Does Print Driver Management Spark Joy?

Okay, maybe there’s some IT person out there who really loves the grind of constant updates, maintenance, and stress of dealing with print drivers. But if there is, we haven’t met them. 

And the good news is, managing individual servers and maintaining your own print servers is no longer necessary. With cloud-based print management software, you can get rid of your printer servers and most of the labor they require. 

What Is Print Management Software? 

Print management software is designed to manage print devices, maintain device compatibility, enable special features like scanning, provide print security, and more. 

When delivered in the cloud, this solution is paired with a console so that IT personnel can monitor and manage their printing equipment all from one spot. For large companies with multiple locations or a large fleet, that’s huge. 

How Does Centralized Print Management Work?

Before we get too into the weeds here, let’s explain what exactly this cloud-based solution does. 

Once installed, your printing devices will automatically be imported from your print servers. New printers can be installed directly from the console, and any new driver or updates can be pushed out to the entire fleet with a single click.

Print management software also makes life simpler for the rest of your staff. They’ll be able to use any printer on the network without needing advanced setup. Your staff can even print directly from their cell phone or tablet. 

What Are the Benefits of Print Management Software? 

1. Increased Security

If increasing print security hasn’t been a priority for your office, it should be. According to Quocirca’s Print Security Landscape 2022, 68% of IT decision-makers reported a data loss in the previous year as a result of insecure printing practices. 

With print management software, you can quickly enable pull printing (also called Follow Me printing or Secure Print Release) across your entire fleet. 

2. Get More Data

How is your print fleet being used? Do some departments have wasteful print habits? Are your print policies being followed? With cloud-based print software, you’ll also get in-depth analytics to help you identify inefficiencies, or as we prefer to think of them, hidden opportunities to save more money. 

3. Save Time

In most workplaces, a whopping 50% of IT help desk calls are print-related. If your IT department has plenty of time on its hands and they really enjoy providing help desk support, maybe that’s fine. But…we’re not describing most IT departments when we say either of those things. Print management software can save a lot of time in a  department that’s known for having too little of it. 

If you’re curious about where your IT department is spending its time, this online calculator can give you a good idea. 

4. Save Money

The average hourly rate of IT technicians in the U.S. is currently $22.03 an hour, but it can be as high as $36.30. Is dealing with ongoing printer management and frequent updates a good use of their time or this amount of money? Probably not. 

And we touched on this before, but this same investment can identify more ways to save money throughout your fleet and monitor how your devices are actually being used. Unmanaged print costs can add up to 1 – 3% of your annual revenue, so it’s wise to keep a close eye on them. 

How to Get the Best Deal

At Marco, we’ve partnered with PrinterLogic for its robust print security features. Their print management software is ISO-compliant, and it’s also exceptionally user-friendly. Moreover, strategic partnerships like these enable us to offer competitive prices to our clients along with world-class support. 

 If you’re considering print management software, online research is always helpful, but not every business is the same or has the same printing needs. A quick chat with one of our print specialists can save you time and help you identify what would work best for your organization. Our US-based team is here when you’re ready!