Security is a part of every workplace. And that includes creating a secure print environment. When you have a well-crafted secure printing strategy in place, you’ll be keeping an eye on printing costs and employee printing habits to make your office (and budget) run more smoothly. It takes some careful planning, attention to detail, print security software and periodic reviews of your analyzed data—but it's worth it!
By managing these aspects, you can stick to your budget and keep your office secure. Plus, you'll avoid unexpected expenses and protect sensitive information from prying eyes.
Ready to learn more about how to create a more secure printing environment at your workplace? Here’s what you’ll need to know:
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Let's face it, no one likes to be the office printer police, but ignoring what and how much your office staff is printing can quickly destroy a budget. Tracking print jobs might sound like a boring detail, but many of our customers have found it to be the “secret sauce to keeping printing costs in check.”
An effective analysis of your print data will give the insight needed to forecast future expenses and craft a more accurate print fleet budget.
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Understanding your business’s printing habits is essential to getting a handle on your printing costs. It’s not just about paper and toner. It’s also about equipment wear & tear, maintenance, repair and over the long-term, device obsolescence.
Does your business print hundreds or hundreds of thousands of pages a month? Knowing your print volume is the first step. Estimating consumables such as toner and paper is next. And be sure to factor soft costs like the loss of staff productivity during equipment downtime as well as bills for the cost of maintenance and repair.
Many offices are searching for ways to include green practices. And your print fleet can assist in this initiative with energy-efficient multifunction devices. While these newer models may cost a little more, we’ve seen businesses save money in the long run.
Let's take a moment to discuss security, particularly the often-overlooked role of printers in safeguarding your office environment. Tracking print jobs is not merely a cost-saving measure; it is also crucial for protecting sensitive information. By monitoring print activities, you can swiftly detect any unauthorized or suspicious behavior.
Consider a scenario where sensitive client information is printed and inadvertently left on the printer tray, exposing it to unintended viewers. Implementing print job tracking through the help output management software ensures that only authorized personnel can release a print job while physically at the printer. It’s a simple and straightforward way to enhance the security of your documents.
Print tracking is not solely about numbers and spreadsheets; it plays a critical role in security management. Here’s a real example from one of our customers. The Licking Heights (OH) School District utilized the print tracking feature within their output management software to neutralize a bomb threat.
Using secure print software, the school’s technology manager determined that a piece of paper with a bomb threat message, had been printed from one of the school’s computers. Using this information, he quickly identified the person who printed the message and stopped a chaotic catastrophe. Without the print tracking enabled software, the District wouldn’t have been able to identify the author, or at least not as quickly.
Print output management software ensures that printed or scanned documents remain secure. It will help reduce waste by optimizing your print fleet, too! Modern printers, copiers, and multifunction devices have become more and more powerful with each generation. But if you manage a fleet of printers, how do you harness and control all those capabilities?
For many organizations, the answer is implementing print management software. Print management software coordinates all processes that take place within a printer fleet and optimizes print jobs across an organization. It helps manage print devices, streamline workflows and provide insights into how printers are used.
Every business has unique printing needs. However, an expert Managed Print Services team coupled with the data from a print management software solution can help a business to manage workflows – and save money!
Ready for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about how print management software could improve your business technology environment? Contact us today!
