Incorporate Mobile into the Enterprise Print Strategy
Mobile printing: When BYOD goes from problem solver to problem.
- Organizations that support BYOD must decide whether printing for mobile devices and personal computers is also needed. Mobile printing may or may not be an essential part of employees’ workflow.
- Organizations continue to have concerns about the security of mobile devices, the lack of standardization of operating systems, and the potential for diminished user experience.
- There is an increasing number of mobile print solutions available. They range from manufacturer-provided hardware and software to vendor-agnostic third-party solutions, and virtual desktop options. While these solutions work for individual devices, they are less appropriate for enterprise-wide solutions.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Not every organization will require a mobile print solution. Survey end users in the organization to determine whether they require mobile printing as an essential part of their workflow. If mobile printing is not essential, reconsider investing in a solution.
- Take a two tiered approach to service levels. Not every user will have the same needs. Some employees, such as consultants and the executive team, may require premium service, while others will only require limited service.
- While some of the concerns associated with mobile printing are justified, other fears are often over-exaggerated. A mobile solution may not provide end users with the exact same experience as printing from a desktop, but for the most part, organizations can apply the same practices to mobile printing as to its enterprise printing strategy.
- Incorporate your mobile print solution into your overall print strategy. Include current security protocols such as pull printing, set up user accounting and quotas, and allow print roaming.
Impact and Result
- Understand the mobile print market, the benefits, and challenges of providing workers with a mobile solution, and the trends moving forward.
- Identify the current solutions, the limitations and use cases, and IT and user setup requirements.
- Determine whether your organization requires a mobile solution, or whether IT should focus on encouraging the organization to decrease the amount of printed pages.
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