Tag Archive: Managed Print Services Des Moines

  1. 4 Reasons You Need Managed Print Services

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    Do you need managed print services? Is it even right for your industry, business, and employees? These are big questions–but luckily, the reasons you do need managed print are even bigger. Let’s take a look!

    Do you need managed print services? Is it even right for your industry, business, and employees? These are big questions–but luckily, the reasons you do need managed print are even bigger. Let’s take a look!

    Managing Doubt with Managed Print

    Every new business solution comes with a certain level of doubt. Is it worth it? Did we really need this solution? Was now the right time?

    Luckily, managed print services comes with big reasons to dissolve that doubt–four big reasons, as a matter of fact!

    #1: It makes printers behave.

    Let’s face it: printers can be a pain. With managed print, you won’t have to worry about getting those finicky machines to behave. Instead, you’ll have a print partner who knows these machines inside and out–and, through a combination of proactive solutions and troubleshooting, that partner will be able to keep your printers in line.

    #2: It saves money on almost everything.

    Print costs got you down? Not anymore! Managed print services helps you understand where your money is going and why–and, armed with this information, you and your provider can cut costs, choose cheaper alternatives, and make printing budget-friendly again.

    #3: It gives you access to all the bells and whistles.

    If it’s printer upgrades you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. Whether your managed print provider leases new machines or helps you budget for your own, you can rest assured that those bells and whistles will be within reach.

    #4: It keeps your data safe and sound.

    Did you know that multifunction printers are a huge target for hackers? Managed print services helps keep your printers–and their data–safe and sound with a host of security solutions, upgraded software, and savvy procedures.

    Conclusion

    Managed print services is a good choice for any business–and there are plenty of reasons why. When choosing whether to implement managed print, remember what it can do: keep printers in line, save money, upgrade your fleet, and, of course, protect your company.

    If you’ve got managed print questions, we’ve got answers. Contact us today for all the help you need!

  2. Managed Print Tips: How Much Does Printing Really Cost?

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    Like many business solutions, managed print services is good at all kinds of things, from cutting unnecessary steps out of your workflow to improving communication across your company–but did you know it also reveals secrets? Managed print is excellent at helping you find the * actual* cost of printing–and the truth may surprise you.

    Like many business solutions, managed print services is good at all kinds of things, from cutting unnecessary steps out of your workflow to improving communication across your company–but did you know it also reveals secrets? Managed print is excellent at helping you find the * actual* cost of printing–and the truth may surprise you.

    Gain Transparency with Managed Print

    Managed print services isn’t just about printers. It’s about your entire print environment–your habits, needs, challenges, and even your supply ordering procedures. By looking at all of these things rather than just one or two, managed print provides the transparency you need to learn the real cost of printing in your business.

    Here are a few things that you might not even realize are draining your budget:

    • Number of printers

    You may not spend much time thinking about how many printers are actually in your fleet, but once managed print brings it to your attention, you won’t be able to look away. The bigger the fleet, the higher the cost of supplies, energy, maintenance, and more.

    • Bad supply habits

    It probably doesn’t seem like the end of the world to over-order paper or buy the wrong toner–but the truth is that bad habits can wreak havoc on your budget for consumables.

    • Unnecessary printing

    From personal prints to documents that could just as easily have been shared online, unnecessary printing is a considerable cost–and it can seriously hurt your print environment.

    Controlling Costs

    The good news is that managed print doesn’t just identify the cost of printing and then leave you to deal with it on your own. Instead, it helps you choose solutions that will address all of these issues–helping streamline your fleet, improve your supply habits, and curb unnecessary printing by establishing “print rules.”

    In conclusion, managed print services is an excellent tool for protecting your budget because it reveals and controls the actual cost of printing. If you want to save money without cutting corners, you couldn’t do much better.

    Ready to see what managed print services can do for you? Contact us today!

  3. Managed Print Solutions for Auto Dealerships

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    Auto dealerships have a wide range of documents that must be printed regularly. This makes it important to ensure that all of the printers in the office are working well and ready to be used.

    Printer Maintenance

    Part of managed print services in Des Moines is the regular maintenance of the printers. This keeps an eye on whether a printer needs any work, whether it has gotten slow or is experiencing problems like paper jams. If any repairs need to be done, managed print services can let you know about them before they get bigger and far more expensive to complete. Maintenance allows for your printers to last longer and to be ready to go when they are needed by salespeople and management alike.

    Saving Time for Employees

    Auto dealerships are fast-paced workplaces, and there is little way to predict how busy a day will be. When your printers may or may not work, this can take time away from an employee’s day for checking on the printers, trying to fix them, getting the paper to put in them, etc. To keep pace with the sales force, managed print services are there to keep the printers up and running and stocked with everything they need. Your salespeople need to be free to go out and make sales. The time that they spend on printer maintenance only takes away from making those sales.

    Secure Data

    Part of today’s managed print services is ensuring that the privacy features are working well on every printer. Those features are especially important with today’s danger of data breaches. The privacy of your customers is of the utmost importance, and a data breach can ruin the reputation of a dealership. This makes managed print services an important part of your overall security. So much data from customers is needed that remaining compliant with their privacy is a major task that must be done every time their data is printed.

    If you’re ready for managed print services to keep your dealership’s printers prepared to be used, and your data private, contact us to find out more.

  4. What You Need to Know About Buying vs Leasing a Printer

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    Every office needs at least one good printer, but it’s up to the business rather it needs to purchase a printer or to rent one. For some companies, leasing makes more sense. For others, purchasing a printer outright is a much better situation.

    Cutting Edge Office Technology

    For offices that want to be on the cutting edge of technology and utilize all of the latest printer features and compatibilities, renting a printer might be a better plan than buying one. When the equipment is rented, it can be upgraded as newer models are released on the market. Renting allows the company not to be locked into the current models until they’re ready to replace it with a new purchase.

    Financial Considerations

    Does your company want to own all of its equipment, or does it make more financial sense to make smaller monthly payments to rent its equipment? Some want to invest in their own office machines while others would find it difficult to come up with the purchase price for a new printer all at once. If it would wreck your company’s budget to buy, renting might be a better idea. However, if the goal is to pay less over the life of the machine, it may be better to buy one that can be used for many years to come.

    Contracts

    When you purchase a printer, it’s paid for and you can then decide whether your multifunction printer should have managed print services. But with a lease, there will be a contract period for the rental. If you find that you don’t need the printer as much as you thought, or it’s simply the wrong one for your needs, you still have to pay the monthly rental fee throughout the life of the lease. That can add monthly costs to the budget that aren’t necessary. If the company simply owned that printer, it could be sold or traded in on a different model.

    If you’re thinking about leasing or purchasing a new office printer, contact us to find out about the latest models available.

  5. How to Manage Your Print Costs Effectively

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    When operating a business, managing outgoing costs is just as important as increasing profits. Small improvements to your regular processes will help you decrease the amount you spend and optimize your resources. Controlling print expenditures and managing your print resources properly is one area where analysis and improvement will help your entire business run smoothly. Without having to worry about ordering printer supplies and keeping the machine running, your employees can concentrate on more pressing tasks.

    Be Clear About Your Printing Policy

    It may seem like common sense, but setting a printing policy for your employees that encourages them to only use the printer for business purposes and retrieve documents as soon as they are printed will help to cut down on waste and eliminate potential exposure of confidential information to unauthorized personnel. Setting guidelines for your employees will help cut down on wasteful printing and unnecessary copies.

    Consider All the Costs in Your Analysis

    A full accounting of printing costs should include everything related to these expenses. In addition to per-page printing costs, include:

    • Employee time spent ordering and stocking supplies and managing issues that arise with the printer
    • Repairs or service call costs
    • Toner, paper, ink, and other supplies
    • Shredding or other paper disposal costs

    Optimize Document Workflows for Better Efficiency

    Once you’ve taken stock of all the time and money spent on printing-related costs, you can look for places to make your processes better. Scanning documents into the system instead of sending them via mail can save days of waiting, the cost of paper, ink, and postage, and the time it takes employees to send documents out. These might seem like small changes, but incremental savings can add up when applied to each process.

    If you’re spending too much on printing and related costs, MMIT Business Solutions Group can help you set up a managed print solution that works for your organization. Contact us today to find out more.

  6. Managed Print Benefits for All Businesses

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    Managed print services typically supervise all of your print provisions, including device hardware, maintenance, service, and supplies. Print management is a great way to consolidate print costs and streamline your print environment, making it easier to run and supervise. MPS is no longer expensive and unwieldy to roll out; it is an essential solution with many benefits for any business.

    Sustainable Solution

    By tracking your print activity, managed print lets you know how much you are printing, if there are areas of waste and highlights the potential for cutting back. This is a great way to reduce paper waste as well as conserve toner and electricity usage — saving money and reducing emissions.

    Financial Benefits

    When it comes to managed print, most businesses agree that the financial savings are top-notch. The all-inclusive nature of print management means that your costs are bundled, saving you on supplies, service, maintenance, and more. Plus, you reduce expenses by eliminating the need for emergency repairs and troubleshooting. Consolidating print expenses eliminates stressful cost estimating and eases budget concerns.

    Oversight and Control

    Beyond financial savings, MPS helps businesses eliminate time and aggravation with simple oversight, automated notifications, increased control, and more. Never worry about running out of toner or ink again — with print monitoring, we will notify it is running low and send you more before it is even an issue for your business.

    IT Assistance

    Even if you have a great IT support team on staff, they probably have many other issues to deal with other than overseeing the functionality of your copiers and printers. Using a managed print provider frees up your IT resources, allowing your tech experts to focus on other technology pursuits. Contact us for more information on managed services.

  7. Streamlining Costs with Managed Print

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    Tracking print costs is no easy task. And what if your business bills client projects based on expenses, it can be even more challenging to keep tabs on what you print and how much it costs. Managed print services can help you streamline your print expenses and keep tabs on all print-related costs.

    Assessing Your Expenses

    Managed print enables you to track the resources and time used for individual clients so that you can appropriately charge clients for billable resources, such as print. These types of tools and strategies are particularly for businesses that must recoup client costs, such as law firms.

    For example, to estimate fees for the number of copies, prints, scans, and research for each client, they must track these costs. These types of expenses fall outside of the typical hourly rates charged.

    Maximizing Available Tools

    Managed Print Services is a customizable solution that can help you get an accurate read on your print expenses, enabling you to recoup costs from clients. With MPS, you can

    • track and monitor print costs and jobs
    • oversee client-specific print jobs and expenses
    • create print expense reports

    Beyond tracking print expenses, managed print will ensure you are using the best print devices to meet your needs, rein in overhead costs, streamline print projects, provide top-of-the-line support.

    Regardless of your business or industry, managed print services can help streamline your print program and bolster your bottom line.

    Read more about the many benefits of managed print.

  8. Analyze and Reduce Printing Costs with MPS

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    When it comes to your print environment, it is more than just paper and ink. And underestimating the number of variables involved often means you end up spending more than you anticipated or budgeted.

    You probably already have various business systems in place across your organization to help improve productivity and cut costs. So, why not extend that same thought process to your print initiatives? With managed print services you can assess your current print landscape, pinpoint areas of improvement, and save a significant amount of money.

    Assessing the Situation

    The reality is that most companies do not have a great handle on their print fleet and the associated costs. Do you know how many copiers, printers, and multifunction devices you currently have and how many different people are accessing them? What about supplies? Is more than one person authorized to purchase ink and paper for your fleet? When you think about, it obvious why managed print is a necessity.

    Reaping the Benefits and Savings

    One of the most significant benefits of MPS is that it can be tailored to your specific business needs and budget. Working within your parameters, we will develop a plan that includes supplies management, IT support, monitoring and reporting, and more to make it easier for you to manage your print fleet.

    Plus, we can work with the equipment that you already have — no pressure for expensive upgrades or new machines unless there is a legitimate need. Often upgrades can save money in the long run, but our managed print program focuses on providing support and supplies for your existing print fleet.

    Uncovering Hidden Costs

    Since hidden costs are one of the biggest print concerns, we use software to track your printer and copier usage. Once we have this big-picture view of use and expenditures and we can make suggestions for improving spending and productivity.

    If you a ready to get a handle on your print practices and expenses, it is time for top-of-the-line managed print services. Click here to read more about the benefits of managed print.

  9. Immediate Benefits with Managed Print Services

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    Your business might have a printer, or it might have a dozen printers. Either way, you probably have a printer. Maintaining these printers can cost you time and money, and you often don’t have a printer maintenance expert on your staff. Outsourcing your print management to a third-party provider is a great way to streamline your workflows and save your business time and money.

    Here are a few of the immediate benefits that come with Managed Print Services:

    Cut Printing Costs

    With Managed Print Services (MPS), your company could experience significant cost reduction for your annual printing spending. Managed Print can save your business up to 30% of previous printing expenses. There are many ways that Managed Print helps you cut costs, but the most significant ways are improved efficiency, initial cost reduction, standardization, and cost accountability.

    An MPS provider will evaluate your print environment and make suggestions for cutting costs and increasing efficiency. They will help you get rid of outdated or ineffective devices that are costing you additional expenses. They will also monitor device usage to ensure that supplies like ink, toner, and paper are being used appropriately.

    Improved Security with Digital Documents

    A Managed Print provider will equip you with devices to effectively scan documents to file electronically on either a cloud network or a local storage network. Not only will this free up filing space in your office and effectively organize your documents, but it also protects them by removing them from your physical office.

    Green Practices

    An MPS provider will help your business initiate more eco-friendly practices for your print environment. Through the solutions offered with MPS, your business will create less waste, recycle more, and save energy.

    To learn more about the immediate benefits that Managed Print Services has to offer your business, contact MMIT Business Solutions Group today!

  10. Establishing a Security Plan for Your MFP

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    Device and network security are two of the most overlooked features of any office, the multifunction printer (MFP) being a common unprotected device. What many business owners don’t realize is how much information is passed through and stored on your devices and networks and how prone they are to a breach attempt.

    The truth is, the data that passes through an MFP is so valuable that hackers have identified them as a frequent target in offices around the world.

    Here are some tips for creating a security plan that will ensure secure printer use:

    Integrate Security Plans

    If you have developed a network security plan and have not included your business’ printers and office devices, it’s time to make some amendments to that plan. Incorporating all of your office devices into your business’ network security plan will ensure that no holes are left for hackers to find.

    User Authentication

    Restricting access to your MFP with user authentication is one of the smartest security measures you can take to protect your device. Modern MFPs will allow you to require a password, PIN code, or user badge to gain access to the device.

    Data Encryption

    Data encryption is the process of encoding your data as it passes through a device, making it useless to anyone who might steal it. Although it is not an end-all solution, it creates an additional wall of security for hackers to get through to access data. Data should be cleared from the hard drive monthly to lower the chances of information being reached.

    Monitor Usage

    You could develop the best security plan so far, and it will still be prone to failure. It is essential to monitor your employee’s usage of devices and plans to make sure they are using office devices and processes as intended.

    Managed Print Services

    Security is the first concern for most companies, but acting on it is more difficult than often expected. It turns out that not everyone is an IT expert! That is where the help of a Managed Print Services (MPS) becomes useful. An MPS provider has in-depth knowledge and experience with effective security practices and will ensure that your business is prepared to prevent hackers.

    To learn more about Managed Print Services and MFP security, contact MMIT Business Solutions Group today!