April 28, 2016
It all began with an informal technology evaluation. Weston County School District #1 wanted to offer students and staff better technology while saving their district money. The evaluation found printing costs were high in comparison to print needs.
The district had over 20 printer models, multiple vendors for toner supply, no usage analysis standards in place and do-it-yourself printer maintenance. These factors made cost analysis very difficult, and caused the district’s print server to occasionally crash.
Dave Ehlers, Director of Technology at Weston County School District #1, needed to work out a solution to the district’s print inefficiencies:
“Our technology department was taxed when it came to maintenance. We’d clean the rollers and run some air through the machine—that was the extent of our expertise on maintenance. If the printer still wouldn’t work, our next step was replacement. So we would throw that machine out and buy a new one. If that was the only model we had left, we were stuck with two or three sets of toner as well,” said Ehlers.
Ehlers consulted with a Marco Technology Advisor about the problems his school district faced. The advisor described Marco’s managed print services as a solution.
How Marco’s Managed Print Services Benefitted their School District
The first step was simplifying the district’s print network. Maintaining over 20 different models was inefficient. Reducing the model variations to only five or six HP models, the print servers ran more smoothly and stopped crashing. This change alone saved staff time and resources.
Toner management was also in need of attention. When the district operated on over 20 printer models, stocking toner was massively inefficient. Multiple vendors were needed for supply, department-specific toner purchases made cost analysis difficult, and when a printer was replaced its toner refills went to waste. Marco installed a monitoring software that automatically detects and ships replacement toner before printers run out, meaning staff no longer needed to assess, order and stock toner.
The district no longer orders toner it doesn’t need or won’t use and has reporting data to manage budgets.
Could Your School District Benefit from Managed Print Services?
Perhaps the greatest benefit the school district received from MPS was the ability to make data-driven decisions about their business technology. Marco provides cost and usage data, which allows staff to make informed decisions on how to operate the print network. (More examples of school districts benefiting from MPS can be found here.)
If you’re interested in learning more about managed print services and how they can help your school or business, schedule a consultation with one of Marco’s MPS Specialists. If you’re concerned about time and resources, read my blog about MPS and Sourcewell. Sourcewell is a non-profit organization specialized in assisting school districts in purchasing new equipment via cooperative contracts and service agreements.
