I don't hear it much anymore, but I remember that for a while there it was fashionable conversation to ask mind-bending, out-of-place-in-time-and-space questions like, "What if Mozart was born in the Stone Age, before there was any such thing as a piano, or perhaps even music?"

Easy to see how this made for great cocktail conversations, right?

Of course there's a cart-and-horse element that spoils this "Twilight Zone" scenario, thanks to John Locke and his tabula rasa blank slate. Still, something deep inside each of us does seem to respond positively to the suggestion that the epoch we occupy is the one we were specifically outfitted for in the factory.

As we tumble into next year, "the rate of business model change from traditional break-and-fix IT support to managed services will accelerate faster than at any time in the past several years, moving into double digits," according to the Institute for Partner Education & Development (IPED). The reason: Managed services lower customer costs, reduce waste and equipment failure, and provide a reliable recurring revenue stream for managed service providers.

Managed print is no exception, so if you're thinking of embarking on a managed print services business and wondering if now is the right time, it is

A new report titled "Market Shift Increasingly Favors Managed Print" is up right now on the Business Transformation site, and of course it's free (and you don't have to fill out a form to read it). It's a quick read that really drives home the managed print opportunity that's out there in the market.

Take a look at it here. And thank your lucky stars it's not a cave drawing.