Printers and copiers aren’t falling out of fashion anytime soon. Whether you own a small business or manage a Fortune 500 enterprise, your business needs printing equipment. But keeping up with a fleet of printers can prove challenging for even the most efficient of companies.
Supply replenishment, cost control, service and support, and information security are just some of the challenges common in a typical organization’s printing environment. A successful print management strategy can do wonders for your business, but putting one in place on your own can take time, resources, and personnel away from your core business.
If you’re looking to cut costs, improve service, secure your printing environment, and make it more sustainable, Managed Print Services (MPS) offers a way to do just that. Here, we’ll go in-depth about MPS, its various benefits and incentives, and whether it is a viable strategy for your organization.
Managed Print Services: What Is It?
Just as the name implies, Managed Print Services is a suite of services to help you manage your organization’s printing environment, from printers and copiers to fax machines and other document output systems. MPS providers offer a broad range of services, from ink, toner, and paper supplies to document workflow solutions and help desk support.
When you think about it, the logistics of managing your own printing equipment are surprisingly complex. In a typical organization, various aspects of print management may be spread across multiple departments. For instance, your office management handles printer rights and permissions, but you rely on your purchasing department to order more paper and toner. Meanwhile, you rely on your IT staff to protect your printer fleet against all types of threats.
As you can imagine, self-managing your printing environment can take a toll on overall productivity and your organization’s bottom line. Managed Print Services is an effective way to leverage your business’s strengths and for your team to focus on value-adding tasks.
The Benefits of Managed Print Services
Being without an effective print strategy can prove costly for your organization in more ways than one. Here’s what an effective Managed Print Services strategy can do for your business:
Greater Transparency
Imagine being able to monitor various aspects of your print environment but on a granular level—for example, ink and toner usage and which printers have the highest cost per page. That’s nearly impossible with an unmanaged print environment, but Managed Print Services makes it easier.
Your MPS partnership starts with a comprehensive look at your current print environment. Most MPS providers will spend the first month or so gathering useful metrics, including device types and quantities, page volumes, and supply usage. With these metrics, your MPS provider can accurately assess and monitor your print usage and needs.
Streamlined Workflow
Even something as simple as printer placement can impact workflow and productivity. MPS lets you optimize your print fleet placement to minimize idle times and put printed materials within closer reach. Instead of moving across the entire building or between floors, employees can enjoy easier accessibility and increased efficiency.
MPS also takes the inefficiency out of your print fleet. You’ll always have access to the latest and most efficient printing equipment, tailored specifically to your printing needs and business goals.
Improved Security
In today’s ultra-connected world, keeping your network safe from online hackers and other malicious threats is a never-ending battle. Your computers and other office equipment may be well-protected, but it’s easy to overlook the rest of your infrastructure.
Printers and copiers are especially vulnerable to an ever-growing array of security risks. Through a custom-tailored security plan, your MPS provider can identify and mitigate these threats with ease.
Reduced Workloads
Your IT department has a lot on its plate, and it probably sees your printer fleet as yet another load to shoulder. With Managed Print Services, your IT teams have one less burden to deal with. Instead of diagnosing printer issues and dealing with equipment failures, your IT department can focus on its core tasks.
The same goes for other departments once involved in the printer fleet. With a Managed Print Services provider, your employees can focus more on everyday tasks and less on maintaining your imaging devices. The end result is a measurable increase in overall productivity and a reduced burden on your staff.
Reduced Expenses
At the end of the day, the bottom line matters. An unmanaged print environment or even one that’s self-managed is not just expensive, but it also offers a cloudy picture of your organization’s true print expenses.
Through regular audits and other ways of categorizing print costs more efficiently, Managed Print Services let you track your print costs with precision. Having the full picture makes it easier to accurately budget outlays on printer resources while reducing excess costs.
Smoother Regulatory Compliance
Dealing with unique regulatory requirements like HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley can be frustrating, even for large-scale enterprises. Managed Print Services make it easier to comply with these and other government regulations, saving your organization valuable time and costs.
Is Managed Print Services Right for You?
Now that you know more about Managed Print Services, you’re probably wondering if it’s the right solution for your business.
Simply put, any organization can benefit from Managed Print Services, regardless of size. You can have three or four machines for your small business – or hundreds of devices spread out over several satellite offices across the region. Either way, the rewards reaped through Managed Print Services remain the same.
Recent studies have shown that adopting an MPS strategy can save your organization up to 30 percent in overall costs. Managed Print Services is a must for any business that seeks to reduce costs while enhancing productivity.
If your Green Bay, Fox Valley, Lakeshore or Milwaukee area business is interested in learning more about Managed Print Services, contact us today.