Traditional enterprise-grade print-management software doesn’t have the best rep. If you’re an office worker, especially in a large organization with complex IT infrastructure, you’ve more than likely experienced that sinking feeling between hitting CTRL + P and the document actually printing out. Somehow, despite the very best efforts of IT departments to deliver a seamless experience, this most-basic office function is full of fear and loathing.
It’s particularly pernicious for people in, say, accounting or HR departments. But even for those of us who don’t print reams of paper on a daily basis, the incidence of successful or failed print jobs is typically half-and-half. This not only disrupts the workflow but, because there is such uncertainty in the printing process, there’s a high likelihood that people will send a document to print multiple times, just to ensure that it actually happens.
This ultimately contributes to a company’s environmental footprint and, at the same time, poses a significant cost to your organization — in terms of consumables like toner and paper, as well as time spent processing help desk tickets, which is energy valuable IT personnel could spend in a more constructive way.
Systems can be significantly less complicated in homogeneous IT environments, in which devoted work stations all boast the same makes and models of PCs and printers. One example of this might be AirPrint, a feature of Apple operating systems (beginning with OS X Lion and iOS 4.2), which works exclusively with AirPrint-compatible printers. In such an office environment, in which there is low variability, AirPrint is a potential solution. However, life typically trends toward chaos and uncertainty. Despite our best efforts to avoid it, life assigns us heterogeneity within complex systems.
ezeep’s enterprise print management software-as-a-service is provided through the cloud. This means it’s a web-based service, accessible through a simple Internet connection. IT downloads ezeep to a single server or dedicated machine, on which an organization’s existing printer drivers are already located.
The service is vendor independent, and works with essentially all printers, all browsers, all operating systems and all devices (yes, this means mobile printing right out-of-the-box, as it were). In a heterogeneous work environment, ezeep truly shines, freeing organizations from vendor-specific purchases.
It also makes economic sense, in terms of openness and flexibility regarding financial decision-making related to print management. Conventional enterprise print management software suites require hefty, upfront licensing purchases just to get started. With ezeep’s SaaS, this is no longer part of the equation. SaaS functions according to a modern pricing model, based on an organization’s number of users, on a monthly subscription basis.
This slashes capital costs, so that rather than locking into an enterprise print management software that might not be the best fit in a few years , IT departments can innovate and adapt according to their needs over time. It’s a truly pay-as-you-go approach that promotes flexibility and scale according to real-time need and growth.
Printing and print-infrastructure management is a cash cow industry that ties-down business, often leaving them with few options and little choice about how IT can best take care of its people. ezeep breaks open that system and infuses it with a breath of fresh air.
