The Datamax Thinking Blog

How can you guarantee a Return on Investment without overarching control and full visibility of your print environment and end-user activities?

Leaders are routinely tasked with taking the “10,000 foot-view” perspective.

After all, it’s from this vantage point far above that reveals the entire landscape. Without a global view, it’s hard to make decisions and strategic moves that benefit the entire organization. It’s not uncommon in most technology engagements to host strategic, pre-rollout assessments and then actively monitor and control the relevant landscape.

So why is print not treated similarly? Why do print devices routinely get rolled into office areas, and run ad nauseam without an honest assessment of what the game plan is?  How can you guarantee a Return on Investment without overarching control and full visibility of your print environment and end-user activities?

Get Print Management. Gain Full Visibility and Control Over Your Print Environment.

Print Management software, like Canon uniFLOW online, is a cloud-based, comprehensive print and document management solution. It's designed to help businesses and organizations effectively manage their printing and document-related processes, improving efficiency, security, and cost control. uniFLOW offers a range of features and functionalities that address various printing challenges and help streamline workflows. It's essentially Software as a Service (SaaS) for Output Management.

Do you have full visibility and control over print right now? Here are five questions to ask:

• Are you clear on your total cost of print output?
• Do you have printers you rarely use (or don't use sensibly?)
• Are your users free to print anything at any time from anywhere?
• Is your IT staff putting too much effort into supporting printers?
• How much has jacking with printers kept you from your A-time activities?

The Full View: 10 Key Aspects of the uniFLOW Online Print, Document Management Solution

1. Print Management: uniFLOW allows businesses to centrally manage and control their entire print environment. It provides features such as secure printing (requiring user authentication to release print jobs), job routing, quota management, and print job tracking.
2. Cost Tracking and Allocation: uniFLOW helps organizations keep track of printing costs by monitoring usage and allocating costs to specific departments, projects, or individuals. This data can be used for cost analysis and budgeting purposes.
3. Security and Access Control: The solution enhances document security by requiring users to authenticate themselves before releasing print jobs. This prevents sensitive documents from being left unattended at the printer and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.
4. Mobile Printing: uniFLOW supports mobile printing, allowing users to send print jobs from their mobile devices. This is particularly useful in today's mobile workforce, where employees may need to print from smartphones or tablets.
5. Follow-Me Printing: With Follow-Me Printing, users can send a print job to a virtual print queue and then release it at any authorized printer. This eliminates the need to choose a specific printer in advance and reduces wasted printouts.
6. Scan Management: uniFLOW also includes scan management features, enabling businesses to streamline document scanning processes. It offers options for indexing, routing, and archiving scanned documents.
7. Document Security: Beyond print-related security, uniFLOW also addresses document security by providing secure workflows for scanning, converting, and distributing documents. This helps protect sensitive information throughout its lifecycle.
8. Integration with Document Management Systems: uniFLOW can integrate with various document management systems, making it easier to organize, search, and retrieve documents digitally.
9. Environmental Sustainability: The solution promotes sustainable printing practices by encouraging users to print responsibly and reduce unnecessary waste. This aligns with many businesses' efforts to minimize their environmental footprint.
10. Multi-Vendor Support: While originally developed by Canon, uniFLOW is designed to work with a variety of printer brands and models. This makes it a versatile choice for organizations with mixed fleets of printers.

At Datamax, we call it print management. You'll call it one less thing to worry about. From printers to the processes behind the print — we'll get your print costs contained and print output controlled. Please click below to learn more about how a Print Management engagement can give you the view, the control, and the results your organization needs.