Case Study: Regis University

Using updated technology to decrease costs and improve functionality

About Regis University

Located in Denver, CO, Regis University is consistently ranked as a Top Tier Western University by U.S. News & World Report. With more than 12,500 students, the school is among 28 Jesuit Catholic colleges and universities in America.

"Regis would not have achieved this print management program as quickly as we did without Ricoh’s help. It was more than their technology and services. They helped get our internal stakeholders on board as well."
Erich Delcamp
Director, Infrastructure and Operations
Regis University

Challenge

Because of an outdated device fleet, printing costs and energy consumption were higher than what Denver, Co-based Regis University wanted. After responding to the school’s RFP, we developed a print management strategy that included upgrading their equipment and taking over management of their print, copy and mail center. Based on our ideas for cost control and our strength with managed document services (MDS), Regis felt we were the right partner for them.

After we performed a two-day analysis of their print center operations and a full accounting and mapping of devices, we discovered a fleet of thousands, consisting of more than 100 different models. The discovery surprised the school’s staff, who didn't realize the sheer volume and mix of devices they had.

With the groundwork complete, the next step was to begin the actual equipment upgrade. For many staff members, the change was not a welcome one. In fact, some were so afraid of losing their inkjet printers that they even ran some Ricoh reps out of their offices.

Solution

After we took over management of the school’s print, copy and mail center, we began a phased rollout of 45 new color multifunction printers (MFPs) and print management across campus.

We also installed:

RightFax - to replace the school’s analog fax system and the need for stand-alone devices.
Equitrac Express - print management software to track student print quotas and faculty and staff chargebacks.

To further take the burden off the school's IT department, we brought in additional support staff to work onsite, monitoring and troubleshooting the networked print servers. For the buildings that were not included in the initial rollout, we took over managing the service and supplies for the desktop devices. This served as an interim solution to contain costs and keep track of equipment that needed to be upgraded.

And to alleviate the staff's concerns about the upgrade, we sat down to explain the new technology and listen to feedback on additional needs. Since some were skeptical about document confidentiality, we enabled the MFP locked print feature to secure jobs until a user authenticates at the machine and either prints or deletes them.

Result

During our plan’s first full year, the school saved $166,000 and reduced print volume by almost 40%.

To manage the number of devices in the fleet, faculty and staff have to fill out forms before any new equipment enters a building. The students are thrilled about the new services because they can now print in color at multiple campus locations and use MFPs to make copies within their print quotas. Future plans include using Equitrac to help implement print behavior modification and enable wireless access and mobile printing for faculty, staff and students.

Download PDF