There comes a time in every campus IT Manager’s career when they look around and think, “Do we really need these print servers?”
Seriously, when it comes to on-premise vs cloud servers, the writing is on the wall for campus printing. According to some estimates , a cloud-print solution designed for higher education can cut IT print spending in half, saving an average of $7,500 a year per server.
It’s hard to argue with those kinds of numbers, especially when your sysadmins could be working on more high-value strategic tasks, rather than fiddling around with server racks.
Work in higher education ? Here’s why you should consider switching to a cloud-based print environment.
What is cloud printing?
A cloud-based print server hosts print management services on cloud platforms, like Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud, rather than on-premise hardware. That’s the nuts and bolts. It means universities can manage printing centrally, with users accessing printers via the internet through dedicated apps or web portals.
Cloud-based printing isn’t inherently “better” than on-premise infrastructure; they each have their pros and cons, depending on your institution’s needs, infrastructure, and existing IT capacity. But in general, it is simpler, more streamlined, more scalable, and cheaper. All the things campus IT managers are looking for.
Streamlining campus printing
Cloud print management means ‘Goodbye print servers!’ That’s the obvious win when it comes to cloud print management: it streamlines the entire print ecosystem.
With the cloud, you get a single platform that manages all printers across the campus, enabling administrators to control settings, monitor usage, and troubleshoot remotely. No need for multiple on-premise print servers at different locations.
Students and staff can print from any device (BYOD) to any printer, regardless of their physical location – no device-specific drivers or VPN access required.
And the cherry on top? You also reduce IT overheads associated with managing and wrangling distributed servers. Bonus!
Enhanced security and compliance
This one’s a bit more complex than it seems on the surface. While cloud-based printing comes with a bunch of built-in security features (and we’ll get to these in more detail), on-premise architecture can be very secure too, as you literally control the physical server environment. However, with cloud providers increasingly offering the flexibility to select a preferred data center location this may be less of a factor for you.
It gets further complicated when you talk about private vs public cloud setups, where you must consider potential cost and complexity trade-offs. In general, we recommend private cloud environments in higher education, especially if you value security, bespoke features, and regulatory compliance (which, let’s face it, you probably should). PaperCut MF is great for this setup.
Let’s analyze some security pros and cons in a bit more detail.
Data encryption
With cloud printing, end-to-end encryption is standard. Print jobs are encrypted during transmission (using HTTPS/TLS) and stored in the cloud temporarily, often in an encrypted format.
With on-premise servers, encryption depends on internal configurations. That doesn’t mean it’s worse, just more complicated. Print jobs may not always be encrypted between devices, servers, and printers, especially if older protocols are used.
User authentication
Cloud printing supports advanced authentication methods, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), and integration with cloud identity providers like Azure AD or Google Workspace. This makes it super flexible and secure, provided they are configured correctly, and ideal for BYOD environments.
On-premise servers, on the other hand, rely on local authentication mechanisms, such as LDAP or Active Directory. MFA, in particular, may require additional configurations. This has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it’s trickier to set up, but on the other, direct integration with on-campus systems ensures tighter local control.
Access control
The cloud is all about simplified and scalable access control. Two things higher education organizations desperately need. Centralized, cloud-based policies can be applied universally across all connected devices. Role-based access control (RBAC) and dynamic restrictions (like time- or location-based restrictions) are also way easier to implement.
With on-premise, access policies are typically tied to individual servers, requiring manual updates for each server. Bit of a bummer.
Role-based control is possible, but it’s less flexible and often decentralized.
Scalability and flexible growth
This is where cloud-based print environments start to pull away from traditional on-premise architecture. There’s no getting around it: the cloud is inherently much more elastic than running your own print servers. There’s less manual intervention, lower resource allocation, and fewer growing pains. Let’s analyze a few key areas:
Adding new devices
With cloud printing, adding new printers or devices is seamless. There’s no other word for it. Cloud platforms should be able to automatically detect and integrate new devices with minimal configuration.
That means they can scale easily with campus or student population growth. If you’re running your own print servers, adding new printers requires manual setup on each server, including driver installation and network configuration.
Supporting BYOD
Any higher education print strategy should consider BYOD and device compatibility. And again, this is an area where cloud printing really has an edge. Cloud environments are designed to handle diverse devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) with no need for specific drivers or software installations.
That makes onboarding and guest usage a breeze. With on-premise architecture, device support depends on the compatibility of your infrastructure and may require custom configs for different operating systems. You do get tailored support for specific devices, but you sacrifice flexibility and ease of use.
Adjusting the load
Universities and higher education organizations also have to factor in seasonal server loads, when everyone’s trying to print around exam time. This is something that cloud-based setups nail.
With the cloud, you can automatically adjust to accommodate fluctuating print demands during peak times. There’s no need to invest in additional servers, although make sure to consider the additional demands on internet bandwidth and cloud service uptime.
If you’re going in-house, you’ll need to provision additional servers or upgrade hardware to handle increased loads. That’s incredibly expensive and inefficient, especially if you’re doing it multiple times a year.
Case Study: Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT)
We’ve helped dozens of higher education organizations set up cloud print environments over the years. You can check out all our education-related case studies here . One client that always stands out is the UK’s Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT).
DNEAT oversees 35 academies, with schools spanning all different sizes, providing primary education for over 10,000 students. It’s a complex system. And before PaperCut came along, they had no unifying print management solution. In other words, it was print chaos. As a multi-site organization, with no dedicated IT team, DNEAT’s printing was essentially lawless.
To address these challenges, DNEAT implemented PaperCut Hive, a fully cloud-based print management solution. PaperCut Hive eliminated the need for on-site servers, offering centralized control and seamless printing with just an internet connection. Staff could preview and release print jobs selectively, drastically reducing waste and lowering costs.
The platform also supported hybrid working, enabling staff to print from any device, anywhere. According to RM Education’s Danny Hibell, “Staff roaming between schools or working from home now have the ability to print, which they didn’t have before.”
With PaperCut Hive, DNEAT slashed printing costs, minimized waste, and streamlined workflows, freeing up resources for staffing and student needs. As teacher Saul Garthwaite noted, “It’s invaluable for conservation printing and ease of use – highly recommended for schools looking to take control of their printing.”
Read the full case study here .
As a rule, with their enterprise-grade security features, inherent scalability, remote printing, and future-ready tech, cloud print servers are a great alternative for higher education organizations. We tend to recommend them a lot.
If you want to know more, check out our interview with PaperCut customer, Andrew, from Stirling University in Scotland.