As more businesses shift to hybrid work models, managing print infrastructure across many locations becomes challenging. Managed Print Services (MPS) can help you overcome many of these challenges by streamlining the print environment and making it more flexible and secure.
What Are Managed Print Services (MPS)?
Managed Print Services, also known as MPS, is a comprehensive approach to an organization’s printing infrastructure. This system goes beyond traditional printing to encompass the entire document lifecycle, including digital workflows, document capture, and electronic distribution. MPS covers hardware, supplies, IT support, and workflow optimization for physical and digital documents.
For hybrid work in particular, MPS has become crucial because it ensures consistent, secure, and efficient document management for all employees regardless of location.
MPS providers typically offer:
- Cloud-based printing, enabling employees to print from anywhere
- Remote printer management across all office locations
- Enhanced security for distributed access management and printing
- Document workflow tools
There are many benefits managed print services can bring to your organization, including cost savings, increased operational efficiency, greater sustainability, enhanced security, and more.
Managed Print Services in Hybrid Work Environments
The shift to hybrid work means that businesses often can’t guarantee that employees can access in-office equipment when they need it. As a result, it has transformed how businesses approach their print infrastructure.
Here are three ways MPS helps businesses meet these new challenges:
1. Flexible Print Solutions
MPS enables secure printing for both office and remote workers through cloud-based printing. This means employees can send print jobs from any device and location, then securely print these documents at any company printer or even at secure public printing facilities.
This flexibility is crucial in hybrid work environments where employees may need to print documents while working from home, on the road, or in satellite offices. It makes sure that printing capabilities are always available, regardless of where a team member is working from that day.
2. Remote Fleet Management
MPS providers can monitor and manage printers across distributed locations, including home offices.
This comprehensive approach includes:
- Real-time monitoring of printer status and supplies
- Automatic supply replenishment
- Proactive maintenance to prevent downtime
- Remote troubleshooting and support
By managing the print fleet remotely, MPS ensures that all printers, whether in the office or at employees' homes, work efficiently and securely. This is especially important in hybrid work environments where on-site IT support may not always be available.
3. Enhanced Security for Distributed Printing
With employees accessing and printing documents from various locations, security becomes a top priority. MPS allows organizations to implement robust security measures to protect sensitive information across all printing devices, without compromising flexibility.
These measures include:
- Secure print release to ensure documents are only printed when the user is physically present at the printer
- Data encryption to protect documents in transit
- User authentication to control access to printing devices and features
- Regular security updates to protect against emerging threats
In short, MPS ensures that sensitive documents are protected throughout the printing process, from the moment an employee initiates a print job to when the document is collected from the printer.
How to Choose a Managed Print Service For Your Hybrid Business
When considering whether to implement Managed Print Services, it's important to assess its value for your organization and choose the right provider.
Remote managed print services can streamline your printing infrastructure and add a layer of security, while still maintaining the flexibility that remote and hybrid organizations need.
Here’s how to determine which solution is best for you:
Are Managed Print Services Worth It? How to Assess Its Potential Value
Before you invest in a solution, it’s best to assess the potential value of an MPS for your business. This can vary depending on the size of the organization, your printing needs, and your current print management setup. But for most hybrid businesses, it offers some pretty significant benefits.
For example, many organizations find that managed print services help them reduce their print-related expenses by 20-30%. These savings come from reduced hardware costs, lower supply expenses, decreased energy use, and reduced IT support costs. MPS also provides predictable monthly costs, making budgeting easier and more accurate.
In addition to cost savings, managed print services can make it easier for teams to securely store, share, and print documents. This can streamline communication and collaboration among distributed teams without compromising your overall document security.
Finally, many hybrid organizations find themselves managing an array of equipment scattered across different working locations, making both IT support and security a challenge. Because MPS centralizes the overall print management landscape, this management can become much easier, saving your internal IT team time and resources.
With that said, it’s important to choose an option that can be scaled to your needs. This allows you to avoid overspending while also setting yourself up to expand easily in the future if you end up needing more support and resources.
Key Features to Look for in an MPS Provider
Choosing the right managed print service provider is a decision that can enormously impact your team’s productivity. Here are key features to look for:
- Comprehensive Services: Look for providers offering a full range of services, including initial assessment, strategy development, hardware procurement, ongoing maintenance, supply management, security implementation, and workflow optimization.
- 24/7 Support and Training: Choose a provider offering round-the-clock support and comprehensive training programs to help employees adapt to new print processes and technologies.
- Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance: Choose providers that offer real-time monitoring, automated alerts, predictive maintenance, and remote troubleshooting capabilities to minimize downtime.
- Strong Security Measures: Ensure your provider offers robust security features, including secure print release, data encryption, user authentication, and compliance with data protection regulations.
- Scalability: Choose a provider that offers flexible solutions that can grow and adapt with your business.
- Advanced Analytics: Look for detailed analytics and reporting tools to help you track print volumes, costs, and identify areas for improvement.
- Cloud and Mobile Support: With the rise of hybrid work, ensure your MPS provider has proven expertise in implementing and managing cloud-based and mobile printing solutions.
An expert partner can help you assess your needs and recommend the ideal solution for your team.
How to Implement Managed Print Services
Implementing remote managed print services in your organization involves several important steps:
- Assess Your Needs: Analyze your current print environment, including all devices, print volumes, costs, and existing policies.
- Establish a Cost Baseline: Document all your current print-related expenses to measure future savings.
- Develop a Strategy: Work with a partner to create a plan that addresses your specific needs and aligns with your business goals.
- Implement Your MPS: Roll out your MPS solution, including new hardware, software, and policies.
- Optimize Device Placement: Use data to place printers where they're most needed and set up efficient printing rules.
- Train Your Team: Provide comprehensive training for both IT staff and end-users on new devices and procedures.
- Ongoing Management: Continuously monitor and optimize your print environment, making adjustments as your needs change.
By following these steps, you can ensure a smooth transition to a more efficient, secure, and cost-effective print environment for your hybrid work environment.
Streamline Your Remote and Hybrid Work Environment with MPS
When it comes to secure printing, there’s no denying that hybrid work adds complications. But Managed Print Services can help businesses overcome those difficulties while also supporting a more flexible and secure business infrastructure. And its benefits extend beyond cost savings, enhancing security, improving efficiency, and reducing IT burden.
To make the biggest impact for your hybrid team, you need to choose the right MPS partner. We can help you assess your needs, choose the perfect managed print service solution, and implement it effectively. Contact us today to assess your print management needs and start implementing the ideal solution.
Looking to upgrade your print ecosystem? Discover the advantages MPS can bring to your company in our Ultimate Guide To Print Management.
