Why DCA Needs RMM to Deliver More

Deploying a Data Capture Agent (DCA) is a foundational step toward transforming an Office Products (OP) dealer’s business model—but it should not be the final step. To unlock the full potential of data-driven intelligence, the DCA should be paired with another powerful tool: Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software. Together, these systems create a comprehensive view of the customer’s environment that neither tool can achieve on its own. Where the DCA reveals the print and IoT landscape, the RMM opens the door to broader IT visibility—allowing dealers, especially in partnership with Managed Service Providers (MSPs), to become indispensable partners in their customers’ operational workflows.

Two Lenses, One Unified Picture

To understand the synergy between DCA and RMM, it helps to consider the type of devices each monitors. The DCA is purpose-built for IoT endpoints related to print—such as desktop printers, multifunction devices, and label printers. It tracks cartridge levels, page counts, and usage trends. In contrast, RMM software focuses on traditional IT infrastructure: laptops, desktops, servers, network devices, and even cloud-based applications. It monitors system health, patch status, antivirus compliance, and user activity.

When deployed together, these two tools offer a unified view of the customer’s total endpoint environment. Every device that touches the network—whether it prints a page, stores a file, or runs a line of code—can be tracked, monitored, and managed.

This comprehensive view has enormous implications for OP dealers:

• Strategic Procurement Planning: Understanding how each endpoint is used allows for smarter purchasing decisions. High-usage endpoints can be upgraded proactively, and underutilized assets can be redeployed or phased out.
• Proactive Support: Device failures, low supply alerts, or IT vulnerabilities can trigger automated workflows that initiate support requests, order replacements, or generate reports.
• User-Level Accountability: With RMM, every user interaction with IT assets can be traced. When combined with DCA data on print usage, the dealer gains insight into which departments or individuals are driving consumption—and whether opportunities for optimization exist.
• Cross-Functional Insights: Data from both platforms can inform sustainability metrics, security assessments, and budgeting efforts—creating value across departments like finance, IT, and operations.

Why the RMM Role Falls to the MSP

Most OP dealers do not have the in-house expertise or relationships to deploy RMM software directly. That’s where the MSP partnership becomes critical. MSPs routinely deploy RMM software as part of their core offering. They already have access to the customer’s IT infrastructure and are trusted by network administrators.

This presents a unique and powerful alignment:

• The MSP installs and maintains the RMM.
• The OP dealer deploys the DCA (with or through the MSP).
• Both parties gain access to richer data and can co-create bundled services.

In this model, the MSP gains a new revenue opportunity by helping OP dealers enhance their service offering, while the OP dealer becomes more valuable to their mutual customer by offering proactive, data-driven procurement and device support.

Enhanced Customer Conversations

One of the most immediate benefits of this combined visibility is a dramatically improved quality of conversation with the end customer. Instead of talking in generalities—"how are your printers doing?" or "do you need to reorder soon?"—dealers can bring real intelligence to the table:

• “We noticed that your remote users are printing 3x more than the office staff—should we adjust supply routes?”
• “Device A has had three errors in the last 30 days—should we plan a replacement?”
• “This desktop printer is underused and costly to maintain—shall we consolidate it with this nearby multifunction device?”

These are strategic, insight-driven interactions. They position the dealer as a partner who understands the customer’s actual business processes—not just a vendor fulfilling orders.

Building the Platform for Automation

Another major advantage of pairing the DCA with RMM software is that it lays the foundation for automated workflows. For example:

• Low toner signals trigger email notifications to reorder from the dealer’s e-commerce platform.
• Device failures create tickets in a service system managed by the dealer or MSP.
• Security or patching issues identified by the RMM are escalated alongside printing issues—providing holistic IT support.

Automation reduces manual workload, improves response times, and creates a seamless customer experience that is very difficult for online competitors to replicate. It also makes the dealer’s services “sticky”—once integrated into the customer’s operational workflow, switching providers becomes more disruptive.

Creating a Data Moat Competitors Can’t Cross

E-commerce platforms may have pricing power, large catalogs, and fast shipping—but they lack visibility. They can’t see when supplies are needed, which devices are in use, or where inefficiencies lie. Even if they could, they lack the service relationships and field presence to act on that data.

By contrast, OP dealers who leverage DCA + RMM integration develop what’s known as a “data moat”—a defensible advantage built on proprietary insight into the customer’s environment. The longer the tools run, the deeper the insights become. This creates a barrier to entry that price alone cannot overcome.

The Dealer as Ecosystem Integrator

Ultimately, the goal is not to compete with MSPs or replace IT departments—it’s to become part of the ecosystem. By working in tandem with MSPs and aligning with IT goals, OP dealers can move upstream in the value chain. They are no longer order-takers—they are insight providers, procurement partners, and automation enablers.

But it all begins with visibility. The DCA sees the print world. The RMM sees the IT world. Together, they give dealers the intelligence they need to thrive in a world where knowledge—not catalogs—is the key to customer loyalty.

Related Reading:

Data-Driven Dealer Advantage: Leveraging Data Capture Agent (DCA) insights allows OP dealers to unlock hidden revenue streams, optimize operations, and offer new services, transforming data into actionable value.