COVID-19 didn’t start the revolution of distributed work and decentralized teams, but it did hasten its progression. In the post-pandemic world, remote work and highly digitized workflows are the norm, which means efficiency is crucial to continued success.
IT managers have two important tasks when they upgrade systems. One is streamlining tasks for employees and IT personnel. The other is improving security. The latter is especially critical for distributed teams because remote workflows introduce a whole new world of potential vulnerabilities.
With these goals in mind, moving to serverless printing solutions is the best way to modernize and simplify IT operations.
What Is Serverless Printing?
Serverless printing is just that—printing without traditional print servers, typically enabled by the cloud. Traditional on-premises print infrastructure relies on print servers to solve several problems in larger environments, including managing requests from many print users and the ongoing hassle of managing and updating print drivers on individual computers.
Print servers offer centralized print management and better control but are still inefficient and expensive. Plus, they can pose a security risk.
Serverless printing provides a best-of-both-worlds solution, taking all the advantages of on-premises print servers to the next level while eliminating the disadvantages.
Read about Pharos Direct Print – serverless print workflows.
Server-Based Printing vs. Serverless Printing: A Comparative Overview
Print management has historically relied on dedicated print servers in traditional IT environments. These servers manage all printing needs across an organization, handle print queues, and ensure that each network printer is correctly configured.
While this method has been the norm for years, it comes with significant challenges and limitations, especially as businesses evolve to more modern, cloud-based solutions.
Server-Based Printing: The Traditional Approach
A print server is a centralized system that manages multiple printers and print jobs within an organization. This setup typically involves complex configurations, where IT admins must manually deploy and update printer drivers across the network.
Direct IP printing is another common method, where end users connect directly to printers without going through the server. However, this can lead to inconsistent performance and increased management complexity.
The reliance on a dedicated print server also introduces significant operational costs. Maintaining the server hardware, ensuring its security, and managing the print infrastructure require continuous investment in time and resources.
Furthermore, server printing can be less scalable, making it difficult for organizations to adapt quickly to changing needs, such as those brought on by a growing remote workforce.
Serverless Printing: The Modern Solution
In contrast, serverless printing leverages cloud computing to provide a scalable, efficient, and secure alternative. Organizations use print management software to reduce operational costs and admin, and streamline their IT operations without the need for a dedicated print server.
Print management solutions based in the cloud, like Pharos Cloud, offer a SaaS model, which enables IT departments to manage all aspects of their print fleet from a single, web-based interface.
One key advantage of switching to serverless printing is its ability to support various environments, including mobile and hybrid workforces.
With serverless printing, end users can securely print from anywhere without the constraints of being physically connected to a network printer.
This is particularly beneficial for organizations that prioritize flexibility and must accommodate various printing requirements across different locations.
Additionally, serverless printing enhances security by eliminating the vulnerabilities associated with traditional print servers. Cloud-hosted solutions offer advanced authentication and secure release features, ensuring that sensitive documents are only accessible by authorized users.
They can be configured to support zero trust principles, further improving security and ROI by reducing the risks and costs associated with data breaches.
Serverless Print Infrastructure Advantages
Well-designed cloud-based print management platforms provide several advantages over traditional print environments with print servers.
Eliminate Expensive Hardware
Print server hardware is expensive to buy and maintain. Serverless platforms eliminate the need for print servers and the ongoing server maintenance they require.
Quicker Deployment
Serverless printing solutions offer quicker deployment compared to traditional print infrastructure. Without the need for extensive hardware setup and configuration, organizations can rapidly implement and scale their printing operations, meeting business needs more efficiently.
Eliminate Driver Management
Managing print servers and print queues puts avoidable strain on IT personnel. Print driver management is one of the most onerous and time-consuming tasks for IT, and well-designed platforms make this unnecessary by eliminating vendor print driver management.
Enhance Security
Print servers have proven vulnerable to attack and have become a major target for hackers to gain access to sensitive company resources. Recent breaches have made news, the infamous PrintNightmare being the most prominent among them. Removing the need for a print server closes this security hole.
Improve Administrative Ability
A company-wide cloud printing solution means better flexibility, enhanced scalability, and more efficient administration. Web-based administration can manage entire print operations behind a single pane of glass, new devices can be discovered automatically and auto-populated into the platform, and updates can be automated so that the entire office is up-to-date with the latest capabilities.
Support Mobile and Hybrid Workforces
Cloud printing solutions also better serve remote and hybrid workforces, allowing workers secure access to print services offsite. For example, if an employee needs to send a print job to the office from home or print from one office to another, cloud-based secure release workflows make this seamless.
Serverless Printing Solutions: The Now and Future of Enterprise Printing
There’s no going back to a pre-COVID workplace. While many employees will return to offices, some will not. The advantages of cloud solutions for everyone are clear. There’s no better example of this than office printing.
Cloud-based print management solutions take the burden off IT personnel, provide unprecedented employee flexibility, and reduce company overhead. It’s safe to say the future belongs in the cloud, but it’s already in force.
If you’re ready to streamline your organization’s IT operations by moving your print queue off the old print server, contact Pharos today to request a demo of Pharos Cloud, our industry-leading cloud-based print management solution.
Optimize Print Management with Pharos
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Request More InformationD workplace. While many employees will return to offices, some will not, and for everyone, the advantages of cloud solutions are clear. There’s no better example of this than office printing. Cloud-based print management solutions take the burden off IT personnel, provide unprecedented flexibility for employees, and reduce overhead for companies. It’s safe to say the future belongs in the cloud—but it’s already here in force.
If you’re ready to streamline your IT operations by moving your print queue off the old print server, contact Pharos today to request a demo of Pharos Cloud, our industry-leading cloud-based print management solution.
