Printer fleet management makes life a lot easier for both your IT team and your entire organization. By taking charge of all your networked devices—like printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines—you can reduce wasted print jobs, get rid of equipment you don’t need and standardize your technology so it works better for everyone.
But that’s not all—printer fleet management also keeps your data safe. With smart security features, regular monitoring, and user authentication, you get peace of mind knowing your important documents stay protected from prying eyes.
And let’s not forget about saving money. When you manage your print environment well, you can keep track of usage and use data-driven insights to spot savings opportunities. You’ll cut costs on maintenance, supplies and surprise expenses too.
All in all, printer fleet management is a great way to boost productivity, security and your bottom line—while making everyday tasks a little easier for everyone.
Ready to dive in? Let’s break down the key ways printer fleet management can make a real difference, especially for large organizations:
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s start with the basics—what exactly is printer fleet management and why does it matter?
Printers. Multifunction devices. Copiers. Scanners. Do you know how many your company has? Can you guess how much they are being used or how much they cost you each month? If you wanted to consolidate and manage your printers as a single print fleet for cost efficiency, would you know how to do this?
If you are struggling to answer any of the above questions, then your print resources may be out of control. Printer fleet management is all about understanding, managing and optimizing your print environment to reduce costs, improve efficiency and ensure that your organization is making the best use of its print resources.
Managed Print Services (MPS) streamline and manage an organization's printers and copiers. As a hired partner, an office technology provider will have the specialized skills and experience required to help their customer cut costs, streamline processes, improve security and provide a more useful print environment for their users.
Many office technology providers offer MPS, but the one you choose should be a good fit for your business and poised to steward your print fleet resources efficiently.
Let’s take a moment to talk about something that doesn’t always get the spotlight—printer fleet security. That’s right. Your printers can be vulnerable to cyber threats if they’re not properly protected. That’s why printer fleet security is such a key part of MPS.
Managed Print providers help lock things down by making sure your fleet is set up to avoid common security risks. That could mean changing those default manufacturer passwords (you’d be surprised how often those get overlooked!), blocking malware entry points and adding smart features like hard-drive encryption & swipe-to-print software.
They’ll also help to keep your printers up to date with the latest firmware. And when it comes to internal security and compliance, they’ve got your back—setting up user controls to help keep all documents, especially sensitive documents—safe.
Output management software is essential for large print fleets. It helps track and manage print jobs, ensuring that resources are used efficiently and costs are kept under control. With features like secure log-in, Follow Me printing, and badge authentication, output management software can streamline workflows and reduce waste.
For example, Follow Me printing allows users to send a print job to the network and retrieve it from any printer they have access to. This minimizes unnecessary printing and ensures that documents are only printed when needed. Badge authentication also adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to swipe their programmed badge or enter a PIN code to access a device for copying, scanning or printing.
At GFC, we call our Managed Print Services, imageCARE+. Our approach is to 'Manage all things print,' and we mean it. If you have a device at your organization that prints or handles documents, we can manage it and make it more efficient. Our goal is to develop an organization-specific roadmap designed to create an efficient and tightly managed print environment.
With imageCARE+, your company can know if it is getting the best use out of its machines or whether resources are being wasted. GFC’s MPS Business Analysts begin by assessing the number and deployment of devices at your organization. They ensure that the configuration of your printer fleet is optimized to reduce possible security vulnerabilities and improve workflow potential, ultimately lowering print-related operating costs.
Furthermore, imageCARE+ includes proactive service and support. And our larger clients often enjoy remote printer fleet monitoring and just-in-time toner delivery. This minimizes expensive stockpiles of supplies and ensures that your print environment runs smoothly. Contact us today for a free printer fleet assessment to find out if your company would benefit from imageCARE+.
