Posted by Chris Poole
If your organization has multiple locations and relies on print servers, chances are your printing environment resembles one of these three scenarios:
A Centralized Print Network: This approach localizes all print-job processing in one place. Print jobs initiated at remote branches travel across the WAN to the central print server, and then route back to the local printer. If this process or route fails for any reason, so does the print job. A centralized server introduces a single point of failure for the entire printing environment. If that centralized print server goes down, print productivity and performance across the enterprise takes a big hit.
A Distributed Print Network: A distributed approach routes print traffic through a web of distributed print servers. This configuration is more resilient than a centralized network, but is harder to manage. Having discrete print servers at each location can create fragmentation. This lowers transparency and raises the burden on technical and support staff. Instead of managing one big print environment, IT has to maintain several microenvironments—each with its own distinct needs. Each must be updated and configured individually.
A Virtualized Print Network: Employing a VDI solution reduces hardware expense and increases security by keeping critical data protected in a data center. Printing in a VDI environment, however, is notoriously difficult and prone to user frustration. It increases print complexity, which can be especially taxing on IT. Print jobs have to be routed from within the virtual machine through a print server to a target printer. Each virtual machine must have the correct drivers applied. Printing delays are common, leading to systemic print productivity frustrations for end users. Advanced enterprise features such as secure pull printing are challenging to implement.
PrinterLogic is the one enterprise print-management solution that brings centralized control, improved performance, and ease of use to any print environment—without the drawbacks of a print server. Whether you prefer an on-premises or cloud-based solution, our next-generation print management software delivers unprecedented flexibility and gives you greater control over your printing environment, whether it is centralized, distributed, or virtualized.
PrinterLogic streamlines and enhances print management—anywhere in your organization—from a single pane of glass. Our web-based admin console lets you manage printers and drivers without group policy objects (GPOs) or scripts. From this same console you can alter printer settings, remove printers, and edit driver profiles.
It doesn’t matter if your home office is across the street, or across the ocean. As UW Health found out, managing network printing with PrinterLogic, even in VDI environments, is straightforward and efficient and improves print uptime across the board.
PrinterLogic is popular among end users, too. It includes a self-service portal with visual floor-plan maps so anyone can easily find and install printers on their own—without help-desk assistance. This feature is especially useful for roaming employees who travel between a main office and remote sites.
PrinterLogic’s unique approach to enterprise print management gives you the power to optimize your entire print environment in ways that you never thought possible. Whether you need an on-prem solution or a SaaS edition such as PrinterLogic SaaS (formerly PrinterCloud), we offer a free, full-featured demo and migration tool to help you test the solution in your environment. Try it for free for 30 days.