Cloud-Based Print Infrastructure or Cloud Printing Platforms are known for managing printing services for companies of small and large scale.
Cloud adoption has seen exponential growth in the last few years and surely in 2020-2021 due to remote work preference. Adoption of cloud ecosystem promises a high accessibility scope, reduced storage cost, elimination of redundant hardware devices, increase in on-demand capacity and other countable benefits. People adopt cloud services and technology, considering the reliability and management it offers. Similarly, cloud printing platforms feature a wide range of cloud options-private, public and hybrid – to address the needs of customers shifting from on-premises to cloud infrastructure.
Undoubtedly, conventional print management is costly and intricate, but as of now, every company seeks mitigated risk and improved efficiency. Besides requiring elongated IT resources, it significantly heightens the IT burden for various kinds of deployment, updates, configuration and installation. Governing your printing needs through one cloud environment, i.e., a centralized print management platform would be the best option.
Want to shift your print infrastructure to the cloud? These are a few names that can support the shift.
After the shutdown of Google Cloud Print, companies are lurching in search of other suitable cloud printing platforms.
Some Cloud Printing Platforms are:
Directprint.io
Direct Print is a smart replacement for Google Cloud Print and is recommended by GCP itself. Backed by all essential features, DirectPrint comes with a fully integrated G Suite, which makes it suitable for large-scale enterprises. Along with this, it has a budgeting feature and handles all print jobs conveniently. It’s compatible with all major devices, or you can connect it to LAN. It will keep all your documents safe.
Papercut
It’s the best Cloud Printing platform, as suggested by GCP for Replacement. Endowed with a multiplicity of features, the platform pretty much supports multiple devices and OS – iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Mac, and Windows. It also supports Native UI printing, and as far as the security of your print jobs and metadata is concerned, it encrypts it all.
Printix
The third such platform is Printix, which will be your go-to alternative to Google’s Cloud Printing solution. The platform is accessible from Chrome, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Although it doesn’t offer free services, but the features it offers are commendable and worth it. Some of them are Secure print, Mobile print, IP printing, and Chromebook printing, etc. Besides, it can be integrated with Google Workspace to let you deploy, manage and control your printing environment, etc. You can know more about it by using the 1-month trial.
AirPrint
Not much similar to Google Cloud Print, AirPrint is meant to work in sync with Apple devices- iMacs & iPhones. However, it is accessible with the help of apps on devices that are running on other OS. If your workplace uses more Apple devices or you are a freelancer, you should certainly prefer AirPrint.
PrinterLogic
PrinterLogic is a viable alternative to GCP and has a slew of features for efficient and safe printing. It’s easier to use with Chrome Extension and supports multi-OS endpoints along with Direct IP printing. Being a serverless SaaS solution, it’s scalable to support your business growth with a central print management feature for enhanced control. You can try its 1-month trial pack before buying it.
Necessary Factors to Consider while Selecting a Cloud Printing Platforms
Prefer Security over Anything
The cloud is surely the last resort when it comes to saving and efficiency altogether. With organizations turning back to the office environment, re-accessing the effectiveness of their IT infrastructure can help them improve work efficiency while reducing the outlay. IT companies, along with their teams, create a hybrid network, and managing printing needs across it can be difficult. Prefer a robust cloud print platform that works in both office and home environments to track, monitor, and secure print, and ensure that the safety and security of enterprise data go uncompromised.
Besides, while shopping for a cloud print platform, you may get a galore of options, but choosing the right one is imperative for company success. The option keeps evolving to meet our complex market needs. You may find software vendors offering a fully managed cloud print platform or those who are offering a mixed solution as a mid-way option for those who don’t prefer the other one.
Hybrid or Serverless
If you are in a tussle about which system you need, focus on its utility perspective. Organizations that are having security concerns and do not want to purge their print servers can choose a hybrid solution. When installed under a single management platform, a hybrid solution makes it easy for administrators with a consolidated and reasonable choice. The serverless model will do for a small organization with limited printers and will save outlay. Companies that want to reduce their IT admin burden and save on printing costs or need consolidated servers can also use it.
VPN Required or Not
Cloud printing services that are hosted on the cloud platform are given with limited accessibility and require a VPN tunnel into the network. Organizations that enable VPN services to connect to printing platforms may see a slight increase in outlay to cope with connection performance, VPN installation and management costs on devices. On top of that, it brings security issues as VPN provides access to the entire on-premise network, thus giving way to security threats by a man-in-the-middle attack.
Single-Tenant or Multi-Tenant Platform
Depending upon the needs of the organization, you can choose between the two. A single-tenant solution comes with moderate security and provides better control but is quite expensive. Any updates and maintenance in the system may create availability risks. Unlike Single-tenant hosted solutions, Multi-tenant solutions manage to offer robust security and are highly configurable. Also, as the cloud platform serves multiple individual tenants, the outlay falls within budget. It keeps its users updated by continuously releasing advanced features.
Factors like Reporting, Analytics, Native Driver Support, Support for Document Capture, Multi-Factor Authentication, Identity and Access Management, and Document Security should also be given enough attention while selecting a cloud printing platform.
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