Not all Managed Print Services are alike. Some promise simply to install print devices and service them when they break. Others promise to transform your office infrastructure and launch a digital transformation.
MPS can be a transformative service. It can also be a useful management tool. But when considering an MPS provider, what do current innovations and market trends mean for the average office? There are a few MPS trends and technologies we believe IT departments should pay special attention to:
1. You Say You Want a Digital Transformation?
Many businesses today still run on paper – think loan origination, claims processing, accounts payable and human resources. MPS can help organizations analyze not only print usage but also document workflow across enterprise business processes. With that information, business process analysts can improve your print-related processes and make recommendations for workflow enhancement or even automation. MPS can:
- Deploy remote monitoring tools to streamline device management, helping to understand user behavior.
- Eliminate the paper bottleneck through digitization document capture and routing capabilities.
- Integrate with Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and other enterprise systems.
- Deliver digital workflow services that automate manual, paper-based processes.
- Scan and digitize paper documents using character recognition software.
However, workflow automation is a complicated, technical process, and many small vendors may lack the resources and expertise to make it happen. If you are interested in these services, make sure your provider can deliver.
2. Can it Secure Your Printers?
MPS can ensure that your print jobs are secure, whether you need to secure a small business or a single department within a large company. Most MPS solutions allow for different types of authentication to suit your business needs. Some of the basic steps MPS can take to secure a print environment are:
- Control access to the printer and its functions.
- Keep printer software up-to-date so that all security patches from vendors are installed.
- Ensure data is secure at every stage of the workflow–from the data path along the network to the device itself.
- Include printers in standard network security measures and policies
MPS providers are enabling businesses to close the print security gap through comprehensive security assessment services, although the level of depth varies by provider. Again, analytic insight is key. Advanced MFPs enable automatic firmware upgrades, device monitoring and diagnostics, predictive maintenance and device authentication to secure all devices.
3. But is it Environmentally Friendly?
The most commonly cited reason to employ MPS is that it delivers cost savings and better performance. But did you know MPS can be environmentally friendly?
An MPS can decrease your overall output and consumption by installing affordable, secure, reliable print equipment helps to eliminate unnecessary print jobs. That can cut your budget and be good for the environment. Businesses consume less by instituting print rules according to end user or department, and by educating employees on how to use their printers, scanners and copiers more effectively.
Environmentally conscious technologies include double-sided printing, black and white printing and routing emails to PDF, all of which can significantly reduce the consumption of materials like toner and paper and cut down on energy usage.
In many offices, organizations are finding it possible to even go entirely paperless. Consider the fact that close to 30 percent of print jobs are never retrieved by the end user, it makes sense to establish electronic systems that reduce or eliminate the need for paper, while simplifying the way your employees communicate. Scanning documents to the cloud is a secure, efficient alternative to printing which makes them easily accessible, enhances collaboration and reduces your dependency on paper.
Today’s Managed Print solutions can benefit organizations of all sizes in unexpected ways. If you’d like to discover the benefits of a Managed Print program for your organization, contact us today for a no-cost, no-obligation Managed Print Needs Assessment.
