Maintel conducted a print audit to analyse Beaverbrooks’ print and document utilisation across the site, including the technology, usage, processes and workflows. As a result of the findings Maintel suggested implementing a managed print service (MPS) to consolidate the existing print estate into a single contract, from one supplier, with the ability to standardise technology across the office. This would deliver greater visibility, cost savings and easier support.
Maintel was selected to provide a complete managed print solution for Beaverbrooks on a five-year contract. The foundation of the managed print solution was a fleet of standardised Canon devices, designed to fit the specific print needs and output volumes of staff. To deliver the necessary visibility and control of the upgraded printer fleet, Maintel deployed uniFLOW Output Manager software.
The solution consisted of:
This solution enabled Beaverbrooks to benefit from a single operating system across all devices. Users quickly became familiar with one machine with the confidence that they would use the same operating system whichever device they printed or scanned from.
All the devices were networked, and the uniFLOW print management software delivers the ability to manage and report on all devices centrally, including all usage statistics.
Another feature of the uniFlow software was the ability to offer secure and mobile printing functionality. Employees are able to send print jobs to a central print queue and collect from any device using their building access card. This means every employee can securely authenticate their identity and access print jobs with the tap of a key fob or RFID card.
James continues, “By appointing Maintel to implement a managed print service for our head office, we solved many of our challenges in a single stroke. Replacing multiple suppliers, contracts and devices with a single solution with upgraded, standardised machines and proactive support with stringent SLAs reduced the burden on our IT support team, gave our people a more effective print set-up and delivered cost efficiencies.”
Greater flexibility and security: One of the biggest advantages of the new system for employees is the flexibility that the uniFLOW system offers. Employees can now access alternative printers should one printer be unsuitable, unavailable or out of service.
Similarly, integrating the uniFLOW system with ID access allows employees to securely collect print outs from any device without having to carry a print card. Now print jobs are only activated when the employee is at the device to collect it, meaning there is no unnecessary printing and no chance of sensitive documents falling into the wrong hands.
Easier management and greater visibility: By deploying a fleet of upgraded Canon devices as a MPS, keeping print technology running smoothly was a much simpler task for the IT team. Ease of management was hugely improved due to only needing to support standardised devices, with the uniFLOW management software able to proactively highlight any problems on the networks.
The managed print service also automates day-to-day tasks such as toner ordering, centrally manages the updating of print drivers and offers just one partner and a single point of contact for any print issues.
Furthermore, uniFLOW’s display offers full visibility of document output, meaning that usage information is easy to monitor. This allows IT to create business information reports on usage levels and cost profiles associated with the print and copy jobs.