No going back for MPS users

Pro

21 February 2012

A managed print service (MPS) began a major change in practices and workflow for hedge fund administrator State Street, Alternative Investment Solutions, which employs more than 2,000 people in Ireland.

As part of a MPS, the company saw a fleet of over 200 print devices rationalised to just 90. Initial user complaints about the proposed reduction were met with emphatic welcome as the full capabilities of the new MPS implementation became known.

Firstly, an ID card is swiped for each print job, ensuring that there is no extraneous printing, but also that sensitive material is not left in a print tray for unauthorised viewing. ‘Follow me’ printing means that if a device is busy with a large job, another device can be used to print on swiping an ID card.

Duplex printing by default also added significantly to savings, adding up to some 40% in materials, where users had to specify single sided printing where appropriate.

Having enjoyed the benefits of the service, State Street’s users said they would never return to the old system.

But for IT director, Derek Keating, one of the key effects of the service was that there was a dramatic reduction in the number of print drivers that needed to be maintained and updated when an operating system or patch roll out was required. This reduced overhead, combined with increased security, is a major advantage for a company dealing with sensitive financial information.

Furthermore, the MPS began a journey in data management whereby expensive offsite storage for printed records was reduced significantly as the multifunction devices became entry points for a digital archive. Auditors could now compare documents by change only, with benefits for speed, efficiency and cost.

This convergence effect on the world of print and managed IT services will be explored in detail by Bryan S Ryan at its Convergence event on 8 March 2012, at the Convention Centre, Dublin.

An expert panel will set the context for the Irish market, present international trends and influences, and detail Irish experiences in MPS. As print and imaging increasingly converges with IT, the benefits cannot be ignored and have allowed organisations to build upon the MPS foundation for secure, efficient data management.

Speakers
Steven Swift, senior consultant, Photizo Europe, has more than 20 years experience in the print and imaging industry, having worked for service providers and technology vendors. Photizo is an analyst firm specialising exclusively in this sector. Swift will describe the trends and influences driving print, imaging and MPS both locally and globally.

Derek Keating, IT director, State Street Alternative Investment Solutions, will describe the company’s journey from printer sprawl, to MPS and beyond, achieving business process and workflow improvements.

Shane Nolan, country manager, Google Ireland, will talk about user trends in general, and how cloud, as a platform, will influence service offerings in the future.

Bill Cullen, the renowned entrepreneur, will give insights and experiences from his many years in business in challenging times.

The event will be chaired by Billy Huggard, editor and publisher of Irish Computer, former chair of the Irish Software Association and current member of the ISA Executive Council.

To register for this free event go to:

www.bryansryan.ie/convergence/registration

Also, to be in with a chance to win a Canon digital SLR camera kit, go to www.computerscope.ie/survey to describe your experiences with MPS.

Agenda