Making cloud and mobile print work

Getting cloud and mobile print right means unifying two sets of needs.

1. Your users want the autonomy to connect to any device, whenever and wherever they want.

2. You want to be able to manage them remotely

If it is simple for both you or your users, then the solution isn't sufficient. The good news is that integrating paper, office-based procedures with cloud and mobile workflows doesn't have to be difficult.

Here are six ways to make sure that everyone gets what they require:

1. Make it as easy as email

Your users need to be able to print from whatever device they have, so a great first step is to use an application that all of their devices already work with - email. Start by implementing a mobile print solution that allows users to send an email and print the documents right at their multi-function device (MFD).

2. Give your users all the options they need

Make sure your users can print jobs via email, web browsers or cloud applications. A cross-platform solution which supports iOS (Apple AirPrint) and Android is a must. The easier you make it for users to connect, the fewer the helpdesk calls/tickets your IT function will get.

3. Support print-on-demand

Print-on-demand, also known as "pull printing" ensures that your printer only releases print jobs from your MFD after a user has logged in with a pin code, swipe card, biometric login or even their mobile device.

4. Using Android, look for "Mopria"

If you’re worried about supporting all these different devices and apps and drivers – don’t. There’s an industry standard for mobile printing that makes it a lot easier for you to pick the right tools and your users to get their work done faster. With a Mopria certified printer, all it takes is three simple steps to print.

5. Integrate paper into digital workflows

For repetitive processes like handling invoices, you can customise a digital workflow and then use an app on your MFD to automate it. For example, you could create an “invoice” button that automatically routes a new invoice to the right folder on your network share, and make it searchable by invoice number or total amount.

6. Extract insight from data

Use your MFDs’ audit logs to gather valuable information about which devices are accessing them, when they’re accessing them, and what documents they’re printing. This dataset will help you improve security and enable compliance, and give the you the ability to chargeback costs to different departments.