Patent ID: 8164778

Claim:
A management server configured to manage a plurality of image forming apparatuses capable of executing data communication with the management server and to execute processing for dispatching a service engineer with respect to at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the management server comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire operation information and failure information from each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses; a storage unit configured to store the operation information and the failure information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses acquired by the acquisition unit; a first detection unit configured to detect an image forming apparatus that requires the dispatch of a service engineer based on first analysis processing executed by using either one of or both of the operation information and the failure information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored on the storage unit; a second detection unit configured to detect an image forming apparatus that requires the dispatch of a service engineer based on second analysis processing, which is different from the first analysis processing, executed by using either one of or both of the operation information and the failure information about the plurality of image forming apparatuses stored on the storage unit in response to the first detection unit having detected the image forming apparatus that requires the dispatch of a service engineer; and an execution unit configured to execute processing for dispatching a service engineer with respect to the image forming apparatuses that have been respectively detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, wherein the first analysis processing includes processing for analyzing whether it is required to dispatch a service engineer with respect to a failure occurring on at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and wherein the second analysis processing includes processing for analyzing whether it is predicted that a failure that requires requesting the dispatch of a service engineer occurs on at least one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses.