Print Servers Can't Keep Up
Archaic infrastructure requires manual maintenance and excessive operational overhead. Vulnerabilities like PrintNightmare expose entire networks, and each patch risks breaking printing for the thousands of users.
Legacy infrastructure, such as print servers, often fails to meet the needs of modern work environments. Security concerns, meeting compliance and regulatory guidelines, and the demands of a flexible workforce are also crucial considerations when it comes to print management as we look ahead to the outlook for print management software trends for 2026 and beyond.
Legacy Print Servers Are Being Retired
Cost pressures are forcing an honest accounting of total expenses beyond hardware and licensing, including backup infrastructure, security tooling, monitoring systems, and the cost of skilled engineers managing print queues, rather than pursuing strategic initiatives. As budgets tighten, print servers emerge as consolidation targets with costs far exceeding their business value.
More teams are evaluating cloud print models that eliminate server infrastructure entirely. Early adopters report dramatic reductions in support tickets, no patching or driver management complexity, and IT resources finally freed from constant print-related escalations.
Zero Trust Security is Paramount
Print infrastructure has evolved from a low-priority IT concern into a significant security vulnerability.
Printers have become problematic due to unmanaged endpoints, outdated firmware, default credentials, and a lack of basic security controls.
Regulatory frameworks have created compliance pressures that legacy print models cannot address. HIPAA policies scrutinize the protection of patient information sent to printers, while GDPR enforcement highlights data privacy risks in printer memory. Additionally, CJIS compliance demands strict access controls and audit trails that traditional shared printers cannot provide.
Secure print solutions require identity-based access controls and comprehensive auditing, enabling precise tracking of who printed what document, when, and from which device. This is driving a fundamental shift toward solutions that enforce authentication at the device, encrypt print jobs in transit and at rest, and maintain detailed audit logs.
Organizations can no longer justify open-access printing when weighed against the risks of breaches, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. Secure cloud printing is the future.
Support Hybrid and Flexible Work
The shift to remote and hybrid work solutions has fundamentally disrupted traditional print environments. Organizations now grapple with devices across disparate locations, flexible workspaces, guest access for contractors, and delegated release scenarios. Legacy print environments struggle to accommodate these dynamics.
Users expect seamless printing regardless of location, whether that be at headquarters, satellite offices, co-working spaces, or partner sites. The reality rarely matches expectations: complex driver installations for each location, authentication failures on unfamiliar networks, jobs disappearing into queues at the wrong building, and constant reconfiguration needs. What should be simple becomes multi-step troubleshooting that derails productivity.End user frustration translates directly into helpdesk ticket volume, with queues flooded by location-specific print issues. IT teams spend hours daily walking remote workers through driver installations, resetting queues across multiple sites, and fielding calls about misdirected documents. User satisfaction declines, and digital workplace initiatives lose credibility over something as fundamental as printing a document.
Cloud-native print solutions that empower end users to securely install their own printers without IT intervention are becoming increasingly important as flexible work continues to evolve.
Cost Management and Efficiency Matters
According to an internal customer report, nearly 70% of Vasion Print customers surveyed stated that it cost them between $1,000 and $3,000 to provision each new print server or replace an existing one. The remaining one-third of respondents reported that it cost their organization $3,000 or more, with close to 10% stating figures in excess of $6,000 per print server.1
The true cost of legacy print infrastructure extends far beyond obvious line items. Hidden expenses accumulate across server hardware, backup systems, VPN capacity for remote print and mobile printing traffic, security tooling, and sprawling driver management.
Broader consolidation mandates are reshaping tech stacks, with executives demanding fewer vendors, platforms, and management consoles. Print infrastructure sits squarely in the crosshairs; a complex, aging stack consuming time and resources relative to business impact.
Organizations are gravitating toward solutions that automate device onboarding, self-service printer discovery, and policy enforcement, eliminating routine tasks that have consumed IT cycles for decades.
What IT Leaders Are Prioritizing in 2026
IT leaders are rethinking their infrastructure strategies, with print environments emerging as a key target for modernization. Eliminating print servers, reducing infrastructure, and slashing costs are top priorities. Print solutions that operate without traditional server dependencies have moved from aspirational to essential.
Better control and transparency in shared environments rank equally high, driven by security concerns and the realities of flexible work. IT leaders need granular visibility into who accesses what devices, with the ability to enforce policies based on user identity, location, and data sensitivity.
Reducing ticket volume provides immediate, measurable ROI. Solutions that cut support tickets in half (or more) command serious attention, freeing IT resources for higher-value work while improving user satisfaction. Scalability across remote sites has become non-negotiable; organizations need solutions that deploy consistently across multiple offices without requiring IT presence at each location or VPN dependencies for centralized print management.
Get Ahead of the Curve for 2026
Print isn’t going anywhere. Modernization is about printing smarter; replacing vulnerable, outdated infrastructure with solutions designed for today's distributed, identity-driven, security-first requirements.
See how Vasion Print aligns with the print management trends of 2026 by scheduling a demo today.
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