Print smarter, not harder: our top print fleet management tips
We explore how printer fleet management can help manage your print demands and keep track of all your devices, anytime, anywhere.
When you have multiple printers in your organisation – often in different locations – it can be hard to know if they’re being used in the right way to make the most of their functionality. In fact, it can be hard to know whether some of them are even being used much at all. Hybrid working and shared working spaces only add to these challenges, and it falls on IT teams to navigate this fractured print set up (among many other tasks!)
So, what can be done make things feel simpler? It’s all about printer fleet management, and we’re going to take you through what this really means for your printing day-to-day.
The hidden challenges of unmanaged print environments
Although it’s an area that is often overlooked, unmanaged print fleets can lead to unpredictable expenses, wasted resources, security risks, and environmental impact due to lack of control, monitoring and optimising.
Here at Brother, we know that managing your entire fleet internally can be time-consuming – and can take your focus away from crucial business operations. Brother print management is designed to help you optimise and keep track of all your print devices – anytime, anywhere. Let’s take a closer look at all the benefits of focusing on the bigger picture of your print set up.
The key advantages of print fleet management – and what to look for in a partner
Choosing a printer fleet management partner takes careful consideration – it’s not about simply opting for the first one recommended to you or sticking with a provider you may have signed up to when you first installed your printers (often many moons ago). When weighing up your options, think about whether your fleet management partner can help you:
- Monitor and extract printer usage reports easily
- Create and activate security configurations effortlessly
- Reduce printer downtime through real-time notifications
- Eliminate tedious installation and network configuration processes
- Reduce unexpected costs from wasted supplies and excessive printing
Spot the patterns: Get a clearer picture with advanced analytics and reporting
Effective print fleet management software brings you advanced analytics and reporting tools, empowering you to track and manage printing costs, monitor usage patterns, and identify inefficiencies.
With this insight, you can cut down on employee time spent on reoccurring printer-related tasks and challenges. You’ll get actionable insights on the process of printing, scanning, copying or faxing documents on old hardware or poorly configured software. Overall, fleet print management services identify printing problems and help to free up staff time – and not just in your IT team!
Seamless integration with your IT ecosystem
Some fleet management services, including Brother’s print management solutions, integrate smoothly with businesses’ existing IT ecosystems and other cloud services. With a range of services, including fleet-wide monitoring, fleet-wide installation and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis, we offer solutions that can easily be incorporated with existing software and set-ups.
Fleet-wide monitoring
Optimise fleet management with full access and remote control of all your devices. Brother’s fleet-wide monitoring solutions give you comprehensive tracking of your machine usage, allowing you to pinpoint problems in real time and address any changes in printer supply usage.
Fleet-wide installation
Configuring and updating your print devices can take your IT administrators’ focus away from other areas of your business. Reduce printer downtime and give your team the space to focus on other tasks with Brother’s fleet-wide installation tools.
TCO analysis
Mange your TCO by knowing your acquisition cost, usage and consumables. Our Brother specialists will help you calculate typical printing costs, as well as identifying and mitigating any hidden costs – going beyond the typical cost-per-page calculation manufacturers usually provide.
Get a print fleet fit for the future with Brother
Full fleet managed print solutions from Brother focus on making your print set up work harder for you. Our expertise, reliability and customer-centric approach is all wrapped up in a Brother Managed Print Service like Brother MPS Enterprise.
No matter how much or how little you print, we make sure everything works seamlessly – with no hidden costs or nasty surprises. With Brother MPS Enterprise, you get:
- A full assessment of your current printing set up, spotting opportunities to simplify and improve your print infrastructure.
- A dedicated project and service delivery team to guide you through your transition to a streamlined print set up, including installing any new hardware and integrating with current software – without interrupting your work.
- Ongoing optimisation to make sure your print fleet stays working as it should.
- High-yield ink and ink and toner cartridges delivered automatically before you run out
- Expert service and support, with a focus on triple-layered security to keep your business’ print security watertight.
- Support with making your print fleet more sustainable, including our award-winning Renew by Brother cartridge returns programme.
As businesses embrace digital transformation and new ways of working, Brother’s print fleet management solutions are designed to evolve alongside them. Whether you’re working within healthcare, retail, professional services, logistics, or an office environment, we’ll help to prepare you for the future with cutting-edge technology and ongoing support. Get in touch with us for a customised managed print solution.
