4 benefits of cloud print management in the new era of work

Printers have long been a staple of the modern office environment, evolving over decades into the contemporary multifunction device many of us rely on today. However, with the dramatic shift we’ve seen in the workplace in recent years, including the rise of remote and hybrid work models, the needs of our businesses have changed, and our print environments must adapt as well.

Cloud print management offers a flexible solution to many of the challenges businesses now face, as well as the advantage of driving efficiencies and cost savings that can fuel further business growth. However, before we uncover those benefits, it’s worth outlining the impact of recent workplace changes on print management.

How remote and hybrid models have impacted print management

1. Increasing digitisation
2. Decentralised workforces
3. Increased cybersecurity risks

4 benefits of cloud print management

1. Reduced costs
2. Streamlined productivity
3. Improved security
4. Increased sustainability
   
   

How remote and hybrid models have impacted print management

The move to remote and hybrid working models has led to numerous changes in the print environment, but there are three main impact areas we can identify.

1. Increasing digitisation

Many businesses adopted a wide variety of new technologies in response to the changing workplace. In particular, cloud technology and bring-your-own-device trends emerged from remote and hybrid work environments, enabling greater mobility for workers. Printing devices must seamlessly connect to these cloud platforms to optimise efficiency and collaboration across multiple work locations. Additionally, as employees increasingly use their own personal devices, such as mobiles and tablets, business printers must enable mobile printing, including fast, easy and secure connections to a wide range of devices.

2. Decentralised workforces

Remote working came with a variety of new challenges to managing decentralised workforces. Many businesses doubled or tripled the number of devices in their work environment as employees purchased new laptops and printers to set up their remote offices. Without an effective system in place to manage remote printers, IT teams will struggle to ensure consistent security, software updates and maintenance.

3. Increased cybersecurity risks

Printers are often-overlooked security risks in any workplace, whether remote, hybrid, or traditional office. However, changes to the way we work have opened up several new vulnerabilities. Many newly remote workers bought retail printers for their home offices without realising that these devices lack adequate security features to protect business data. Additionally, the number of devices and endpoints in remote environments can increase risks, as IT teams struggle to maintain complete oversight of these devices and ensure adequate security. Finally, over the last year, we’ve witnessed an increase in cyber attacks on businesses, making it more critical than ever for business printers to have the best security in place, regardless of location.

To address these challenges, cloud print management offers a practical solution in the new era of work, enabling businesses to optimise their print environment to meet their needs now and in the future.

4 benefits of cloud print management

Businesses are increasingly moving their systems to the cloud to take advantage of the cost savings and operational benefits it offers, and print networks are no different. Cloud print management enables businesses to oversee better and control their print infrastructure and requirements. Not only does it remove the need for on-premises servers and allow remote access to devices, but the right print management tool will also help you reduce costs, streamline productivity, improve security, and increase sustainability in your workplace.

1. Reduced costs

On-premises print management often entails high infrastructure and operational costs, both in the initial system investment and in ongoing maintenance. Cloud print management, however, uses a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that allows businesses to pay for the use of the platform, without the costs of building or maintaining it.

For example, Kyocera Cloud Print & Scan (KCPS) is a high-class multi-tenant architecture that allows us to distribute the cost of maintaining and improving the platform across all our KCPS clients, reducing your operational costs without compromising on the quality or security of the end solution.

Not only does this approach save money in the short term, but it also allows you to benefit from innovations and software upgrades that the service provider invests in, without bearing the full cost of their development. This is especially important in the new era of work, as many on-premise print management solutions are unsuited to remote and hybrid work environments. Businesses can incur additional costs trying to upgrade their existing infrastructure to meet the demands of a decentralised workforce, or they can switch to a cloud print management solution designed for remote work and is rapidly scalable.

Finally, in addition to reducing your infrastructure costs, cloud printing provides you with better insights and control over your print usage. With KCPS, you can create and assign different print policies to various user groups within your organisation. This allows you to set printing quotas for departments or limit certain features to only those employees who need them. For example, you could restrict colour printing to your marketing department or make double-sided printing the default across your whole business. This insight and control over business printing enables you to reduce waste and unnecessary printing, saving money on consumables and energy.

2. Streamlined productivity

Cloud storage is the new normal for most workplaces with remote or hybrid workers, providing ready access to the information and files employees need to do their jobs. While this is important, it’s only one half of the document lifecycle. You must also consider how your documents are accessed, uploaded and shared. A cloud print management tool that integrates with your cloud storage solution will enable you to achieve even greater efficiency and productivity in your workplace by streamlining collaboration and communication.

For example, Kyocera Cloud Print & Scan enables workers to scan directly to their cloud storage platform, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Box, from the touch panel of their multifunction printer, eliminating the need to manually upload the scanned file to the cloud. Alternatively, they can also send a scanned document directly to another employee’s email using the device interface, saving the time it takes to scan, find, attach and send the document on their computer. Files can also be stored on KCPS for the user to download later.

3. Improved security

With a cloud print solution, your service provider shares responsibility for platform security by managing aspects such as software updates and system integrity. While you will still be responsible for other security elements, such as how your employees use and access your print network, with the right provider, you can have peace of mind that your print network has the most up-to-date security and is continuously monitored for attacks.

With Kyocera Cloud Print & Scan, you also have access to other print security features, such as local spooling, which allows the print job to be released from any compatible device. At the same time, only metadata is stored in the cloud. Our trademarked Print@FollowTM pull printing feature always requires user authentication at the device level before printing, ensuring sensitive information isn’t left in the out tray.

4. Increased sustainability

The dramatic shift we’re experiencing in our workplaces presents businesses with the opportunity to reassess how they operate, including improving their environmental impact. As well as improving security, increasing productivity, and reducing your costs, cloud printing offers a more sustainable way to manage your printing fleet and usage. Centralised and consolidated hosting services reduce your carbon footprint, while improved print management, with features such as print quotas and reporting insights, offered by Kyocera Cloud Print & Scan, enable you to minimise workplace waste.

Choosing the correct printer and device infrastructure to support productivity and growth in hybrid workplaces can be challenging. Download our Comprehensive Guide to Digital Workplaces to learn how to equip your organisation for collaboration, mobility and productivity in the new era of work.

Kyocera Document Solutions provides innovative products, software and ICT services for hybrid work environments, enabling businesses to implement smart workplace solutions that drive business transformation and resilience.