7 Benefits of Cloud Print Management

Managed print services are a modern solution for many businesses to manage their perpetual copy and print issues. Cloud print services are one of the most important tools to keep your print infrastructure up and running smoothly. Using the cloud allows you to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and allows your team to do what they do best whilst your print programme is taken care of.

Cloud printing enables a wide range of digital devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and workstations, to connect to printers. Traditional printing is reliant on cables and is frequently complicated by connectivity issues, compatibility issues, and software driver issues. You no longer need printer drivers when using cloud print services. Instead, the printer can easily connect to the device and obtain all the necessary information from the cloud. This can potentially prove to be more dependable and seamless, and it also has many other advantages.

For example, in just a few simple steps, you can register your Microsoft 365 account with Xerox^® Workplace Cloud, and all your printers are instantly connected.

Other benefits of choosing cloud print services for your business, include:

Cost-cutting measures

Cloud print management can help you save costs by reducing the need for on-premises infrastructure and maintenance. It can also optimise printing resources, leading to more efficient use of printers and consumables.

Cloud printing eliminates the need for your company to purchase, install, and maintain printer hardware and software, not to mention the administration of printer drivers. Reporting and analytics tools also provide a better line of sight across the fleet and may help to uncover workflow inefficiencies or cost-saving opportunities.

Reduced environmental impact

Every company wants to be more sustainable and more energy efficient, and cloud print services can help you on your sustainability journey.

Printing from the cloud can help to reduce waste. Through features like print job tracking and reporting, you can identify and minimise unnecessary printing. This not only saves costs but also contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing paper and energy consumption.

Implementing print rules such as black and white printing or double-sided printing can help reduce print expenditure and encourage more sustainable print habits.

Managed print services are another way to ensure that toner and paper products are used responsibly.

BYOD and print

Cloud print management often supports mobile printing, enabling users to print documents from various devices such as smartphones and tablets. This is especially important in today's mobile and remote work environments.

With employees increasingly bringing their own devices to the office, they want to use their own smartphone or tablet because they don’t necessarily know why mobile printing could be a security issue. When you invest in cloud print services, your employees will be able to print from any internet-connected device and your network remains secure. They won’t have to worry about drivers or compatibility, reducing the burden on your IT staff and help desk.

Easy software updates

Cloud-based solutions provide flexibility and scalability, allowing you to easily adapt to changing printing needs. This is particularly beneficial for businesses with fluctuating print volumes.

A key feature of a cloud print management solution is how you manage updating software on a large network. This can be time-consuming and print drivers have long been the bane of IT departments. Using cloud print services allows you to take advantage of automatic, real-time software updates even when you have some users with Mac and other users with Microsoft Windows computers. We will always keep your print network up-to-date and secure, ensuring your users have access to the functionality they need while your administrators have the analytics related to every MFD or other networked printer. You won’t have to worry about updating software on your employees’ devices because they don’t need any special software to connect.

Ease of use

Any company that relies on multiple printers and devices and requires a large volume of printed material every month understands how difficult and time-consuming it can be to keep everything up to date. A cloud-based printing solution is extremely simple to set up and maintain, especially with automated driver management.

Cloud print management allows for centralised control and monitoring of printing activities. This makes it easier for administrators to manage and optimise the entire print environment from a single interface.

Cloud print management can enhance user productivity by offering convenient and efficient printing options. Users can easily access printers, manage print jobs and troubleshoot printing issues, leading to a smoother printing experience.

Serverless and more secure

The cost of establishing and maintaining cloud printing is significantly lower than the cost of establishing and maintaining extensive IT infrastructure. It is less stressful and easier to outsource your printing to cloud-printing services rather than using extensive resources to do it yourself.

Furthermore, cloud print can also help improve security. Cloud print management solutions typically include security features to protect sensitive documents and data. These may include user authentication, encryption and secure printing options.

Print rules management

This can help you tailor future printer investments and even your guidelines for what should and should not be printed. You can use essential print rules to control costs and restrict access to devices or features at the user or group level. This can help you enable job quotas to limit print volume per user by day, week or month.

When you work with an experienced MPS provider to design and install your print services, they can help you setup print rules to help you reduce print expenditure without compromising on efficiency. Cloud print services are one way to obtain more useful information while maintaining control over the print services provided to your employees.