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First Line Software is a premier provider of software engineering, software enablement, and digital transformation services. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the global staff of 450 technical experts serve clients across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Network resource management software is a powerful tool that enables organizations to monitor all of your network elements, including workstations, routers, modems, and printers. What do we mean by “monitoring” a printer, be it Epson, Canon, HP, or any other brand? Monitoring basic printer functions includes staying on top of the paper, toner, and ink levels but also offers much more. The main task is to control and eliminate problems with printer functionality, establishing high performance for all printers on your local network.
In a previous article, we discussed remote management of warehouse logistics. Another step in optimizing office efficiencies is implementing a professional tool for monitoring printers. There may be some uncertainty among business owners regarding remote printer monitoring, its significance in the business world, and whether it applies to devices such as multifunction printers (MFPs). However, it’s worth noting that remote printer monitoring has become an increasingly common practice. This article aims to provide a clear understanding of what remote printer monitoring entails, how it can benefit your businesses and the basic mechanics of how it operates.
Access to the Entire Fleet of Printers
If your company’s printers are dispersed across a huge facility, a corporate building, or many offices across the country (or the world), printer management software enables you to easily examine the state of an entire fleet, specific locations, or individual printers. Remote Printer Management software helps you simplify this process. This powerful tool enables you to automatically detect every printer on the network and organize them into logical groups for easy management. You can effortlessly check the status of each printer, pre-configure or update specific groups of printers, or configure and upgrade printers across all locations simultaneously. This means you can quickly resolve any printer performance issues and establish high performance for all printers on your network. For instance, you can configure all the printers in your marketing department to use a specific color profile or update the firmware of all your laser printers at once. Remote Printer Management simplifies the process of managing your printer fleet, saving you time and money by ensuring that all your printers are optimized for peak performance.
Achieve Granular Control Over Permissions with Rule-Based Access Management
According to a hybrid work statistic survey conducted by career experts, 74% of U.S.-based companies plan to continue or implement a hybrid remote work schedule. But how does this affect management and security for your remotely used equipment and printers as well?
Remote printer management software provides granular access control to printers by allowing administrators to define user roles and assign permissions accordingly. With single sign-on technology, you can easily set up user profiles for different types of employees including users, administrators, and technicians. This allows you to enforce security measures and control access to sensitive information and printer settings, ensuring that only authorized personnel have the ability to make changes. Another option – sometimes businesses rely on mobile printers to improve efficiency and security. In such cases, we recommend migrating to customized IoT management solutions that offer comprehensive lifecycle management of supported printers. With this approach, businesses can ensure that all printers are monitored and maintained effectively while minimizing the risk of security breaches and maximizing performance.
What About Ensuring Printer Security?
With the increasing number of printers connected to networks, data security has been discussed for years and has been the cornerstone of debate in the work of IT departments throughout history.
Remote printer management tools establish secure and encrypted connections to printers, protecting sensitive data and ensuring compliance with standard IT practices. The monitoring features of these tools also provide early detection of unauthorized access or abnormal printer work that may indicate a potential data breach.
The major functionality of printers is to ensure smooth and efficient data collection and labeling. Remote Printer Management Software can help reduce the costs and effort involved in managing a fleet of printers, while also providing real-time updates on their status and operation. This allows for faster resolution of issues and ensures that printers are always up-to-date with the latest software and security updates.
Schedule Printer Updates to Minimize Disruptions
Printer updates should be scheduled when the printer is on and visible on the network to avoid disrupting workflow and causing costly downtime. You have full control over updates and scheduled maintenance activities using remote management tools, and you can even push updates or new configurations automatically.
In addition, remote printer management software can notify managers when printers are about to fail or need scheduled maintenance. On the remote user interface, visual alerts provide status updates, such as notifications if the printer is offline or operating outside of its temperature range. Managers can also monitor the printer head and battery health, and set automatic alerts to remind operators to perform scheduled maintenance or media replacements.
Is It Suitable for You?
As you can see, Remote Printer Monitoring is an effective approach for reducing printer downtime by closely monitoring overall usage, maintenance requirements, supply levels, and network security.
Even if you only have one printer, remote monitoring can save you money by reducing after-hours maintenance visits and preventing over-purchasing or supply mismanagement. Remote monitoring can provide crucial insights into your printing environment, allowing you to make informed decisions regarding printing procedures within your organization regardless of the number of printers you have.
As the old saying goes, “You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken.” First Line Software can assist you in avoiding this issue by introducing remote monitoring to provide proactive support and a more in-depth understanding of your print environment, resulting in smooth company operations and equipment performance.
Remote monitoring can be a great addition to your managed print services with First Line Software guiding you along the way. With so many other network difficulties to deal with, your organization will enjoy the ease of not having to deal with constant printer issues. Don’t let printer problems slow down your business. Trust First Line Software to keep your printing environment running like clockwork, giving you peace of mind and boosting your productivity. Contact us today to learn more about our remote monitoring services and how we can help you achieve your business goals.