According to Gartner, more than 70% of businesses will be substantially provisioned with cloud office capabilities¹ by 2021. These cloud service models are fuelling everything from data centre spending to enterprise software, with enterprises across the globe focused on finding new opportunities to increase productivity and drive cost savings.

Within the print sector, the proliferation of mobile devices, the growth of the mobile workforce, and an increased focus on security and compliance are all driving IT complexity.

Today there are new and exciting cloud-enabled solutions that help organisations reduce complexity while providing a higher level of service for users. The range of cloud services we recently launched at Lexmark can help address key IT challenges related to print

1. The drain on time and resources when configuring printers
   Making print servers available via a secure, on-demand cloud-based offering removes the time and resource requirement of provisioning servers or configuring on-premise software.
2. Keeping up with maintenance requirements
   With cloud architecture, your devices get the latest firmware and apps, across locations, without stressing out your IT group--so your print infrastructure is always up to date with the latest features and security fixes.
3. Up-front capital expenses
   With cloud-based print services, there’s no need for up-front capital outlays. For example, as a service, Lexmark Cloud Services can be funded through standard operational expenditure. And you pay only for the print and document management resources you use.
4. Lack of scalability
   Whether you grow by print volume, geography or changing workflows, proven, high-performance cloud technology easily scales up (or down) to meet your needs.
5. Downtime / user experience
   Cloud technology ensures greater continuity of service as well as fast onboarding of new users and Lexmark devices. And since users can print from any device in the network, downtime won’t impact deadlines.
6. Integration
   Lexmark’s cloud means faster and easier connections, with services like our Cloud Connector instantly leveraging your organisation’s existing familiarity with and access to Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive accounts.

To us, it’s clear that cloud services offers a more efficient and affordable path to print management success. You’ll be able to offload infrastructure, as well as configure, manage and analyse your print environment to maximise ease of use, consistency, security and cost control.

¹ Gartner: How the Cloud Office Duopoly Affects Wider IT Strategies