Printin' All Over The World

Although it may come as a surprise, printing is one of the most cost intensive areas of IT services. Think about it. How many times a day do you print? How many printers does your office own? Do you find yourself throwing out unnecessary pages? Have you ever thought of how much ink you were using by re-printing that colorful presentation?

Technological innovators such as Google and HP are coming up with ways to ease the troubled responses to these questions. Once again, the answer lies in the cloud. Cloud printing allows users to print on any application, on any device, to any printer in the world. This technology will change the game now that more and more businesses are relying on various devices (tablets, desktops, laptops) and working on a global scale with mobile applications. In other words, an executive can now print a document from his iPad to a printer in his office, all while sitting in an Amtrak train en route to a meeting.

Although cloud printing is not yet mainstream, companies should keep a lookout for it because it offers many advantages. Aside from saving on the cost to maintain several printers, cloud printing is the most "on demand" form of printing for increasingly mobile employees. Cloud printing is also secure because users can print documents to a specified printer without having to save it on the device, which is beneficial for maintaining the security of data storage.

Keep an eye out for new software such as ThinPrint and HubCast to transform the game of printing, and remember to check back here at The TNS Group blog or our website for the latest information on how to keep your company up to date in the fast-pace world of IT.