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Survey Examines SMBs’ Cloud-Based Print-Management Preferences

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Print-management provider Y Soft Corporation today released the findings of a global, independent survey that explored the cloud and cloud-based print management preferences of small and mid-size  businesses (SMBs).

The report, Cloud Print Management, is based on a survey of technology decision makers regarding their use of cloud technology today, their concerns and preferences for using cloud technology in general, and specifically for print-management services. Additionally, their knowledge, use and preference for edge computing was of interest.

As a provider of enterprise workflow solutions for print management and document capture, Y Soft wanted to study SMBs’ preferences and concerns for adopting cloud and edge technology. Y Soft has been a provider of edge technology for use in large enterprises since 2008.

Highlights of the survey include:

  • Public cloud application use is ubiquitous – 93 percent of SMBs use public cloud applications, typically Microsoft Office 365 or similar solutions.
  • 50 percent of SMBs have a cloud-first preference and 10 percent will only use cloud applications.
  • Security is a concern for SMBs across all applications; 52 percent cited security as a top concern whereas 61 percent cited it as a top concern for cloud-based print management.

However, according to YSoft, mid-size companies, U.S.-based companies, and companies with more than 50 printers, are the most enthusiastic about cloud-based print management. Over all respondents, 29 percent are planning to purchase cloud-based print management services within the next 12 months.

  • 35 percent of SMBs already use edge computing and 56 percent prefer cloud print management services used with an edge device in place.

The edge device as described in the survey would enable print jobs to be processed locally on the company’s network. Considering SMBs’ concern for cloud-based print management security, (61 percent), this indicates that the additional security peace of mind that comes with edge computing and its other benefits are desired.

“As we speak to customers and partners and study market trends, SMBs’ existing use and preference for edge computing as part of cloud-based print services, confirms our belief that edge devices have an extremely important role,” said Ondřej Krajíček, Y Soft Chief Technology Strategist. “Unlike their enterprise counterparts, SMB’s appetite for a cloud-first approach is much larger. We believe, however, that this will change, and organizations of all sizes will demand cloud-first for all services, including print management,” he added.

Migration to cloud applications has been very successful, in fact, “too successful,” according to YSoft Due to latency, bandwidth ,and locations where Internet connection is slow or unreliable, processing data closer to where the data lives using edge computing is now a matter of need. In the case of print, by processing the job locally on the company’s network, the company has extra peace of mind concerning security and privacy. YSoft says that the results of the survey indicate this need is well understood within SMBs.

The full report which includes additional insights on how they view print management as part of Digital Transformation and participant demographics, can be downloaded  here.

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