Printer Management, Tech Management, and the Modern Business
If you’re a small- or medium-sized business, you know how important it is to pay close attention to monthly spending. Small business success demands a keen eye for strategies to reduce expenses and improve productivity. One area to consider is your technology and supplies. Finding the right printer management services team can help you optimize your printing and reduce costs.
Almost all the technology devices you use in your office, including computers, security systems, and phone systems, require usage monitoring. Printers are no different when it comes to tracking data. Most printer management services use DCA technology to offer automated performance and supply information for your printers.
What is Data Collection Agent (DCA) Technology?
A Data Collection Agent (DCA) is software that gathers necessary data on performance, ink and toner levels, power, and usage patterns from the printers. DCA connects your printing devices to the internet and gives you information regarding performance, cartridges, and other components.
How Does DCA Work?
The printer management software installs on your network and works seamlessly to monitor printers. It can be installed directly on your printing devices, computers, or a non-dedicated server.
After the initial setup, DCA runs in the background to monitor and collect data from printing devices. Information about printer usage, ink levels, toner consumption, and more is accessible on a dashboard through a login portal.
After an initial 30-day monitoring period, the data collected helps forecast the monthly amount of toner and ink supplies you’ll need and the usage and repair costs for all of your printers.
Benefits for the Your Business
DCA provides an efficient, steady, and practical solution for the management of your printers while simultaneously reducing any delays in printing flow. Finding a printer management solution that fits your business can provide you with an average of 14% savings in revenue. Using a printer management solution gives you:
Greater Efficiency. Integrating your network with DCA technology improves your work efficiency. Because usage and demand are monitored, downtime caused by running out of toner cartridges or service calls is significantly reduced, allowing you to continue working without any interruptions.
Significant Cost Reduction. The digital monitoring of the printing devices makes sure you have the correct cartridge in the right spot at the right time, helping reduce additional printing costs. The detailed analysis of your printer’s performance by DCA also saves you unwanted expenses from printing errors. Moreover, you don’t have to hire specialized technical staff for the regular check and balance of the printer performance.
Detailed Disaster Management. DCA software regularly sends you the supply and demand analysis, technical maintenance requests, and printing device failure warnings via the linked portal. This information allows you to act promptly and fix the problems before they become a major disaster to your workflow.
Time Savings. With printer management software, you can save the time spent determining the cause of a printing fiasco before you start to solve it. The robust monitoring of the printing devices by DCA sends timely alerts that are easily accessible through a web page.
Control Over Cyber Security. When you give your company’s network access to third-party software, it’s natural to have some security concerns. However, you have nothing to worry about with the print management software enabled by the DCA technology. Once the management software is in place, your printing devices are connected to secure servers of the print monitoring company. They follow specific security protocols during the transmissions of data alerts to your dashboard.The information collected from your connected devices includes the printer name, model, serial number, IP address, location, page count, toner levels, power, and system alerts. There’s only a minimal security risk for printer management software.
Budget Estimation. Tracking business expenses can be challenging, especially if you’re not a paperless company. In small and medium-sized businesses relying solely on physical printing, the cost of ink and toner can make up nearly 35% of the total cost of office supplies.
Companies with a DCA manager can manage their budgets more effectively. With complete insight into toner and ink requirements, it’s simple to forecast how often cartridges and other supplies are needed.
Printer management systems range in price and are beneficial for smaller businesses with up to four printers to larger companies that need to manage an unlimited number of printers. Cost depends on the software and the size of your business.
Your managed services provider can help you reduce expenses resulting from faulty printer performance, inaccurate toner forecasting, and unexpected printing interruptions by helping you select the best printer management software for your business