Case Study: U.S. Federal District
How Ricoh and Managed Print Services helped a large federal district save $2 million.
About the customer
This U.S. federal government district has nearly 40,000 employees in more than 130 countries. With environmental sustainability as a guiding principle, the people working in the district deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to many of the nation's challenges.
With Managed Print Services, the district expects to achieve $2 million in cost savings over five years.
Challenge
Need to increase operational efficiency to reduce costs
Desire to strengthen information security
Lack of purchasing approval process or tracking
IT taken away from critical tasks to fix printers
Like many government agencies, this district was contending with a flat or declining budget and pressure to increase operational efficiencies. It also needed to improve information security—ensuring the information employees use every day didn't fall into unauthorized hands.
The district's print environment was the focal point of inefficiency. It had a mix of cartridge-based printers and ad hoc buying practices when a printer broke or supplies needed to be replenished. The district wasn't even sure how many printers it had and when new print cartridges were needed. An employee simply purchased a new one on a credit card—with no approval process or tracking mechanism in place. So much so, the district had rooms full of spare printer parts and cartridges.
Furthermore, the district's IT department spent far too much time dealing with its aging printer fleet issues. There was no on-site service to keep the fleet up and running, forcing IT to act as printer technicians—taking them away from more central tasks that could help the district work smarter.
Results
$2 million projected savings over five years
Immediate access to print environment data
Controlled supplies purchasing
Fast and proactive service
Efficient, right-sized print fleet
The district is projected to save approximately $2 million in printing costs over five years. It also has immediate access to critical print environment data for faster decision-making.
With a dedicated Ricoh employee on-site, the district no longer has uncontrolled supplies purchasing and device service is fast and proactive. Also, the district's smaller, more efficient print fleet is now right-sized and manageable.
IT was forced to act as printer technicians—taking them away from more central IT tasks that could help the district work smarter.
How We Did It
Conducted discovery to pinpoint problems
Replaced single function and cartridge-based devices with MFPs
Automated processes and customized workflows
Implemented Follow-You Printing
Provided Managed Print Services with flat rate pricing
We met with the District's CIO to learn about their frustrations and inefficiency around print management. We enlisted our analytical tools to conduct discovery on their print environment and pinpoint the district's problems. We used our print management analysis software to uncover 25% more devices on-site than the district expected. We also installed software on all the workstations for 45 days, allowing us to monitor all of the printing and supplies activity. From there, we were able to develop average print volumes and determine what the district paid for cartridges.
We next implemented a fleet refresh with multifunction printers (MFPs), eliminating unnecessary and inefficient single function and cartridge-based devices. We also added one full-time employee on-site as a first responder to printer issues. To transform workflows and productivity, we added output management software to automate manual processes, accommodate customized workflows and enable employees to scan directly into SharePoint™ and other repositories. Lastly, we implemented Follow-You Printing for secure CAC card authentication at each device and for an audit trail to reveal who is printing what.
All of these solutions were delivered under the umbrella of Managed Print Services with a flat rate pricing model that made it easier for the district to plan and budget compared to a variable cost model.