Print.IT Reseller - issue 81

VOX POP 01732 759725 46 Universal Print streamlines and simplifies printing, whilst also helping businesses to lower their print volumes, reduce time and costs and ultimately improve the bottom line ...continued “These capabilities represent the future of work – including flexibility, scalability, and security. Kofax is glad to be innovating in lockstep with Microsoft to make it easy for our customers to use our technologies together.” Pietro Renda: “Improved efficiency can be reached through a seamless and easy transition from costly and complex on- premises infrastructures to transparent and integrated cloud-based services, which provide the same or greater service levels with additional security capabilities and control. “The optimal scenario will be reached when all devices will be fully cloud- connected: all the software services will be entirely resident in the cloud, so customers will not need any on-premises proxy component. Unfortunately this is more a long-term vision than an immediately available option, because most hardware and software providers still rely on locally installed devices and services, which are still needed to enable the connection with the cloud. “In the current landscape, solutions like MPS Monitor can greatly help, by consolidating multiple processes in a single platform and accelerating the transition by streamlining deployments. As an example, the MPS Monitor DCA connector not only provides device monitoring and consumables management, but it also performs all the Universal Print tasks on the customer’s network, without any need for installing additional connectors. “From a security and configuration perspective, an all-in platform like MPS Monitor provides integrated and centralised credentials and security management as well as print queue and pull print configuration with granular access rights customisation capabilities. “This integration also provides optimal support for home and remote workers, as it allows them to seamlessly print to office and home devices and ensure efficient business operations, regardless of employee location.” Kerry Rush: “Universal Print and wider cloud services bring many benefits for print and fleet management alike. Having information in the cloud means you have no physical hardware – which can be expensive to maintain or replace should failures occur. “Management via the cloud can also be much simpler as many of the functions can be automated and communication can take place in real-time. The cloud is much more administrator friendly because it stores all of the information on your print devices and fleets in one location, allowing them to monitor errors, resolve issues, update firmware or keep an eye on general workings and fleet use. “Maintenance from the cloud can also be done from anywhere, and at any time, so physical constraints are reduced, saving time and money.” Andy Johnson: “The pandemic will result in a permanent change in working behaviour, which has already complicated the work of IT leads when it comes to managing their print estates. “But the rollout of Universal Print will make this task simpler. Printers can move around between homes and offices without the need for reconfiguration and maintaining the same high level of security, while users get the flexibility to print wherever they want within a network from any location. “While Universal Print is set to become more sophisticated with time, cloud print management and MPS vendors still have a key role to play in relieving IT leads of other fleet management duties, such as reporting, maintenance and repair and supplies replenishment.” Eric McCann: “For the early adopter customers we have worked with this technology is intriguing. Many of them are on different stages of implementing Microsoft services, so that seems to be the first step. The idea of allowing your print queue to follow your Azure AD credentials for printing and the maintenance of that being removed is a key story to this support going forward. “One of the biggest keys to monitor with Universal Print is the integration with other partners (Google, Apple, etc.) for the print submission path. If this continues to be a latest only support this will require updates on the customer side and that may delay the adoption. We’re excited to join Microsoft in their efforts to easing the print burden on IT.” Howard Roberts: “In the world of office print, it’s rare to have a totally uniform client base. It’s unrealistic to expect 100% of a fleet of client devices to be Windows 10, especially with the growth in mobile devices. Adding Microsoft Universal Print- compatible devices will simplify some aspects of the management of print paths fromWindows 10 devices, but they will still need to ensure that all users, with a diverse range of client devices, have access to both on-premise and cloud- native print.” James Pittick: “Universal Print streamlines and simplifies printing, whilst also helping businesses to lower their print volumes, reduce time and costs and ultimately improve the bottom line. This means that IT professionals no longer need to manage printing infrastructure, which can free up more time for critical support areas. Moreover, there is a reduced need for physical hardware for print server infrastructure, which further drives down spending. “These cost-saving benefits will be especially advantageous for SMEs who are looking to save money on print and infrastructure costs, as it now wraps up in their Microsoft 365 subscription. Equally, as more and more businesses adapt to long-term hybrid working, Universal Print will appear increasingly attractive, as cloud software supports a dispersed workforce printing from a multitude of devices and servers.” www.papercut.com www.thinprint.com www.printix.net www.everyoneprint.com www.epson.co.uk www.kofax.com www.mpsmonitor.com www.sharp.co.uk www.brother.co.uk www.lexmark.co.uk www.hp.com www.canon.co.uk Peter Silcock Liz Benson