leadership teams. “When the new UK Cyber Act comes into force this year, the fines will be 4% of global turnover, and senior executives can be held personally responsible for breaches. Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly personal if you’re a CIO or a CISO, and when things get personal, they want to know solutions exist.” For Eaton, that is ultimately where Folio1’s opportunity lies, enabling partners to move beyond discussions about devices and print volumes towards higher-value conversations around risk, governance, automation and compliance, while creating new recurring revenue opportunities in the process. www.folio1.solutions saying to them, ‘Come in as our agents’,” Eaton explained. The model is designed to give experienced industry figures an opportunity to generate commission income while helping Folio1 build awareness in the market. At the same time, Eaton makes it clear that partner recruitment remains fundamental. The company is also engaging with manufacturers and exploring opportunities with partners to extend reach into larger enterprise accounts. Turning scans into recurring revenue Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of the Folio1 proposition is SCAN-BANK, an exclusive programme designed to help partners monetise document scanning activity. Eaton believes scanning remains an under-utilised revenue opportunity for much of the channel. “We’re giving people options to earn money from new and interesting things, but also by monetising the things they’ve been giving away free for 20 years, which is scans,” he said. Powered by Zeendoc, SCAN-BANK creates a recurring revenue stream linked to customer scan volumes. Partners receive an upfront margin on software sales and ongoing payments based on scanning activity. “SCAN-BANK is very much designed around giving partners that annual recurring revenue that they quite frankly lack today,” he added. The programme pays enhanced revenue during the first year and continues generating income throughout the life of the customer relationship. Importantly, Eaton believes the model helps partners protect existing managed print services accounts while creating additional value around document capture and workflow. Folio1 also includes protections designed to reward partner investment. “If a customer comes to us with an Security, workflow and compliance While print remains a key component of the proposition, much of the value lies in document management and workflow automation. Zeendoc combines intelligent capture, workflow capabilities, archiving and compliance functions in a platform designed to help organisations manage information securely. Eaton highlights security as one of its most important differentiators. “You can’t put a document into Zeendoc and open it if it contains code. Zeendoc takes the original and creates a PDF/A out of it, while retaining the original document separately.” The original source file remains available and, in the case of Microsoft Office documents, can still be edited through Microsoft’s online applications. Beyond security, Zeendoc provides a broad range of document-centric capabilities. These include OCR, indexing, e-signature functionality and certified document distribution. Eaton said: “It’s got a Rolls Royce level OCR engine powered by ABBYY Vantage. You can index a document, you can e-sign a document, you can send a document to somebody as a certified original for compliance.” The solution is also designed to be deployed quickly and is cost-effective. A one-year licence costs around £1,800. That includes three-days’ professional services, and it’s set up within days, not months. To encourage adoption, Folio1 is offering a one-year trial arrangement with a nominal setup fee. “Zeendoc comes with a one-year trial licence, which the customer can exit after one month, paying only a setup fee of £150,” Eaton said. That fee includes time with a technical architect to help configure the system around the customer’s workflows and operational requirements. A channel-first route to market Folio1’s approach to market is 100% channel-led. “People buy from people and we feel that the channel own those relationships, so we will never engage directly,” he confirmed. In addition to recruiting partners directly, the company plans to work with respected industry professionals operating as sales agents, helping extend market reach through established relationships. “We’re talking to people who are well-respected and well-known, and ONE-TO-ONE
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