Compugen logo Compugen

  • Client Login
    • Case Lookup
    • Emerge Login
  • Find A Location
  • Careers
  • Blog
  • search
  • menu Menu
  • Business Solutions
  • Products & Services
  • About
  • Customer Stories
  • News
  • Events & Training
  • Contact
  • Compugen
  • Home
  • Business Solutions
    • Industry
      • Reimagine education with Compugen
      • Transformed services. Personalized patient care. Welcome to the Modern Hospital.
      • Reimagine the campus of the future
      • Technology solutions that empower retailers
      • IT Service for small & medium business
    • Strategy & Architecture
      • ​​IT Planning & Roadmaps
    • Datacentre & Cloud
      • Converged Datacentre
      • Cloud Computing
      • Server Virtualization
      • Enterprise Storage
      • Data Management & Protection
    • Communication & Collaboration
      • Business Communications
      • Networking
      • Wireless
    • End User Computing
      • Managing the Desktop
      • Mobility
      • Application Delivery
    • Security
  • Products & Services
    • Managed & Packaged Services
      • Managed & Packaged Services Overview
      • End User Support
      • Infrastructure Support
      • Software Management
      • Managed Print
      • Packaged Services
    • Professional Services
      • Professional Services
      • Program & Project Management
    • Support & Maintenance
      • Imaging & Deployment
      • Ongoing Maintenance
      • Staffing
    • Asset Disposal & Recycling
    • Hardware & Software Management
      • Hardware
      • Software
      • Online Lifecycle Management (Emerge)
    • Financing
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Leadership
    • Our Offices
    • Our Partners
    • Green Initiatives
    • Community Involvement
    • Awards
  • Customer Stories
  • News
  • Events & Training
  • Contact
IT Buzz Banner

Looking for a little inspiration, some ideas or trusted advice? We've got you covered.

The four Rs of print fleet management

Posted By Tom Willshaw December 12, 2013 in DIY, multi-function printer, print management solution

Organizations obviously understand the need to manage their print fleets. Managed Print Services are nothing new and most organizations are having conversations with potential MPS providers or have actually put an MPS program in place. One of the main comments that I hear from potential customers is that they feel the transition from a non-managed to a managed environment is a huge step, with the replacement of existing devices a major concern. My response is very simple. Implement a gradual transition and retain your current print fleet where possible. The fleet you have acquired is a valuable resource that has cost a significant amount of capital to put in place. An experienced MPS provider will be happy to manage the existing fleet in the short/midterm and begin to draw data over an initial period of say three months. In the hands of an expert MPS analyst, this data will dictate what should be done with the existing printer fleet. Then when you are ready to make a decision about your print fleet then you will have hard data to inform your decision. There are four main ways of handling your existing print fleet when you move to a managed services model. I call it the four R’s:
  1. Retire – The device is beyond its useful life. Usually this is something we determine by calculating the device’s life count (the total number of pages it has printed in its lifetime), or it could be that running the existing model is no longer a cost-effective option. The prints that were previously sent to this device can be directed to other printers within the fleet.
  2. Replace – As above, the device has reached the end of its useful life due to life count or the costs to operate it have grown too high. However, the device is critical to the local environment, so it must be replaced with a newer model.
  3. Redeploy – This is where the skills and experience of the analyst are seen the most. A device may seem to be uneconomical or inefficient in its current location, but if it were moved to a new location, the life of the device may be extended. Examples of this are under or over utilized devices; moving an over-utilized device to a location with lower usage levels can be very effective. Alternatively, a larger multi-function device in a low-volume area is inefficient, and when you relocate it to a higher demand area, you get better value for your equipment.
  4. Retain – These are the devices that were well positioned in the initial installation, are well within their useful life, and can be efficiently and cost-effectively maintained. In short, keep them where they are.
Implementing an MPS strategy around maintaining your existing fleet using the “4R’s” above will help an organization transition from an old non-managed print fleet to a new managed print fleet. The transition will be gradual, and a good MPS provider will constantly monitor, analyze and suggest ways to refine the print environment.
< Back to all Itbuzz & Articles
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • linkedin
Subscribe via RSS mail Subscribe via Email

Latest News

Ed Tech Awards

Compugen Named Canada’s EdTech Partner of the Year

November 19, 2020

Compugen is proud to announce it was awarded EdTech Partner of the Year for 2020 at the Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit. This award recognizes the extensive contribution Compugen has made to encourage and facilitate educational development through technology across Canada. Read More …

Azure 3

Cloud Adoption made simple in Compugen offerings featured on Microsoft’s Azure Marketplace

November 12, 2020

A simple, 3 step approach for organizations migrating or growing their cloud investment Read More …

News & Articles

What’s happening with Compugen? Read it here.

View all News Items & Articles

Simplify your business and watch it grow.
Let's start a conversation.

We address the bottom of the iceberg. Sign up and get relevant and timely content about our approach to business through an IT lens.

Navigation

Business Solutions

  • Industry
  • Strategy & Architecture
  • Datacentre & Cloud
  • Communication & Collaboration
  • End User Computing
  • Security

Products & Services

  • Managed & Packaged Services
  • Professional Services
  • Support & Maintenance
  • Asset Disposal & Recycling
  • Hardware & Software Management
  • Financing

Customer Stories

  • Corporate
  • Education
  • Energy and Utilities
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Non-profit
  • Public Sector
  • Retail

About

  • Our Story
  • Leadership
  • Our Offices
  • Our Partners
  • Green Initiatives
  • Community Involvement
  • Awards

Careers

  • Working at Compugen
  • Current Opportunities

Contact

  • Find A Location

News & Articles

  • Find A Location
  • Awards

Client Login

  • Case Lookup
  • Emerge Login

Industry

  • K-12 Education
  • Healthcare
  • Higher Education
  • Retail
  • SMB

Connect With Us

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • linkedin
IT Buzz
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • National Master Standing Offers (NMSO)

©2021, Compugen Inc. Website by Caffeine Creations.