The U.S. government sprang into action to support the floundering economy in the wake of COVID-19 resulting in a record budget deficit for the fiscal year ending in September — to the tune of $3.1 trillion dollars.
For public sector agencies, this is bad news. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic many agency budgets were slashed, forcing decision-makers to find creative ways to do more with less money.
Now, as agencies look toward the upcoming election — and on to 2021 — there is further drive to reduce spending in order to get the U.S. deficit under control.
For many agencies, further budget cuts will severely impact their ability to manage their missions unless they find some way to pair increased productivity with cost-cutting measures.
As many thought leaders and decision-makers are discovering, there are several ways that government agencies can optimize costs while improving outcomes to ensure quality and prompt delivery of products and services.
One of those ways is leveraging the power of a robust managed print environment.
Managed Print as a Cost Control Measure
Managed print is one of many cost control measures that government agencies can take advantage of to ensure service and mission continuity within a limited budget.
Managed print services (MPS) remove the burden of maintenance, support, and even system design and optimization from in-house IT, freeing them up to work on more mission-critical tasks.
MPS are so effective that even the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recommends them to help agencies gain control over print costs, device usage, and security.
Three big reasons to consider MPS for your organization include:
- Ongoing Optimization for Increased Productivity
Managed print providers begin with an in-depth assessment of your current infrastructure and agency objectives. Then, they create a print environment that is perfectly matched to budget and targeted outcome.
Cost control is accomplished through reducing print spend, consolidating the fleet, providing ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting, and providing cutting-edge machines that reduce overall energy consumption.
Through automated supply replenishment, your organization can ensure machines are fully equipped to do their job when they are needed — without the budget drain of overstocking supplies “just in case.”
2. Strong Data Security for Compliance
Data security is essential in today’s cybercrime-prone world — and nowhere is it more important than in government organizations that handle sensitive data on a daily basis. In fact, government agencies are a preferred target of hackers due to the type and magnitude of information they process.
An MPS provider ensures equipment is continually updated with the latest soft- and hardware security patches as soon as they are released so that your agency is always protected with the latest technology.
Quick implementation of patches for vulnerabilities is an essential step in protecting valuable data. With an MPS, you are assured of the latest security enhancements and ongoing updates.
3. Flexibility and Versatility
Departments grow and change, and agencies often do not have the budget to flex alongside staffing trends, resulting in underutilized equipment — or over-utilized stations that cause workflow slowdowns.
With an MPS in place, your organization can effortlessly reduce or increase the number of machines to keep pace with fluctuations in staffing or changes in workload.
With third-party IT and print experts in your corner, even infrastructure can be modified as your needs, objectives, or situation evolves.
Let James Imaging Help Your Agency Achieve the Best Results
At James Imaging, we know how hard government agencies work to stay on task and within their ever-shrinking budgets. And we also understand the specific challenges that many agencies face when it comes to data security and compliance issues.
Our team can expertly assess your environment for areas that can be improved and optimized to reduce overall print spend and streamline budget concerns.
Managed print services provide you a single, monthly bill for cradle-to-grave services: assessment, fleet optimization, and ongoing maintenance, service, and troubleshooting plus automated supply replenishment — everything you need to fulfill your objectives.
With our program, you can conserve storage space, reduce supply spend, free up your in-house personnel to focus on strategic directives, and decrease the amount of time spent dealing with multiple vendors for your printing needs.
Discover how your agency can do more, even with government spending cuts in effect. Reach out to a professional at James Imaging Systems and get started with Managed Print Services today.