Top Reasons to Upgrade Your Multifunction Printer:
- Outdated Print Equipment
- Overwhelming and Excessive Need for IT Support
- Weak Cyber Security and Vulnerable Data
- Evolved and Updated Business Needs
- Reduced Print Quality and Functionality
A multifunction printer (MFP) can be viewed as the heart of an organisation’s print environment. A healthy and operating MFP acts as the centralised hub in the workplace where all printing, copying, faxing, and scanning takes place. Organisations are surprisingly stubborn when it comes to holding onto outdated and underperforming printers considering the integral role MFPs play in print environments.
When people face a recurring or even just a minor problem with their heart, they quickly spring into action. So why shouldn’t you do the same with the heart of your print environment for your business?
Organisations that proactively take inventory of the important signs indicating the need for an MFP upgrade will be better prepared to combat cyber attacks and better positioned to provide a streamlined print environment that enables productivity.
Taking Notice of the Signs: Why Organisations Should Proactively Upgrade Multifunction Printers
For many organisations, the decision to upgrade multifunction printers is difficult and encompasses several important factors such as budgetary considerations and the increased need for technology with advanced capabilities to meet growing business needs.
Here are the main multifunction printer warning signs businesses should be aware of to ensure they are providing the most efficient print environment for their business and employees.
Outdated Print Equipment
Outdated MFPs have the potential to hinder business productivity and performance. Organisations that continue to rely on outdated print equipment to handle day-to-day operations are forgoing the opportunity to integrate advanced features with increased functionality that newer MFP models offer. Having access to enhanced print capabilities could be the differentiator that takes a business to the next stage of growth.
Overwhelming and Excessive Need for IT Support
When organisations begin to notice a recurring print problem and observe repeated conversations with IT support, it’s a clear sign that it’s time for an MFP upgrade. For organisations that forgo partnering with a managed print service (MPS), each time a MFP experiences an issue, organisations will need to pay for an emergency service call that could have otherwise been avoided with a proactive print environment assessment. Time dedicated to IT support is time lost, and lost time due to printer malfunctions leads to employee frustration.
Organisations should keep this general rule of thumb in mind when accessing MFP upgrades. The average lifespan of a typical MFP is five years. Once organisations pass the lifespan period, it becomes more cost-effective to upgrade than to pay for excessive and unnecessary maintenance for the older MFP model.
Weak Cyber Security and Vulnerable Data
Multifunction printers face the same data security and cyber security risks that regular networked computers endure if the proper precautions aren’t taken. MFPs can store data on internal storage drives that need to remain secure when connecting to an internal network. Newer equipment has advanced security features such as user authentication, managed access, and encryption that better secures data and effectively combats cyber security attacks. Organisations looking to decrease their cyber security risk and bolster data security should upgrade their MFPs before further financial or legal repercussions occur.
Evolved and Updated Business Needs
As organisations change and scale over time, print environments will also need to change to match the growing needs of the business. An organisation experiencing growth, regardless of the type of office or industry, will need the capability to print large volumes of printed material to maintain the new degree of business operations.
A print solution that worked for a business five years ago may no longer work, or worse, actively prevent the organisation from scaling and reaching planned growth goals. Organisations that monitor their print usage will be better positioned to gauge the current efficacy of their MFP. Organisations can tell that a MFP doesn’t meet current business needs if it:
- Doesn’t offer an intuitive user interface that promotes employee efficiency.
- Doesn’t have advanced technological capabilities that streamlines workflows.
- Has a paper capacity that inhibits employee productivity.
- Fails to provide the page output needed to maintain business operations (whether in terms of volume, speed, or both).
Reduced Print Quality and Functionality
Since employees are most likely using the office’s MFP on a daily basis, when this critical tool is out of service, tensions rise and employee frustration peaks. Employees will feel like they are unable to do their jobs, while simultaneously feeling the mounting pressure from their boss or clients to maintain productivity. Reduced functionality is one major sign that it is time to upgrade MFPs as well as degradation of print quality over time.
Businesses that hold onto outdated MFPs will experience a noticeable decrease in print quality. Older equipment can cause faded or blurred output, blemishes, and toner or ink spots. These print issues can have detrimental effects on print readability and more importantly impact your business’s credibility..
Upgrading Your MFPs: A Worthy Investment for Your Organisation
Organisations that choose to invest in upgrading their MFP stand to receive a large return on their investment. A streamlined print environment offers organisations’ speed, efficiency, volume, and quality printing at a cost-effective price. Plus, upgrades typically come with advanced functionality designed to bolster cyber security protection and data security.
If your organisation has noticed any of the highlighted signs, it’s time to be proactive and partner with a trusted multifunction printer specialist to implement a top of the line MFP model that best fits your business’s printing needs and promotes company-wide connectivity.
