Archives for January 2013

From Crain’s Cleveland Business Guest Blogger M. Ursula Hermann

IT Security and Systems Evolve Over Time

In the past, I’ve written about the cyclical nature of a security system of policies and procedures. Specifically, I wrote that security strategy is more like a spiral than like a wheel, because even though you come back to the starting point – your policy – over and over again, that starting point is not, or should not be, the same each time. Your security policy should and must change over time in order for you to maintain a healthy security posture, because the threats your enterprise faces also change over time.

Read the complete blog post here…

Concerned about your IT Security and Systems? Take Great Lakes Computer’s Free System Audit for a proactive review of your network systems.

Using managed print services

When considering whether to use managed print services, there are a number of factors that will need to be analyzed.  Through looking in detail at business printing needs, the scale of benefits in cost and time will become clear.  It is widely believed that use of managed print services can save a business up to 30% of their print costs.

An initial print audit will ascertain how the employees of an organization use the printer on a day-to-day basis and will deliver in-depth feedback on how print services are used on an individual, departmental and organizational level.  Analysis of the print procedures will uncover any potential inefficiency in toner replacement, servicing of appliances and staff training.  Finally, a hardware audit will deliver feedback over the ages of the individual printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines, as well as logging other data such as their meter readings and serial numbers.

With the initial data logged, the next stage would be to identify any set-up and general running costs.  These include lease commitments, any impact depreciation has on the hardware, consumables and servicing, helpdesk costs and any existing outsourced elements.  Ratios of color to black and white print jobs will be established, in addition to existing printer to user ratios, and the energy consumption of each device.

Once the analysis of the initial printing arrangements has been completed, it is best to consider how best to move forward.  The design of the “future state” of printing for any organization should be a collaborative process between client and provider, so discussions should revolve around existing and likely future business needs.  Similarly, a transitional period may be best, where management of the existing fleet is kept “in-house” and gradually handed over to the new provider.

Take a Free Print Cost Assessment Audit

Great Lakes Computer offers a Free Print Cost Assessment at the link below.  If your old printer is giving you more headaches than output, this may be a good time to analyze your actual printing costs.