Government Agency, Denmark

The Challenge:

A government agency in Copenhagen, Denmark, was interested in identifying and reducing direct costs involved with printing, copying and document management, while also maintaining the necessary level of security and safety.

Over the past 6-7 years, the organization had accumulated a patchwork of 128 devices (copiers, printers, scanners and fax machines) in an 8-story building. Many of these devices of varying brands were worn out and used older technology, which meant that operating and maintenance costs were exceedingly high. Furthermore, it was both complicated and time consuming for the IT department to maintain the various device drivers, as well as service the staff.

In addition to reducing the number of existing devices, it was important to improve the use and efficiency of the equipment. Very few persons had access to color printing, because they were previously using many preprinted color documents (stationery and certificates).

Lastly, the printer management solution needed to accommodate the need for security, because many of the documents printed in the agency were highly confidential. The implementation of proximity cards would solve those security issues.

The Solution:

Xerox replaced the existing 115 devices (60 different models) with 18 new Xerox devices (2 different models), including Xerox WorkCentre 7345. Additionally, the SafeCom Controller was selected as an external solution, because it can be used with all types of Xerox devices.

The SafeCom Pull Print solution was chosen, because it allows users to securely print on any Xerox Multifunction device throughout the building. Proximity readers are built into the SafeCom colour front-end with a colour touch-screen. The company’s new proximity cards already used for building access are now also utilised for user authentication, to obtain their print job at the WorkCentre device.

The Results:

Xerox and SafeCom made it possible to replace the many inefficient personal printers with a few efficient multifunction systems. The complete installation shows a huge direct annual savings of 41% on device expenditures and maintenance costs. The SafeCom solution is anticipated to bring an additional 20% cost savings on paper waste from, for example, uncollected print jobs.

The immediate result meant fewer machines to maintain and service. There was also much less printer administration and purchasing toner was simplified and streamlined. At the same time, everyone gained free access to high quality color printing. They could now print directly from templates, using color printing on a few multifunction systems without wasting time to change paper. The IT department also had fewer drivers to keep track of and the common user interfaces provided a higher ease of use.

The SafeCom Pull Print solution has allowed the few public multifunction printers to function as personal printers without compromising document security. Documents are not printed until the user is authenticated and then releases the job they want. And if one printer is occupied or down, they can just go to another printer and release the job there.