Managing a fleet of printers and plotters can take a tremendous amount of time and work. Especially since printer management is rarely centralized. In most cases IT oversees printer security and implementation. Office management could oversee assigning rights to print to various printers and plotters along with measuring printing volumes. The purchasing team is most likely taking care of ordering and stocking paper, ink and other supplies.
When multiple departments and management are involved in managing your printer fleet, it can be a struggle to get to the real issues that are holding your printers back from maximum productivity and uptime. One InfoTrends study concluded that companies can reduce cost by 30% using managed print services (MPS). Here’s why it makes sense for companies considering managed print services.
What’s Paving the way for Investments in Printer Management
Information provided by the IDC, 45% of printers that ship by 2021 will be part of a printing-as-a-service contract. What is the steering force behind this? Most IT departments are focused on keeping pace with the ever-changing technology landscape, and printers/plotters can seem like a legacy technology that’s not part of the digital transformation many companies are looking for.
In the real world they’re a critical component of everyday workflows. Networked printers and plotters can represent an easy way to organize those plans, by ensuring that these needed devices which can print, plot, scan, copy and more fit seamlessly into all your business workflows.
Why are there so Many Pieces to this Puzzle?
For many companies, the first obstacle to overcome in the process is a lack of concrete data. Are your printers breaking down on a regular basis? Are staff members trying to print critical documents, only to find out key printers are down for service? How much are you spending on supplies or hidden inventory sitting around in closets?
With so many departments and staff members involved at any one time, it’s very difficult to know. Managed Print Services (MPS) can help you get a better handle on your data so you can make the right choices that are most effective for your business.
First Things First in Managed Print Services – Data Collection
When your company first considers managed print services (MPS), your managed print partner should begin with the collection of some very important information. In the beginning stages they will gather data on a range of areas to develop full visibility into how you’re printing environment is being utilized. Types of data collected could include:
- Number of print/plotter devices, as well as the makes and models in your current environment
- Percentage of B&W and color print jobs
- Device status
- Page Volumes
- Supply usage
- Cyber security issues
- Device utilization
- Technical issues
With this information, you’ll be in the right position to clearly assess your needs and evaluate the bottom line and productivity benefits for a proposed solution.
