Redefining the Future of Print Management

Learn why PrintOps represents the next step in the evolution of print management, delivering a connected, secure, and optimized experience for users and IT

There’s no question that office printing has changed significantly over the last three decades.

While print volumes have declined from the days when we printed documents in droves, print is still critical to most organizations. Print consumes significant resources—and traditional print infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to security threats.

Combined with print challenges in the hybrid work environment and the ongoing migration of IT operations to the cloud, a paradigm shift in print is long overdue.

Enter PrintOps, the next era in the evolution of print management.

What is PrintOps?

PrintOps is the emerging suite of advanced capabilities that enable enterprises to manage print intelligently, end-to-end in the cloud. As the category matures, core capabilities of PrintOps will include:

• 24/7 secure, cloud-native infrastructure and print server elimination
• An intuitive digital experience for users and IT wherever they work
• Complete visibility and control over print operations
• Seamless integration with enterprise systems
• AI and data-driven optimization of print
• End-to-end security and comprehensive data privacy controls leveraging widely accepted security frameworks and standards.

PrintOps is Easy

A key aspect of PrintOps that makes it different from the previous generation of print management is its simplicity, speed, and reliability. PrintOps is user-centric. It’s about making the entire experience easy and intuitive for anyone who touches print.

For IT departments, PrintOps means eliminating onsite print servers and the associated costs and labor. With a well-designed PrintOps platform, we envision a day when IT can add a fleet of 1,000 printers in minutes. AI solves print issues before they happen while Help Desk calls can be prevented by dynamically deploying print queues based on user location and permissions to make it easy for users to print everywhere.

PrintOps is Optimized

One of the biggest challenges in enterprises today is that IT teams have little visibility into what’s happening in their print environment. IT doesn’t know there’s an issue until they get multiple support calls, at which point someone must physically visit the printer to diagnose the problem.

With emerging PrintOps platforms, IT will have a unified dashboard view of which printers are down, which need servicing soon, and their precise needs. Real-time user and device insights will allow companies to identify efficiency improvements such as where to relocate underutilized printers or when devices have reached the end of their useful life.

Generative AI applications are also poised to change how enterprises manage and support print. Fleet optimization is a continuous process, rather than a one-off exercise. AI can also help users troubleshoot issues and provide predictive device support to reduce downtime while freeing up IT resources for more strategic priorities.

PrintOps is Connected

Historically, print management was built around closed systems, with print hardware vendors developing platforms that support only their own print devices.

PrintOps will break down those silos, unlocking new capabilities for enterprises with open APIs for connecting print to systems such as:

• Enterprise Resource Management Platforms (ERPs)
• Internal accounting systems
• Data loss prevention solutions
• Internal Service Desks and IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms

Even a warehouse distribution system with thousands of printers would possibly be seamlessly managed with PrintOps. In essence, it would deliver a print experience that’s connected rather than isolated, one that works with enterprise platforms in a way people have come to expect in a modern environment.

PrintOps is Secure

As increasing numbers of organizations move towards security frameworks such as zero trust, print must fit into their overall security strategy. The fact remains, however, that print still often exists as an exception to a company’s overall security initiatives.

It’s one reason 32% of enterprise organizations have experienced a print security breach in the past year, at an average cost of $658,000.

PrintNightmare in particular was a watershed event that broke legacy printing workflows due to the vulnerability of the Windows print spoolers. PrintOps will leverage the latest security frameworks and standards to secure the print environment while enabling global organizations to align with local compliance requirements.

In the rush to migrate IT operations to the cloud, print has largely been left behind. As a result, most organizations are still stuck managing print the same way they have for the past 30 years. The emergence of PrintOps will redefine printing.

Beyond just managing print devices, drivers, queues, and users, emerging PrintOps platforms will leverage always available cloud infrastructure, integrations, and AI technologies to deliver a connected, user-centric, secure, streamlined, and modern experience that integrates print into the organization’s digital transformation strategy.

Sources: Kevin Pickhardt interview, Gavin Drake interview