Your technology estate is generating data. Are you using it?
For many organisations, managed print services have traditionally focused on keeping devices operational, controlling costs and responding when something goes wrong. But today’s print estates generate much more information than that.
Device usage, locations, service activity and environmental impact all create data that can reveal how an estate is really performing. The opportunity is to move beyond simply managing devices and start using that data to make better decisions.
That is the thinking behind Aura’s Managed Portal (AMP). By bringing estate, usage, service and environmental data together in one secure environment, AMP gives organisations a clearer view of their managed print environment and where there may be opportunities to improve.
You can’t optimise what you can’t see
The first step towards effective print management is understanding what you have.
For organisations operating across multiple sites, devices, contracts, locations, network information and consumables can quickly become fragmented. AMP brings these elements together, providing visibility across the estate and helping organisations understand what is installed, where it is and whether anything needs attention.
That creates the foundation for better questions: Are devices in the right locations? Are they reporting correctly? Is the estate still aligned with how the organisation works today?
“With a print fleet deployed across the UK and ROI, having clear visibility through Aura’s dashboards allows us to see what’s happening across our estate, manage it effectively and identify where attention is needed, wherever our teams are working – whether from home or in the office.”
Tim Inglis, Service Desk Manager, AAG
Your devices are telling you something
The most useful insights are often found in the exceptions. AMP allows organisations to compare actual mono and colour print volumes against typical monthly usage, highlighting devices printing above or below recommended levels.
A device operating significantly below expectations doesn’t automatically need removing, just as a high volume device doesn’t necessarily need replacing. But both are signals worth investigating.
Has demand changed? Is another device taking on more work? Has the way people use a particular location changed?
AMP can also identify devices with no reported print activity during a selected period, providing another indicator of potential under-utilisation.
The value isn’t simply knowing what is happening. It’s knowing where to ask why.
Service and sustainability tell the bigger story
A managed print solution is about more than the devices themselves. Service performance matters too.
AMP provides visibility of SLA performance, uptime, average response times and first-time fix, allowing organisations to look at performance over quarterly and rolling 12-month periods.
Sustainability can also become part of the same conversation. Where additional print management tools are available, AMP can track printing by user, department and device, including prints cancelled, deleted or converted to PDF.
This can then be used to estimate environmental savings from avoided printing across measures including CO₂, water, electricity and trees. Together, these insights provide a more complete picture of how an estate is performing operationally, commercially and environmentally.
From visibility to action
Data only becomes valuable when it helps you make a better decision.
A device printing significantly above expected volumes may prompt a review of capacity. A device with little or no activity could indicate an opportunity to optimise. A pattern in service performance could highlight an area for improvement. Changes in print behaviour could demonstrate the environmental value of digital workflows.
AMP’s dynamic dashboards, filters and drill through functionality make it easier to explore the information that matters and move from an overview to the detail when required.
The conversation can therefore move from “Is everything working?” to “Is our print estate working as effectively as it could?”
That shift from data to insight and from insight to action, is where modern managed print services can deliver greater value.
For organisations looking to optimise their managed print environment, that shift from data to insight can support better decisions around performance, utilisation, cost and sustainability.
Aura’s Managed Portal is designed to make that insight accessible, bringing the data together so organisations can see more, understand more and make more informed decisions about their print estate.
Is your print estate telling you more than you realise?
Discover how Aura’s Managed Portal can turn your print data into actionable insight.
