Managing a Worldwide Print Infrastructure from a Single, Centralized Workstation

For small businesses, working with OS-native print spoolers can be an annoyance, if still a necessary evil, even when they are using just one or two operating systems in their operation. But many large, multinational organizations face even greater problems with enterprise printing since typical growth through acquisition models do not tend to nurture uniformity in hardware, let alone operations.
This lack of uniformity in hardware is magnified when one considers operating across a number of continents using array of different operating systems and servers. In cases such as this, relying on print spoolers native to each operating system can quickly devolve local operations into a state of persistent inefficiency. These localized inefficiencies, when aggregated across global operations, can evince a waste of resources that's on a--well, a global level.
The difficulty in finding a solution to systemic waste due to sub-par print management is finding one that functions across all employed operating systems and that can be easily (and concurrently) implemented on a global level.
Global Print Management
Third-party print management software is often successfully implemented by companies operating only on a local or even a national level. But international companies who have grown through acquiring other companies often can experience global-level growing pains.
For instance, if a company uses multiple versions of UNIX, print managing software would need to be able to interface with applications specific to each operating system, not to mention compatibility with each version of UNIX.
Even within the family of UNIX operating systems, each version of these different operating systems handles printer device setup and print queue management with its own flavor of administration tools. These tools, of course, are all based on the -lp ("line print") print utility developed over 35 years ago, when the term "line printer" had not yet developed the anachronistic charm some find in it today. These -lp tools lack intuitiveness and are not robust.
Using these tools across different UNIX versions employed by an enterprise would result in confusion and complexity in IT staff response to help desk calls. If the volume of print management help calls increases high enough, this increased volume can bog down IT support staff and possibly even debilitate production volume, customer service, or delivery of goods or services.
In addition to the challenges a company faces with comparable print infrastructure management, regional IT managers often may request the ability to setup and manage their own print queues and devices worldwide. Thus, global print management should be enhanced and standardized. Thus, a consistent, common print management system, across all platforms, would be required if IT managers are allowed to set up their own print queues without having to be trained on multiple UNIX systems' tools.
A print management solution such as Plus Technologies' OM Plus print management system would meet the requirements of flexibility and consistency. Upon the successful completion of a pilot run on a single server platform, OM Plus could be rolled out multiple servers. This enterprise-wide rollout allows seamless print queue setup, and printing operation and troubleshooting for disparate UNIX systems, applications, and users. This solution empowers users (i.e. regional IT staff) and central IT staff to be more productive in their worldwide print infrastructure management.
A powerful system such as OM Plus also centralizes the print infrastructure help desk support function down to a single workstation in the corporate data center such that a single staff person can easily support thousands of printers on multiple continents around the world.

Plus Technologies
A Division of Digital Controls
444 Alexandersville Road
Miamisburg, OH 45342
937-384-0444
877-899-7587 (toll free)
www.plustechnologies.com