Previously, Google released an announcement stating that Cloud Print will no longer be available to users at the end of 2020. This came as a shock to businesses that used this system as their main printing solution. As the end of the year quickly approaches, let’s discuss what the disappearance of this solution means for your business and the alternative solutions that are available.
Cloud Print is No Longer Supported
To break down what this announcement means for users, you’ll no longer be able to print your documents using this service. This refers to any device throughout all operating systems in your organization. When Google initially made this announcement, they recommended that users find a new alternative solution to operate their printing processes on.
Luckily, Google has many printing systems it’s partnering with that offer various features. As a result, you should have a variety of options to choose from that meet your organizational needs and printing preferences. Try to find an alternative solution soon to ensure you have plenty of time to implement an effective migration strategy.
Native Printing Solutions Will Be Offered
One printing option to consider is Chrome’s native printing solutions. Many improvements have been made to this service ever since Cloud Print was first launched in 2010. It offers numerous valuable features to enhance printing efficiencies for you and your organization. As a bonus, they haven’t stopped adding new features and are continuing to implement more to help streamline and simplify your printing processes according to your needs.
If you print documents using devices outside of Chrome OS, it’s best to consider other options, as the native printing solution is only offered for Chrome OS. If you’d rather go with a different option, you can use one of the other print solutions providers Google decided to partner with.
Equivalent Chrome OS Features That Are Currently Live
If you choose to stick with a native print management system, there are various features that are currently available for you to test out to see if they work well for you and your company. One of the key features available is an admin console interface that manages and maintains thousands of printers for various people and devices. There’s also an admin console policy that works to manage color and two-sided printing defaults that you may use on your documents.
These features also offer support for any advanced printing attributes you may need when printing your documents. Attributes include pin printing, stapling, and paper trays. The native print management system also has an admin console policy that operates through an IPPS connection. You can use your filename and user account information to ensure the connection remains secure to allow access to any third-party printing features, like print usage tracking and secure printing.
For extra document security and protection, the admin console policy also manages PIN code printing. In order to access or send a print job, users must enter their PIN code and can share it with the person who’s receiving the document or any other party who’s allowed to view certain documents containing sensitive information. To access this, the user must simply type in the provided PIN code into the keypad on their printer.
More Features Will Be Available Before Cloud Print Goes Away
Software developers are hard at work releasing additional features to strengthen the native printing solution for users. These features are being developed and released for Chrome OS devices. One of these features is support for any external CUPS print servers, including authentication for access to certain servers and documents that contain protected and confidential information.
A policy is also being developed to configure any connections to the external CUPS print servers. The final feature offered is the APIs that third parties can easily use to access print job metadata. These APIs will also allow these third parties to submit print jobs to certain businesses or individuals. Some third parties can also control certain printer management capabilities using these APIs. This depends on which management capabilities they’re granted access to by the organization.
Printing Solutions Available
It’s best to start migrating to a new printing solution now to ensure a smooth and easy transition for both yourself and your organization. Fortunately, there are many options available that you can test out to see if they provide features you’re looking for in your ideal printing solution. Common printing solutions to research and consider trying out include:
- Directprint.io
- Printix
- Pharos
- LRS
- NT-ware
- PaperCut
- PrinterLogic
Set Up Your Printing Process Using a Printing Partner
If you’re an administrator, you can follow some simple steps to set up your printing services with one of the above printing partners. First, build your internet printing protocol based print queue. This allows you to send all of your print jobs through the network system. Next, simply add your printer partner of choice using an extension.
If you want to add printers individually, you’ll log into your Google Admin console, visit the home page and visit the Chrome section in the Devices tab. You’ll then scroll down to click the Printers option. At the bottom right-hand corner, you’ll click the “add a printer” option. Input the printer’s details, then click “add printer.”
Adapting to a New Printing Solution
Migrating to a different printing process can seem challenging at first. Luckily, Google made their announcement in advance to help you get ready for this upcoming change and adjust your organizational processes accordingly. Conduct careful research on potential strategies for your company to pursue. Consider your organizational goals, needs, and preferences when picking a printing solution that works best for you. As you migrate to your new solution of choice, inform your employees and any third parties to give them plenty of time to adapt to a new printing process.
your social media accounts carefully and sparingly.
Data-Driven Transformation
Some people may have a better “instinct” for what drives a business and which trends are growing, but in today’s world data outperforms the gut every time. Data-driven transformation points to the management of the information generated by your business through its regular operations. Aggregating data from every facet of business operations and then sorting and evaluating it from different perspectives is akin to shining bright spotlights on darkened recesses of activity and production to gain further enlightenment and insights.
This collection of information has created a new position: data scientists, one of the fast-rising careers (with salaries rising at equally swift rates). And the value of cloud computing is proven greater since it can scale and grow with the data which is being collected and analyzed.
As you strategize your digital transformation needs, use these categories to further break down your plan into manageable parts. By doing so, you increase the likelihood of deploying a successful strategy.
