Basic HTML Version
22 Print.IT Reseller
01732 759725
secure print
Users can
authenticate
themselves on
a touchscreen
vPad (below)
or a software-
based virtual
vPad (above)
Secure print systems that require
users to identify themselves before
a document is output are a popular
way of reducing print volumes,
cutting costs and improving
document security. For resellers, they
are a key growth area that can also
help build long-term relationships
with customers. IDC expects the
market for print security solutions
to enjoy a CAGR of 23% from 2009
to 2015.
One criticism of existing solutions is
that many are vendor-specific, will only
work with PCL or PostScript devices or
require printers/MFPs with a high level of
functionality, such as a touchscreen display.
This can work to the reseller’s advantage
if it leads to additional hardware sales, but
could be a disadvantage if a customer has
a limited budget; wishes to retain existing
devices; or prefers to choose best-of-breed
devices from multiple suppliers.
Recognising that many businesses have
mixed vendor fleets and machines with
diverse capabilities, printing virtualisation
specialist UniPrint, which has just opened
its first UK office (see page 8), has
developed a device-agnostic secure print
system that will work with any print device,
in any print environment and with any
application.
“We are vendor independent and
our software can co-exist with existing
printers,” explained Arron Fu, VP of
software development at UniPrint. “Our
software sits on top and enables pull
printing without being stuck with a single
vendor. If a customer wants secure
print, they don’t have to
bind themselves
into a solution from HP, Xerox or Canon. A
lot of enterprise customers don’t want to
do that.”
Called UniPrint Infinity, the solution
brings together the company’s established
universal print driver (UPD) with a network
attached tablet, or ‘vPad’, on which users
can identify themselves using a PIN,
network ID or swipecard (the pad has USB
connectivity to accommodate off-the-shelf
card and RFID readers).
There is also the option of a software-
based ‘virtual pad’ that can be installed
on a spare Windows XP computing
device that a customer might have lying
around, helping to reduce the total cost of
ownership. In the future, the ‘virtual pad’
could be embedded within devices.
Consistent look and feel
The UniPrint UPD provides a consistent
interface between the user and a print
server that holds and manages print
drivers for individual devices. This gives
office workers the same look and feel
regardless of make or model of printer
used; simplifies the deployment of new
devices or upgrades; and reduces the need
for training.
It converts print jobs into encrypted
PDFs that can be printed, saved or emailed
and in the process compresses files by
up to 90% for more efficient use of
bandwidth. Other useful features include
the ability to define one-click printer
profiles for recurring print jobs or for
specific users to control how they print.
In normal use, the UniPrint driver
displays a list of available printers and the
user clicks on the one they want to print
to. With the UniPrint Infinity secure print
solution, they choose a virtual print queue
instead.
In order to pull a print job down from
the server for output on the device of their
choice (follow me printing), a user must
authenticate themselves at a network-
attached vPad or virtual vPad. Depending
on the customer’s needs, a reseller could
install a vPad next to each printer or share
a unit between multiple devices.
For maximum security, a document can
be protected with a secure PIN and in such
cases this, too, will need to be entered.
Once this has been done, the user just has
to select the relevant print job from their
personal queue and the printer they want
to print to.
UniPrint is already looking ahead to the
next version. Due out next year, this will
include a number of enhancements, such
as support for mobile printing directly to
the vPad; archiving and monitoring, which
will capture all print jobs and flag up any
sensitive information being posted and
save it for audit and compliance purposes;
and policies to enforce mono or two-sided
printing.
UniPrint works with two distributors
in the UK – Arrow ECS and Prianto –
and over the next few months will be
expanding its Platinum partner program.
www.uniprint.net
No limits
UniPrint Infinity enables resellers to add follow me and secure printing
to multi-vendor print environments. James Goulding reports
Citrix-ready
UniPrint Infinity has been verified as Citrix Ready, indicating its
compatibility with Citrix desktop virtualisation solutions and raising its
profile amongst 260,000 Citrix customers and 10,000 Citrix resellers.
“The Citrix Ready verification process was designed to make it easier for our
customers to find and integrate partner products that are compatible with Citrix
solutions,” said Aimee Catalano, vice president, alliance marketing at Citrix. “Partners
like UniPrint are an important part of our strategy to build an open and flexible
ecosystem that meets a wide variety of customer needs.”
Arron Fu, VP of Software Development at UniPrint, said: “Through the Citrix Ready
program, we hope to tap into a new market, improve customer satisfaction and
increase mindshare by leveraging our relationship with Citrix. UniPrint Infinity already
provides numerous benefits to enterprises and this verification indicates that our
product has successfully passed a series of tests that establish the seamless integration
of our product with Citrix.”