The use of mobile technology has been growing for the past several years thanks to the ever-evolving capabilities of smartphones and tablets. The evolution in mobile technology and the surge in mobile dependency means that companies need to address mobile printing to support their mobile workforce.

As companies transition to a mobile ready state, there are some valid concerns about mobile printing from both IT departments and end-users.

“91% of mobile workers use their smartphones for work related activities”

Here are some common questions we hear from both groups around mobile printing capabilities:

IT Questions About Mobile Printing

Many IT professionals’ questions center around three areas of implementation when dealing with mobile printing.

1. MOBILE APPLICATIONS - Are there any additional applications or print driver installs necessary when implementing a mobile solution? Are these unique programs?

2. MOBILE SECURITY - What security risks exist, and what precautions are necessary to secure our company’s network?

3. MOBILE SUPPORT - What are the time and resource requirements for maintaining our mobile print solution?

Keep in mind that up to 60% of IT help desk calls tend to be print related, so you can understand their interest when expanding into mobile print capabilities. All of the questions above raise valid concerns, but the answer is simpler than one might think with the right partner and technology. When done properly, there is actually minimal application management required and no unique print drivers necessary with most printing systems. In addition, a high level of security is built into most MFP systems and mobile print solutions. As a result, IT folks can be assured of security protection with time and resource allocation kept at a nominal level.

End User Questions About Mobile Printing

End-user inquiries generally center around ease of use which tends to boil down to compatibility and seamless access to the normal print environment.  A recent study by iPass found that 91% of mobile workers use their smartphones for work related activities. Today’s mobile workers need a way to print, share and store documents from the road and not just their desktop computers. End-users’ main questions tend to be:

1. EASE OF USE - Will it be easy for me to print from my mobile device?

2. FILE RESTRICTIONS - What file types are supported?

3. MOBILE COMPATABILITY - Which mobile devices are supported?

As mobile technology continues to become mainstream in business, the number of mobile devices, printers, and MFPs supported will continue to grow at a rapid pace. Printing, scanning, document storage and document management are already supported across a wide range of print devices and MFPs. Most file types, including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint along with PDF, TIFF, BMP, GIF, JPEG, XML, HTML and rich text documents are all supported right now.

Summary

Printing and managing documents from a mobile device has never been easier than it is today. With the right partner, you can satisfy the mobile print requirements of your mobile workforce and address common IT concerns around applications, security and support. Printing from your smartphone is no longer a “nice to have”, but rather a necessary function to support critical business functions. As the demand for mobile printing continues to become more and more common, maybe now is the time to engage a partner to determine the most effective mobile print strategy for your business!

Considering a mobile print solution for your office? That’s what we do.  Click here to learn more about our COMPLIMENTARY Document Technology Assessment.