REMOTE PRINTING
Welcome to our ultimate guide to remote printing
Remote printing is pretty much what it sounds like: sending a print job from your device over the internet or a network without being connected physically to the printer. In other words, wireless printing. This is usually achieved through cloud-based services and remote printing software, such as Mobility Print.
Remote printing has become more-or-less the commercial default these days, for obvious reasons.
Remote printing removes the need for cables and one-to-one physical connections, too, opening up a whole world of shared printing resources. So let’s break down the basics.
We’ll save some of the in-depth technical stuff further down below. But before you unplug that legacy printer and make the switch to wireless, let’s run through some things every IT department needs to consider.
Remote printing comes with its own unique security challenges, so before you make the switch, consider stuff like stuff like data encryption, user access controls, secure print release, and any sector-relevant compliance issues (healthcare and finance, we’re looking at you). The good news is: with the right remote print management system, most of this stuff’s done for you.
Two things every remote print environment needs. Whatever remote printing solution you pick, it should support your existing printer fleet, and it should be flexible enough to grow (or even shrink) with your business. This is one of the built-in benefits of remote printing: since it’s usually cloud-based, it’s inherently elastic. Most likely no bulky server racks required unless you opt for a hybrid cloud option for compatibility or compliance reasons.
Remote print solutions should be user-friendly, with intuitive apps or web portals for sending print jobs. And this is where print management software comes into play. With the right setup, you’ll be able to support a range of devices – from desktops and tablets to smartphones – with robust self-service features to reduce the need for frequent IT intervention, and quickly onboard new users. Easy peasy.
Can your network handle the increased traffic from simultaneous remote printing? Is your firewall configured correctly? Are you already running a multi-cloud setup? Are you looking for a shared or a dedicated cloud environment?.These are the sort of questions you need to be asking up front, since they’ll determine which remote printing platform is right for you.
It always comes back to money, right? Remote printing, done properly, is usually much cheaper and more efficient than traditional physical printing. The main reason being, you don’t need one printer per user. That streamlines your fleet massively right off the bat. But consider other stuff too, like setup costs, subscription costs and ongoing system maintenance.
It’s hard enough for sysadmins to keep track of users when they’re physically in the building. Throw in remote (or even hybrid) work environments, and the whole thing gets messy real fast.
To keep things streamlined, we recommend implementing some mix of the following:
We need to draw a line here between remote printing (which is basically any tech that allows users to print without cables) and remote printer management (which is the software that helps sysadmins keep track of your print environment).
Remote print management is the process of monitoring, configuring and maintaining printers from one central location, regardless of where your MFDs happen to be. It means sysadmins can work from home or anywhere, and still have granular control over stuff like supplies, maintenance, troubleshooting, driver deployment and user access. Very handy for hybrid workforces.
Let’s be real: remote work isn’t going anywhere. Which means remote printing isn’t going anywhere. The old days of Kevin from accounting having his own printer, tethered to his desktop via a dusty cable, are long gone. These days it’s all about collaboration, scalability, efficiency and shared resources. Four things that remote printing does really well.
Managing a remote print environment definitely comes with its own challenges – coordination and user control being the obvious two – but with the right strategies (and the right software in place) sysadmins can build a safer, faster and more user-friendly system. for everyone
Hybrid work – when half your workforce is WFH and the other half is milling around the office water cooler – requires a super flexible print setup. And this is where remote printing really starts to shine. With remote print, you can streamline workflows, improve productivity and keep your IT managers sane (always a nice perk).
Here’s how remote printing can help manage hybrid work environments.
Print from anywhere: Employees can send print jobs to the office printer from home, from coworking spaces, or even on the road. Remote printing can also handle BYOD support, to ensure maximum device compatibility.
Increase productivity: Remote print management allows you to automatically route print jobs to the nearest (or most efficient printer), saving time and reducing confusion. And with self-service options and intuitive mobile apps, you also reduce IT bottlenecks.
Save money: Remote printing is inherently way more cost-effective than old-school systems. Staff can print remotely without the need for additional hardware, you can streamline your printer fleet, and IT gets to manage it all from a central location. Nice.
Improve security: There are pros and cons to every system, but in general (and when it’s configured correctly) cloud-based printing is incredibly secure. Print smarter, and safer, with features like secure print release, end-to-end data encryption and user access controls.
Future proof: Cloud-based printing scales really easily. Whether that’s seasonal user trends – like campus printing before exams – or growing your business across multiple locations. Cloud-based integration also eliminates the need for costly on-premise servers.
Better collaboration: Remote printing allows employees to print and share documents with colleagues working on-site. Many print management tools also sync with most of your existing cloud-based collaboration platforms, like Slack and Trello
Like any system, remote printing comes with a few challenges. Some of these are small; others, others are…not so small. And how you tackle them kind of depends on your industry. Are you a university? A small business? A law firm? A government department? Over the years, we’ve worked with organizations of all shapes, sizes and sectors, and one thing we’ve learned is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Especially when it comes to print setups.
So, what are some of the common challenges with remote print?
Security risks: This is usually a result of bad configs, but remote printing can be vulnerable to data breaches during print job transmission. You can also run into compliance issues, when it comes to data protection legislation.
Complex configurations: If you’re running a multi-brand printer fleet across numerous locations, mapping printers and keeping all your drivers up-to-date can get kind of messy. This is where good print management software really shines.
Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting printer issues remotely can be time-consuming, and not every ticket comes with an easy off-site solution. This means, in some cases, users may face delays in resolving hardware-related problems. Look for vendors who offer proactive monitoring, tools or partnerships to mitigate hardware-related downtime.
Network and bandwidth: Large print jobs, or hundreds of people printing simultaneously across the network, can chew up significant server resources. This isn’t a dealbreaker, since cloud servers scale pretty easily. Just something to be aware of.
Compatibility issues: Making sure all devices, including BYOD setups, work seamlessly with all printers can be challenging. And that’s not even throwing operating systems, software compatibility, or legacy printer fleets into the mix.
Remote printing transforms university campuses, enabling students, faculty, and staff to print from anywhere. Through intelligent job routing, institutions can optimize their fleet of MFDs across multiple buildings and departments for maximum efficiency. Cloud printing’s eco-conscious policies help universities reduce their environmental footprint while managing high-volume printing demands across academic departments, research facilities, and administrative offices.
It’s important to realise there are nuances when it comes to cloud and remote printing. Not every industry is built the same. Some come with complex regulatory hurdles. Others have privacy and confidentiality concerns. Some have huge, dispersed workforces. Others have small teams that share a stapler. Let’s dive into some of the more relevant sectors.
On the other hand, handling sensitive customer data and contracts may require enhanced security measures to prevent unauthorized access.
You also have to remember that remote printing means internet printing, so any connectivity issues can severely disrupt your print environment.
Remote printing really shines in k-12 environments, giving students, teachers and adminthe ability to print across the school, and from home. With intelligent job routing, you can also make the most of your MFDs, ensuring a streamlined print environment. Lastly, with its print control features, cloud printing can really cut down on waste and printing costs. Always a good thing.
Any remote print solution needs to cope with seasonal network spikes, like around exam time. This is when network management and scalable servers are essential.
Permissions, security concerns and technical expertise vary widely from students to teachers to admin staff. That’s a lot of user groups to keep track of.
Remote printing transforms university campuses, enabling students, faculty, and staff to print from anywhere. Through intelligent job routing, institutions can optimize their fleet of MFDs across multiple buildings and departments for maximum efficiency. Cloud printing’s eco-conscious policies help universities reduce their environmental footprint while managing high-volume printing demands across academic departments, research facilities, and administrative offices.
University print networks must handle extreme usage spikes during crucial periods like finals week, thesis submissions, and research deadlines. Robust network infrastructure and scalable server capacity are essential to maintain service during these critical times.
Universities must manage distinct printing needs and access levels - from undergraduate and graduate students to research faculty, visiting professors, administrative staff, and campus services. Each group requires specific permissions, billing structures, and security protocols.
RLegal businesses still tend to favour physical documents, which means they chew through a lot of printing. Remote print setups mean lawyers and staff can print contracts, briefs and case files from anywhere. Cloud printing can also integrate seamlessly with existing document management systems, so the rollover isn’t so painful.
Legal documents often require strict compliance with data protection laws, like the GDPR. Luckily, most print management tools can facilitate that sort of thing.
If your business relies on 100% uptime, remote printing does come with a small flag: it’s dependent on the internet. Check out Offline Operations for more info.
Small businesses need cost-effective, simple and efficient solutions. That’s three things remote printing does really well. Cloud and remote printing environments reduce the need for expensive print servers, they scale easily as the business grows, and they allow employees to print from home or the office. When you’re small, it’s all about maximizing the resources you’ve got.
Small businesses often lack any dedicated IT resource, which means they can struggle to manage some remote print solutions. Pro tip: buy the vendor, not the program. Look for great customer support.
Small business printing usually means sharing a single MFD. That means you’ll need secure print release and clearly defined user permissions for any sensitive documents.
Efficient print management is a must-have for medium businesses looking to keep costs in check, boost productivity, and protect their data. Sure, we’re living in a cloud-first world where printing might seem a bit old-school, but inefficient printing can lead to significant waste – both in time and money.
As a medium business your printing solutions must be able to grow with your business. That means investing in software and hardware that can handle increased demand without compromising performance.
You might have hundreds of employees and devices printing simultaneously across your network. End-to-end encryption, robust authentication controls, secure print release, and zero trust architecture are critical features to have.
Print analytics play a crucial role in enabling and optimizing your remote print setup. Without analytics, you’re basically printing blind. But with a good dashboard configured, your IT department will be able to provide insights into your usage, identify any inefficiencies, and improve security. All at the same time.
Print analytics let you track every print job sent from remote locations, capturing details like document type, user, department, the printer used, and the number of pages printed. And that gives you an insight into two things: how much you’re spending, and how much you should be spending. In other words, analytics can help your print more efficiently.
Your analytics tools should integrate with your release mechanisms, ensuring that sensitive documents are never printed until an authorized user authenticates at the printer. This is especially important in sectors like finance, healthcare and the law. Analytics also provide audit trails, so you can track the lifecycle of every printed document.
Track your toner, track your ink, track your paper usage, track printer performance. With analytics, you get a zoomed-in view of your entire print ecosystem. This allows IT teams to remotely manage printer maintenance and troubleshooting, too, quickly spotting paper jams and managing maintenance cycles across the fleet. All of which means less downtime.
It doesn’t matter how good your security setup is – user error will always be your downfall. This is why training and communication are crucial parts of cyber strategy. User error still accounts for roughly 68% of all data breaches, so drilling cyber best practice into your remote workforce is arguably the best thing you can do to protect your print environment.
In an ideal world, security and convenience would go hand-in-hand, but in real life it’s usually a trade-off. The more secure, the less convenient. And vice versa. The trick is finding the right balance, and encouraging users to put up with a few small hoops in exchange for a secure, virus-free system.
For every organization, this balance is going to be slightly different. If you’re running a small business, and you’re not handling sensitive or confidential information, you might be willing to streamline the user experience and sacrifice a few security steps. A hospital, on the other hand, or a financial services company, is legally obligated to follow certain data privacy rules. Ultimately you want to find that sweet spot, where the system is as secure as possible, without affecting the user experience to the point of non-engagement. If people stop using a system, it doesn’t matter how safe it is. It’s not serving its purpose.
