Despite the huge growth in electronic communications, printed output, whether internally produced or externally procured, is still widely used in 21st century businesses. Yet all too often, a fragmented approach to managing desktop printing, the print room and external printing means that few organisations have visibility into enterprise-wide print costs. This can lead to spiralling economic and environmental costs along with the inherent security risks of poorly managed printing.

The problems are further compounded by the need to ensure all users - whether they are office-based or remote - have access to the right devices and tools to enable them to print documents securely, reliably and in a timely manner. Many large businesses are seeing significant cost reductions, better resource use, higher availability and better visibility of their spending on print through adopting a managed print service that covers both internally and externally produced printed materials.

This paper explores the challenges of managing printing in large organisations today, the implications of an unmanaged print environment and recommendations for adopting an enterprise wide print strategy.