Many business owners underestimate printing costs. These costs can escalate over time if there’s no proper management. You can cut these costs and increase your employees’ productivity with managed print services. Moreover, you can improve your information security and reduce the company’s environmental footprint.
Here, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of managed print services to help you determine whether they’re the right choice for your company.
What Are Managed Print Services?
Before discussing the pros and cons, let’s define managed print services (MPS).
MPS are services offered by companies (providers) that revolve around managing and maintaining a company’s printing environment. The provider uses numerous tools to assess the company’s current and future printing needs and develop an effective strategy to cut costs and increase efficiency.
Managed print services can be beneficial for both small and large businesses.
The Pros of Managed Print Services
Let’s look into why managed print services could be a good option for your business:
Reduced Costs
One of the roles of managed print services is analyzing your company’s printing needs. A provider conducts this analysis to figure out where you can cut costs and save money. The company you hire will analyze every department to determine the equipment you need and the necessary amount of supplies.
Thanks to this, you’ll optimize your printing environment and won’t waste money on unnecessary equipment.
Managed print services also involve monitoring all printing equipment. This allows you to buy your supplies in bulk and save even more money.
Reduced Environmental Impact
Printing is necessary for many businesses. Unfortunately, paper, cartridges, toners, and other equipment negatively affect our environment. A managed print service provider will not only help you cut costs but will also help you reduce your company’s environmental footprint.
You can attract customers by advertising your efforts and documenting them in the corporate social responsibility report.
Remote Use
Thanks to managed print services, you can control every printer in your company even when you’re not onsite. All you need is a smartphone, computer, or any device with an internet connection. This is incredibly useful, especially when you’re away on a trip or have meetings outside the office.
Regular Maintenance
A malfunctioning printer can completely disrupt the employees’ workflow. Malfunctions can often be prevented by regular maintenance. Unfortunately, equipment maintenance is often neglected, especially in companies with high printing needs.
When you hire a managed print service provider, you can forget about maintenance. The provider becomes responsible for maintaining and updating every piece of equipment related to printing. Thanks to this, the printers will always work properly, and you can have peace of mind knowing your business won’t be interrupted by unexpected issues with the equipment.
Improved Security
Many companies are worried that their confidential documents can get into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, these scenarios can happen if your security network isn’t strong enough. Hackers can access it and download your most valuable files.
With managed print services, you can be confident your security is guaranteed. During the initial assessment, a managed print service provider will identify potential security threats and suggest the most effective way to solve them.
The provider can install authentication protocols on your printers to ensure only authorized staff can access them. Moreover, the provider can encrypt the data on your devices, set up automatic hard drive wiping, or propose various network-level solutions to keep your data safe.
The Cons of Managed Print Services
While managed print services offer numerous benefits, there are a few disadvantages you should be aware of:
Initial Cost
For some business owners, the initial cost of managed print services can be a deal-breaker. Depending on your line of business and your current and future printing needs, you may need to invest in new hardware, which can be quite expensive. While this investment will pay off in the long run, it can be overwhelming, especially for start-ups and small companies.
Fortunately, not every company will need to replace its entire fleet of printers. In many cases, replacing a few printers or adding several new ones to the fleet will be more than enough.
Productivity
Managed print services are designed to increase your employees’ productivity. However, they can sometimes have the opposite effect. In some cases, managed print services revolve around a centralized printer instead of every employee having their own printer. This can reduce the employees’ productivity because they will have to take time away from their desks to walk to the printer.
Security
Since improved security is one of the advantages of managed print services, you may wonder why it’s mentioned here. Namely, managed print services undoubtedly offer more security than traditional printing solutions. While there’s no risk of an outsider hacking into the system and accessing confidential information, the potential problem can be the centralized printer.
If you use remote printing and print a copy of a confidential document, you risk someone else grabbing it from the printer, whether intentionally or accidentally. This can jeopardize not only the relationships between coworkers but also your company’s reputation and reliability.
Do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?
Any outsourcing, including managed print services, has its pros and cons. If you’re trying to determine whether the pros outweigh the cons, in this case, the answer is yes. The numerous benefits of managed print services are definitely worth the minimal risk.
Get Reliable Managed Print Services
Business owners can reap the benefits of managed print services only if they choose a reliable, experienced provider. Such a provider will carefully analyze the company’s needs and develop a strategy that will cut costs, increase productivity, and guarantee security.
If you need managed print services in the Tulsa area, don’t hesitate to reach out to JD Young.