Coordinating all the printing for large enterprises can be cumbersome and complex. It should be easy enough. After all, you should just need to hit print. However, a million different things could go wrong, leaving you without those important documents you need.
There is a way to simplify print services and prevent printer problems from occurring when you least expect them. Turning to managed print services could be the answer that makes sense for your business.
What are managed print services?
Managed print services (MPS) streamline print management so that all your printers are controlled by a single source. It includes the equipment, maintenance, end-user support, servicing, and oversight. In other words, it gets the business of printing off your plate. Let’s look at why managed print services can benefit your business.
Consolidate vendors
Every company wants to have fewer vendors – it makes every process so much easier. With a large company, you may have many different brands of printers, with separate vendors to service them. Then you have ink and toner coming from still another vendor. With managed print services, one vendor can do it all.
A managed print services (MPS) company begins working with you by completing an assessment of all your printers and then develops a plan to keep them all running properly.
Reduce printing costs
Printing is expensive! Thousands of pages are printed each year by each employee. But this can also represent a waste of money and resources. However, with managed print services, you can reduce operating costs by as much as 30% by organizing your internal print activity:
- Optimizing hardware costs
- Buying supplies from a single source
- Offloading repair and maintenance from your internal IT staff
- Minimizing waste
- Consuming less energy
- Using less toner
This drive to reduce costs has actually caused the managed print services industry to grow exponentially.
In addition to reducing operational costs, a MPS provider can help you consolidate equipment and replace old printers with more modern and efficient ones. With more consistent printer maintenance costs, you can more accurately budget for equipment expenses, and you can avoid more of the unexpected business costs of failing print hardware.
Decrease help desk calls
Printing is an essential function for employees, and when the printer goes down, they reach out to IT. Your IT staff is spending way too much time on these printing challenges. This adds up and keeps them from working on other more complex or strategic issues. With managed print services, you can redirect these calls to one specific vendor handling all of it.
Enhance employee efficiency
Now that you have a partner to take care of your printing needs, your employees can focus on their work. You’ll have less downtime so there’s no lost productivity with print hardware, software and supplies.
Create a greener office environment
By reducing printer waste and creating a more effective process, you’ll operate a much more eco-friendly business. This will contribute to a more sustainable workplace that is using less paper and fewer supplies to reduce environmental impact – and create additional savings.
Enhance security
Printer security is a huge threat to all organizations in a networked environment. New printers have better tools for security since they are all connected to your cloud. Old ones could present a security risk and may not be compatible with the increasingly diverse endpoint devices on your network.
Your managed printing service partner will sort out new security updates or changes to firmware for your print devices. The threat of cyberattacks is increasing for any type of business, and printers can be a sneaky way into your systems for cyberattackers. With managed print services, you can reduce the chance of a breach.
Related: The business value of printer security
Make sure your managed print service works with a print security leader like HP. HP Enterprise printers are some of the most secure printers available and can detect and self-heal from malware. Gain peace of mind with office printers that offer real-time threat detection, automated monitoring, and built-in software validation.
There are many benefits to transitioning to managed print services. As your business and technology needs change, managed print should become a critical part of your IT managed services. You’ll feel confident that your printers will work when expected – and you’ll save your employees from distractions, delays and hassles.
As a leading provider of technology solutions, Microserve offers managed print services including strategic analysis, consolidation, optimization, and carbon footprint reduction. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you manage your printing.
