End-user mobility is crucial in most construction companies. Engineers, site managers and supervisors all need flexibility of movement. That can be tough on IT. Especially when those users have remote printing needs as well.

In dynamic construction environments with a lot of moving parts, PrinterLogic’s mobile printing and Pull Printing can help ease the strain of print management. Features like these let users print from their mobile devices and laptops conveniently and easily.

What Is Pull Printing?

Pull Printing gives users more control over where their print jobs actually print out.

It does this by splitting printing into two steps. First, the user prints as usual. But their print job isn’t sent to a default printer automatically. Instead it’s temporarily held, awaiting the second step, which is when the user tells the print job where to print. They can issue that “release” command using PrinterLogic’s control panel application, our Print Release App or even a tablet in kiosk mode that’s been associated with the printer.

The great thing about this is that an engineer could initiate a print job at the office and then print it out once she arrives at the job site. Or a site manager could be sure of always printing to the right printer — even if a last-minute change comes up and he has to move to a different part of the site. They can even release multiple print jobs at once.

Better still, with PrinterLogic’s serverless printing infrastructure, you don’t need a print server to implement Pull Printing. And it can be configured to work with any device across the entire print environment. Including legacy printers.

Secure Release Printing for Even More Control

Sometimes you need to take Pull Printing further. Sure, it has inherent security benefits over ordinary remote printing. Its intentional release step prevents print jobs from accidentally printing automatically to the wrong printer, where they’ll end up sitting in the output tray for all to see.

There’s another advantage to Pull Printing with PrinterLogic’s serverless printing infrastructure. That has to do with the direct IP connections that PrinterLogic establishes between clients and printers. As a result, pull-printing jobs are held on workstations—and not in a shared print queue—before they’re released to a printer.

But let’s say you’ve got highly confidential blueprints or other sensitive documents. That’s where you need more secure printing than basic Pull Printing.

PrinterLogic’s secure release printing adds that extra layer of control. Now the second step involves authentication rather than simple release. Users have to prove their identity using a PIN, a badge/ID card, or even CAC/PIV card in the case of some federal agencies and their contractors. PrinterLogic integrates seamlessly with all those mechanisms, so authentication is seamless too.

Better Printing with Mobile, BYOD and Guest Devices

With their constantly moving workforces, modern construction companies often have a lot of mobile and BYOD devices out in the field. And every IT professional knows how challenging it can be just to get remote printing working reliably—let alone rolling out extra features like Pull Printing and secure printing.

That’s why PrinterLogic excels at mobile printing. Our serverless printing infrastructure enables Android and iOS users to print natively right from their smartphones or tablets. For end users, it’s intuitive and quick. And for admins, there’s no client-side software to install.

Remote printing at the job site is just as easy for BYOD and guest users. All they have to do is send their files to a printer’s dedicated email address and the job will be processed just like any other. So if the visiting inspection team needs to print out a new permit or a list of changes to address, they can do it right on the spot.

And it’s worth noting once again that PrinterLogic does it all without a print server.

That’s Just the Beginning

Mobile printing, Pull Printing and secure printing are just three practical PrinterLogic features that construction companies in particular will find invaluable. There are so many more advantages.

One of the most obvious is PrinterLogic’s elimination of print servers. When you’re routinely opening, closing and resizing job sites, the less infrastructure you have to deploy, the better. As Sundt will confirm, PrinterLogic’s serverless printing infrastructure makes remote printer deployments a snap in large-scale construction companies (read the case study here).

PrinterLogic is also ideal for managed print services providers who serve the construction industry. Our solution’s near-universal printer support means that MSPs can easily support mixed-fleet environments or regional companies who work with local print suppliers. The MSP portal in PrinterLogic SaaS allows multi-tenant management from a single pane of glass.

The best way to find out how PrinterLogic performs in your environment is to start your trial today. That will give you the opportunity to test PrinterLogic free of charge for 30 days and discover how it can enhance the mobility, productivity and satisfaction of your workforce.

By now you’ve heard that Google Cloud Print is on its way out, but at PrinterLogic we’ve developed the perfect migration option for you. The new PrinterLogic Chrome OS Client Extension empowers you to centrally manage direct IP printing for Chromebook users alongside Windows, Mac, and Linux. This means you can deliver a Serverless Printing Infrastructure with a single management interface and avoid sending your print jobs to the cloud. Since PrinterLogic licensing is not user-based, there is no additional cost required to deploy this to Chrome OS users. 

So let’s talk about what it looks like to migrate from Google Cloud Print to centrally managed direct IP printing for Chromebook. 

Step 1: Deploy PrinterLogic’s Client Extension to Chromebooks using G-Suite

Here’s the part where we start to migrate from Google Cloud Print. PrinterLogic will provide you with a Chrome OS client extension that you can push out to your Chromebooks through your Google Admin Console. Any G-Suite license will work to push out the extension. After you push this extension out, you have all the pieces in place to manage printers on Chromebooks. 

Step 2: Deploy Printers To Chromebook Users

Through PrinterLogic’s SaaS admin interface, IT admins can setup printer deployment rules that will automatically deploy printers to Chromebooks when users login. Existing Google Cloud Print printers will be silently converted to direct IP printers and made available to end user’s per existing auto-deployments. End-users can also be empowered to self-install printers through the Chrome OS client extension. Users can find printers they need and install them without having to call the helpdesk. Printers are deployed locally to the Chromebook and print jobs are rendered and sent directly to the printer. 

Step 3: Keep Print Jobs on the Local Network

You are now ready to print directly to printers without sending print jobs to the cloud. Chromebook users won’t even notice anything changed—they can continue to print using the native Chrome OS printing interface, but now the print jobs will be spooled locally and sent directly to the printer. No more cloud printing, and no print servers required. 

 

With PrinterLogic, migrating from Google Cloud Print is a simple, painless experience. You’ll have everything you love about Chrome OS, as well as one centralized print management platform for all your users, regardless of their operating system.  

If you aren’t a PrinterLogic SaaS customer your migration from Google Cloud Print is simple. Spin up a SaaS instance today by clicking here.

By now we’re all aware of the importance of best practices. They’re recommended processes to implement in order to ensure that things run smoothly, safely and efficiently in your organization.

And in many cases, these best practices have evolved out of other organizations’ trial and error. They learned what worked and what didn’t. Their results were then used to develop these proven steps to success.

One area of best practices that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves is the enterprise print environment. Part of that is because many organizations haven’t yet realized that it’s possible to eliminate print servers while getting more availability, scalability and functionality from their printing.

Best practices end up reflecting that status quo. But as more organizations adopt PrinterLogic’s serverless printing infrastructure, it’s time for best practices to be updated. They need to account for all the things that PrinterLogic now makes possible—from massive infrastructure reduction throughout the enterprise print environment to increased ease of use for admins and end users alike.

 

Focus Areas in the Enterprise Print Environment

When building or updating an enterprise print environment in line with best practices, there are several areas worth focusing on.

• Virtualization: If your wider computing environment includes (or is going to include) solutions like Citrix, VMware and Windows Virtual Desktop, you’ll need a printing solution that reduces some of the complexity of VDI. Traditional print-management solutions are usually going to lead to more server-based infrastructure. They also might not integrate seamlessly with virtual solutions. That might involve limitations like having to restrict drivers.
• WAN dependency: In distributed environments, WAN dependency is a serious vulnerability where printing is concerned. Consolidated servers force print jobs to cross the WAN, potentially exposing them to interception. Data-heavy print traffic also competes with other vital data for WAN bandwidth. Furthermore, WAN downtime results in print downtime.
• BYOD and guest printing: With the gig economy, bring your own device (BYOD) policies and guest printing are becoming more common. Ideally, your enterprise print environment should be prepared for BYOD users and guests. They should be able to print easily but without tons of admin intervention or risk to your network.
• Mobile printing: Along with BYOD and guest users, enterprises are seeing a huge rise in the number of mobile users. And those users have got unique printing needs. Like reliable access to printers even while roaming and native support for mobile-class operating systems.

 

Implementing Best Practices with PrinterLogic

PrinterLogic’s serverless printing infrastructure allows your organization to address all those focus areas with a single solution. But more than that, its next-gen architecture brings advantages that rewrite the book on best practices.

Infrastructure reduction is a perfect example.

Whereas traditional printing solutions don’t offer much potential beyond printer consolidation, PrinterLogic’s direct IP printer connections enable you to fully eliminate print servers from your enterprise print environment. All of that associated hardware, software and licensing is then gone, leaving you with way less to maintain and manage. Plus it practically removes the WAN as a factor because print jobs remain local.

At the same time, PrinterLogic introduces centralized management. That means you can oversee and control the entire print environment from a single pane of glass. Not only that, you get advanced printer deployment options that are more reliable and easier to configure. And you don’t have to touch a single GPO or script.

PrinterLogic also has features like mobile printing and BYOD/guest printing as optional extensions of its core solution. Instead of rolling out additional solutions that might or might not be compatible, you can simply roll with the latest enterprise trends. These features are intuitive for end users and super easy for admins to configure from the same unified console.

Oh, and there’s no exception for VDI. Depending on your setup, PrinterLogic is able to deliver many or all of these same benefits even in challenging virtual environments like Citrix, VMware and WVD.

 

The Results of Best Practices

PrinterLogic isn’t just changing how organizations implement best practices in their print environment. It also magnifies their results. The infrastructure reduction from eliminating print servers yields time and cost savings. Centralized management and direct-IP printing leads to fewer helpdesk calls and less strain on IT. Printing costs go down while printing speed, security and efficiency of management go up.

We’ve got dozens of case studies on how PrinterLogic has transformed enterprise print environments in organizations that didn’t even know serverless printing infrastructure was an option.

Cott Corporation is just one of them. They consolidated their ever-growing globally distributed print environment under one convenient admin console. They also streamlined printer and driver management. The company ended up seeing serious ROI and described PrinterLogic as “heaven sent” (read the case study here).

Whether you’re starting over from scratch or just realigning your existing print environment, PrinterLogic is a game-changer when your main goal is implementing best practices. Start your trial today and test PrinterLogic completely free of charge for 30 days.

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is the latest virtualization solution to hit the market. There’s been a ton of buzz about it. And, because it leverages Microsoft’s powerful Azure platform, WVD will facilitate a wave of cloud-computing initiatives. 

For one thing, users can securely interact with virtual Windows 7 and multi-user Windows 10 services—whether it’s a complete desktop experience or just select apps.

With any new virtualization solution comes the need for virtual desktop printing. That’s where the added complexity comes in. Virtualization was designed for dynamic environments, whereas printing was designed for static ones.

Many enterprise print solutions may claim to smooth out some of the bumps associated with virtual desktop printing, but their solutions often require more infrastructure. And that kind of defeats the point of moving to the cloud.

 

A Cloud Solution Optimized for Cloud Solutions

PrinterLogic SaaS is a true next-gen enterprise solution for virtual desktop printing. It’s a serverless printing infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with Windows Virtual Desktop to provide reliable, intuitive printing to your entire workforce. Including mobile users.

Here are specific ways that PrinterLogic SaaS enhances printing in WVD while also supporting your wider cloud-computing initiative.

 

• Eliminate print servers: Thanks to centrally managed direct IP printing, PrinterLogic’s serverless print infrastructure completely removes print servers from the IT equation. That results in higher print availability, improved security, and fewer help-desk calls.
• Configure automatic printer deployments: With WVD, getting printers to mobile users can be like trying to hit a moving target. PrinterLogic makes it easy to configure advanced deployments that dynamically deliver printers to users based on precise Active Directory criteria as well as a range of IP addresses. End users consistently get the right printers wherever they log in.
• Get rid of scripts and GPOs: Those advanced deployments I just mentioned? They don’t require Group Policy or scripts, which are unreliable and can slow login times. Using the admin console in PrinterLogic SaaS, you can easily configure detailed default settings and custom options for printers across the enterprise.
• Keep print traffic local: Because PrinterLogic SaaS creates direct IP connections between clients and printers, print traffic doesn’t have to cross the WAN. That means print job data runs a much lower risk of exposure, and it never gets passed to third-party cloud services.
• Use native print drivers: Some enterprise print solutions often request (or even require) that you use universal drivers. That might increase stability, but it can also mean sacrificing features. PrinterLogic SaaS lets you keep your native print drivers and all their functionality. What’s more, it stores them in a single repository so they’re easier to manage.
• Support any device: PrinterLogic SaaS is platform agnostic. Even when it comes to mobile devices. So you can support your entire workforce whether they’re using virtual desktop printing with WVD or mobile printing with a BYOD.

 

The Technical Nitty Gritty

You might be wondering how PrinterLogic works with Windows Virtual Desktop. That integration is as straightforward as the solution itself.

First, the PrinterLogic client is installed on Windows, macOS or Linux endpoints. That can be done however you like, such as with your existing automated deployment software. Next, printers and drivers are deployed to the endpoints using the web-based PrinterLogic admin console, which offers a single pane of glass for managing your entire print environment.

Local PrinterLogic printers then appear as redirected printers in the WVD session when the user logs in. To print, the user does what they normally do—click “Print.” At this point, the print job is created and compressed on the WVD session server, then sent back to the endpoint. From there, the print job is spooled and gets routed to the selected printer via direct IP.

Simple and reliable. That’s all there is to it.

 

Test PrinterLogic SaaS with Virtual Desktop Printing in Your Organization

If you’ve already migrated to Windows Virtual Desktop, we encourage you to test PrinterLogic SaaS in your environment to see how it performs. Start your trial today and you’ll be able to put it through the paces for 30 days. Completely free of charge.

And you can also take advantage of PrinterLogic SaaS to help smooth your migration to WVD in the future. Test it alongside—or in place of—your existing enterprise print solution, and you’ll see how our serverless print infrastructure creates a scalable, secure and cost-effective platform for further moves into the cloud.

For more information on how PrinterLogic can simplify WVD printing, check out our whitepaper.

Risk management. It’s such a common term that you might think every organization is practicing it. But one very recent enterprise survey showed that only about half of the 445 respondents were actively engaging in some form of risk management.

That survey informed the 2019 The State of Risk Oversight report from the ERM Initiative in the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University. Among other things, the report found that just 46% of the organizations had gone so far as to create a risk-management policy statement. Only a little over 40% had established guidelines for assessing risk probabilities and impact.

If we can all agree that risk management is vital to protect our organizations against things like data breaches and malicious actors, why are so few of them putting it into practice and codifying it?

The truth is that there are dozens of reasons why an organization might not formally implement or document a risk-management strategy. There’s at least one thing we can be sure of, though. It’s that printing and enterprise print management can play a significant role in managing risk. And when done right, it can even require fewer resources.

 

Print Security and Its Role in Risk Management

One of the most effective ways to mitigate risk in enterprise printing is through centralized print management. It pretty much goes without saying that the ability to oversee and configure every aspect of the print environment from a single pane of glass would lead to increased print security. Because it gives admins way more visibility and control.

Centralized print management is a core benefit of PrinterLogic’s serverless print infrastructure. Using the intuitive web-based admin console, IT can monitor and manage print queues, configure precise printer deployments and even enforce advanced default settings.

Another way to beef up print security is through PrinterLogic’s auditing capabilities. With print auditing, admins can keep tabs on the who, what, when and where of print activity across the print environment. Reports can be automatically generated and emailed to department heads or the risk-management team.

And PrinterLogic SaaS, our cloud solution, now includes the powerful auditing functionality of PrinterLogic Insights. This new feature lets managed service providers and customers to monitor up to ten printers completely free of charge.

Along with providing admins with more oversight, PrinterLogic’s approach to centralized print management saves time, money and manpower. That highlights its dual benefit: More efficient enterprise print management coupled with more effective risk management.

 

Pull Printing as a Risk-Management Strategy

Pull printing is a slight tweak to standard printing in order to boost print security. What it does is break the printing process into two separate steps. In the first step, the user clicks “Print” as usual. Instead of automatically printing, though, the job is held. In the second step, the user executes (or releases) the print job at a printer.

When the second step of pull printing involves some kind of authentication, this is known as secure release printing. That mechanism can be a badge reader, a dedicated control panel app or even CAC/PIV reader in high-security scenarios.

From a print security and risk management standpoint, the benefit of pull printing is pretty obvious. It prevents sensitive documents from being seen or taken by unauthorized users. A common cause of that vulnerability is print jobs being abandoned in output trays. But the intentionality of the release/authentication step means it’s unlikely that users will print to the wrong printer by accident. Or if a user forgets they hit print on a document, then that job is simply never executed.

 

Involving End Users in Risk Management

Successfully minimizing risk through enterprise print management hinges on your end users. If something like pull printing is too complex or cumbersome, they’ll find ways around it.

PrinterLogic’s centralized print management allows admins to configure and enforce enterprise-wide print security at the user level with just a few clicks. By the same token, it makes security features like pull printing easy for users to understand and adopt. That helps your end users become a natural part of your overall risk-management approach.

Hunton & Williams LLP is just one example of an organization that recognized how PrinterLogic introduced print security by design. Through PrinterLogic’s centralized print management and full-featured mobile printing, this international law firm gained more control and more oversight over its print environment. All without inconveniencing its end users. Read the case study here.

To take PrinterLogic for a spin in your own print environment and see how it can contribute to more holistic risk management, start your free 30-day trial today.