Simplifying Print Management for Multiple Locations
Vasion Print’s (formerly PrinterLogic) core features helped this retailer simplify their print environment and streamline IT processes.
Challenges
- • Hardware being used as print servers in over 2,500 locations, each with multiple print queues.
- Personnel handling print failures differently with no set procedures or organised solutions, costing time and money.
- Complicated management systems causing problematic and time-consuming deployments, configurations, and print queue management.
Solution
A large UK retailer that’s been in business for over 100 years with over 2,500 stores worldwide came to Vasion Print with multiple printing issues. Legacy systems weighed down productivity and managing printing issues became a part of their daily IT routine.
These issues were only partially addressed as part of a Windows 10 upgrade. Only having one person to manage scripts meant that other staff were unsure of how to adequately resolve issues, creating further dysfunction and escalating the search for a solution.
The retailer approached Vasion Print looking to migrate to our core platform. They had multiple problems managing printing that spread throughout their entire company. The retailer switched from a print server-dependent structure to our serverless infrastructure, modernizing their print environment and simplifying IT management.
They also tested a competitive solution but decided to move forward with Vasion Print due to the streamlined nature of managing drivers and centralized deployment compared to the complex nature of managing and licensing the rival offered.
“The number of tickets we used to get—they’re all gone.”
- End User Product Manager
“The implementation is simple; the use of the product is simple, but what it does in the back end is complex.”
- IT Service Lead
CHALLENGE #1
1
Seamlessly Migrating 12,500 Users Without Disrupting Print Services
This retailer dealt with around 11,000 print queues, split amongst numerous devices throughout 2,500 locations worldwide. Each location had its own hardware acting as a print server. This included dedicated desktops on a Windows 7 infrastructure.
This installation required continuous upkeep, with no efficient way to keep everything up-to-date. Moving to Vasion Print allowed the retailer to remove up to 400 pieces of hardware. The direct IP printing methodology ensured printing could continue using the company’s current devices and printers without the need for intermediate devices acting as print servers, saving the IT team significant time and money.
CHALLENGE #2
2
Streamlining Management and Resolutions
Managing the old environment required excessive time and effort for this retailer’s IT team. With so many different devices and setups, the IT team handled each print issue differently depending on who responded and what needed to be fixed.
There were no set procedures for printing problems, causing significant delays and extending resolution times in many cases. The customer relied on custom scripts to deploy drivers to local machines, but only one person understood how these scripts worked. Other staff members created their own scripts independently, resulting in an inconsistent and fragmented print environment across the organization.
The streamlined management built into the Vasion Print platform allowed this retailer to simplify resolutions and train all staff to handle specific issues. With minimal upkeep and training necessary, anyone can jump in to handle any issues that might arise.
CHALLENGE #3
3
Reducing Time Spent on Print
Managing deployment, print queues, configurations, and drivers across their global locations created significant complexity. Unsurprisingly, print problems were part of the agenda whenever the Senior Service Lead visited one of the locations. The company estimated that handling print problems was the equivalent of a full-time job for one person.
“I speak with store managers a lot to see how things are going, and whereas print used to be high up on the agenda, it now isn’t.”
Unlike other print management solutions, Vasion Print believes a print solution should be secure and easy to use. Vasion Print’s Admin Console was created to offer centralized management for everyday print concerns. This includes driver updates, deployments, user access controls, and more.
With no need for scripting, this retailer spread responsibility for print management to multiple people rather than relying on a single person with specialized knowledge. That means less time spent dealing with print overall and more coverage for everyday print management issues.
In fact, when we asked them what they would like readers to remember after reading this case study, they said:
“For me, it’s just the simplicity of the solution. We had it up and running in a few hours; it’s very intuitive.”
- UK Stores Service Lead