The rise of digital workflows has not stopped businesses from printing in massive quantities.
Simply put, most businesses still rely on print, at least to an extent. And that’s okay if the print environment is managed by a team of experts because experts know how to print sustainably and securely.
The problem is, even large enterprises often can’t justify the resources needed to establish an internal print team.
That’s where managed print services, or MPS, comes in.
Defining MPS: What are Managed Print Services?
Managed print services is the blanket term vendors use to describe the various services they provide to manage an organization’s print infrastructure. Generally, these services include everything an organization needs to manage the entire print fleet, including but not limited to the following:
- Needs assessments
- Hardware configuration and optimization
- Usage reporting
- User training
- Device service, parts replacement, and supply replenishment.
The best MPS providers act as a true partner in that they tailor their services to meet the sustainability and/or operational efficiency goals of your business.
The Benefits of Managed Print Services
When it comes down to it, what you should be concerned about as it relates to MPS are the benefits to your business, and there are at least seven:
- Cost management
Through strategically configured print rules and device deployment and consolidation, ARC’s MPS Solution cuts print volume for its customers by an average of 10 to 15 percent. This results in significant cost savings on material consumption and equipment costs. Also, true MPS from a provider like ARC, comes with a strong software component which also helps to reduce overall print output and move expensive color prints to black and white.
2. Operational efficiencies
When an MPS provider takes care of your print fleet, your employees don’t have to. This leaves them to focus on more valuable activities, such as growing the revenue of your organization rather than dealing with the hassle of servicing, troubleshooting, supplying, and updating the print fleet. Plus, with an MPS provider like ARC, you can get a solution built for your organization that includes small format, wide format, laser printers, and software.
3. Industry expertise
Managed print providers bring a high level of relevant, up-to-date expertise to your organization. This means that you’ve always got a watchful pair of eyes on your side looking for new developments in printing best practices, print security, and print technology.
4. Risk mitigation and compliance
Any device on your network presents a risk. Print jobs can be intercepted physically or virtually, but with MPS, you can reduce these risks and improve compliance. In fact, in The State of Print Security, Quocirca found that 76% of organizations using MPS “are considered print security leaders.”
5. Improved customer relations
For businesses and consumers in every industry, data privacy has become top of mind. Partnering with an MPS provider helps you give peace of mind to anyone who relies on you to handle their information.
6. Strategic partner in printing
Though MPS generally includes certain packaged services, the best providers will act more like a business partner and tailor their MPS program to your business goals. Also, with a provider like ARC, your contracts are based on usage, so you can scale down and pay less when you don’t need to print as much. In both these ways, an MPS provider becomes a strategic partner for your business.
7. Reduce your environmental footprint
Along with reducing costs, materials, and equipment, MPS also helps your organization reduce its environmental impact. This is accomplished through lower energy consumption and lower materials consumption enabled by efficient device deployment and configuration.
MPS and Printer Security Risks
As the threat of cybersecurity attacks continues to become increasingly prevalent in the business world, the importance and value of print security have never been more prominent. We’ve written about the vulnerability of unmanaged printers before, but it’s worth touching on here because MPS is one of the ways to shore up print security.
By correctly configuring user permissions and printing rules, updating firmware periodically, securing print trays, and much more, MPS providers eliminate the risks from unsecured, out of date, poorly configured print devices. In other words, MPS helps minimize the risk that your company becomes a victim of a cybersecurity attack.
Want to Keep Learning About MPS?
We’ve just scratched the surface of what MPS can do but to truly understand what MPS is all about, you must see it in action. Head over to the MPS page to learn about the software we use to make it all work. Or try the MPS Savings Calculator to find out how much you could save your company with MPS.
