EdTech usage in K-12 schools has increased 99% since 2020 – and it shows no sign of abating.
It’s fair to say that printers aren’t considered as exciting as shiny new laptops, tablets or interactive whiteboards for example, but there’s no getting away from the fact that managing print is a core component of a school’s IT infrastructure. In fact, an average 10,000 student school district spends at least $200,000 every year on paper – testament to the fact that staff and students create a lot of printed materials.
While embracing new technology is a good thing – it certainly played a critical role in enabling remote learning during the pandemic – in some instances, rolling out new hardware, software or platforms, can significantly increase the burden on already-stretched IT resources.
Print has long been a thorn in IT leads’ side. Think security concerns, cost control, granting printing privileges, end-user provisioning – the list goes on. And let’s not gloss over the fact that IT is the first line of contact for every student and staff member who can’t print – whether it’s a paper jam, an inability to print in color, or simply that the toner has run out.
Print can be a pain, which sort of explains why modernizing the print infrastructure can slip down the IT priority list. There’s a misconception that any change will be too complex to set-up and could even negatively impact end-users’ ability to print. The age old mantra ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ comes to mind here, but the reality is that server-based printing is ‘broken’ and the future of print is in the cloud.
If schools and districts want to gain control and visibility over their fleets and print environments, support both in-class and hybrid learning models, reduce costs and improve security, now is the right time to jump on the cloud.
Here’s five reasons why:
Eliminate print servers. By migrating print to the cloud, K-12 school districts can eliminate the need for expensive to purchase and maintain print servers.
Make print more secure. Cloud print management software can improve the security of sensitive student and school information, with features such as user authentication, secure print release, and end-to-end encryption.
Print from anywhere. Clever features such as Edge Print enable students and teachers to securely print from anywhere, on any device.
Print sustainably. By reducing unnecessary printing and waste, cloud print management can help K-12 school districts save money and become more environmentally sustainable.
Benefit from actionable insights. Detailed reports on printing activity, by user, department or device, highlight areas of concern, addressable errors and other issues that can be resolved to save on unwanted printing and costs.
In our next blog, we’ll do a deep dive into the key features of the directprint.io serverless print management platform that make deployment as easy as ABC, automate time-intensive tasks and enable the entire print infrastructure to be centrally managed from a single pane of glass.
Interested to learn more? We’re offering a free 30-day trial, so you can find out first-hand the benefits of making print an integral part of your school’s cloud-first strategy.
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