Whitepaper: Matching the Printer To Your Business Processes

Continued from page 2

Intelligent Billing And Servicing

The IT manager also has to consider how the workflow of his or her businesses or department would be affected by a non-functioning printer.

Running out of consumables items such as toner and paper can have a dramatic impact on an organisation’s workflow, as can a machine that unexpectedly requires maintenance or servicing.

This is where a managed print service can play its part. This is usually provided by the printer vendor or reseller, which would offer the client access to call centre support, on-site servicing, and even the supply of consumables plus the disposal aspect of toner cartridges. This later point is now a pressing issue, as environmental concerns increasingly move up the corporate agenda.

Printing Software

Often one of the biggest headaches for many IT managers is ensuring the correct installation of the appropriate drivers for their equipment.

Many organisations have differing equipment, from different vendors, and it is not uncommon to see a diverse range of printers in particular businesses. This is where items such as a universal printer driver can save the IT manager both time and money. Samsung for example has a universal printer driver that not only prints to all Samsung devices, but can also output material to other vendor’s equipment.

Cloud/Mobile

Organisations and IT managers also need to consider the vision of the company going forward and the part that the document and printer management can play in it. For example, is the organisation facing technical challenges posed by the increasing uptake of cloud computing and the needs of a more mobile workforce?

The advent of the cloud and the mobile workforce has enabled many employees to work offsite. Imagine a salesman who receives an email containing an important presentation whilst he is out and about. The ability for that person to then choose a print option from their smartphone or laptop, and then find the printout waiting for them when they return to the office is just one example of how the cloud and the shift to mobile computing means that strategies need to adapt as well.

Another challenge is posted by the increasing use of online webforms and documents. Often these do not lend themselves to easy outputting.

Samsung has a powerful solution here that allows the user to collect and print various kinds of web content on a customised layout. This software (Samsung AnyWeb Print) allows the user to capture exactly the on-screen information they require, which in turn reduces wasted printouts but also the time and energy this wasted effort requires.

Conclusion

In this document we have briefly touched upon some of the key aspects that the IT manager must consider in the context of their organisation’s workflow, and some of the increasingly important issues that are now arising when implementing a document and printer management strategy.

In later papers we will provide a more in-depth examination into some of these issues raised.

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