Scalable IT Infrastructure Solutions with Cloud Integration | Ricoh Canada

1. Transformyourprintinfrastructur usingcloudtechnology Takeyourprintinfrastructuretothecloudforbetter accessibility,flexibilityandefficiency.

2. Optimizingworkplace technology ismoreimportantthan ever Optimizingandembracingworkplacetechnology,particularlycloud-infrastructuresolutions,hasbecomea mandateforsuccessintoday’shybridandflexibleworkenvironments.Thesetechnologiesempower organizationstocollaborateseamlessly,adapttochange,makeinformeddecisions,prioritizeemployeesatisfaction,andmaintainacompetitiveedge. Cloud-basedsolutionsofferthescalabilityandadaptabilityyouneedtomeetshiftingworkforceandworkplace demands. Beyondbreaking downbarriersto supportseamlessconnectivity andcollaboration, cloud-based solutionscanunlockvaluabledata-driveninsightstohelpyoumakeinformeddecisionsandnavigatetoday’shighlydigitalandcompetitivebusinessenvironment. Whenoptimizingworkplacetechnology,oneoftenoverlooked aspectisprintinfrastructure.Whiledigitalprocessesandpaperless workflowshavebecomeprevalent,print-relatedworkflowsremain importantformanyorganizations.Inahybridorflexiblework environment,whereemployeesmovebetweenin-officeandremote working,modernizingtheprintinfrastructurebecomesmorecrucial. 2

3. InthiseBook,we’llexplore: • Thewayscloudtechnologycantransformyourorganization’sprintinfrastructure • Keyconsiderationsformakingprintapartofyourcloud-firststrategy • Featuresandbenefitsofhybridcloudsolutions • Questionstoaskwhendecidingwhichcloudprintsolutionisrightforyou 73% oforganizationsare lookingtoincreasetheiruseof cloud-based printing services overthenext fewyears.1 61% ofbusinessesexpectto fullyormostlyusethecloud fortheirITinfrastructure.2 1Print2025.Print2025:TheITandOfficeWorkerPrintandDigitalDivide.November25,2019. 2Quocirca.Theimpactofcloudmaturityonprinting.January23,2023. 3

4. Cloudtechnologysetsapowerful foundationforastrongprintandITinfrastructure Inrapidlychangingworkenvironments,organizationscanleverage the agility, scalability andautomation of cloudtechnology —and forward-lookingorganizationsaremovingtheirITservicesand infrastructure to the cloud. Yet manyorganizationsfailtoconsidertheirprintinfrastructure whenevaluatingtheircloudmodels,oftenduetotheassumptionthat migratingtothecloudistoocomplex,unsecured,andwouldputa strainonITandcapitalresources. It’simportanttonotethaton-premisesandoutdatedprint infrastructure are notsustainable for today’sorganizations. Companies ofallsizesmustbeabletosecurelymanageand support theirprintinfrastructurefrom acloudplatform andeliminate thedependencyonphysicalorlegacyprintinfrastructure.Thisis especiallytruewithhybridorflexibleworkplaces,asaccessto technology,includingprintdevices,isessentialforemployeestowork, communicate,andcollaborateindifferentlocations. Furthermore,manycloudprintplatformsfeatureadvancedanalytical toolsandreporting,turningprintdataintovaluablebusinessinsights. Althoughthetypeofdatayoutargetwilldependonyourbusinessor operationalgoals,therealvalueofthisdataisthatitcanhelpinform strategyanddecision-makingtostreamlineoperations,cutcosts andmeetcorporatesustainabilitygoals.Ultimately,usagedataand insightscanbeusedto optimizeyourprintinfrastructuremorecost- effectivelyandpositivelyimpactthebottomline.

5. Whyareorganizationsreluctanttoadoptcloudtechnology? Here’sa look atthetopcloudmigrationchallengesreportedbyFutur3eCIO. 56% Lackofunderstanding of cloudsecurityand compliancebestpractices 55% Lackof a clearly defined businesscase forthemigration 44% Insufficientplanning Fororganizationslookingtomigratetheirprintinfrastructuretothecloud,whataresomekeyconsiderationsforasuccessfulmigrationstrategy? 3FutureCIO.Cloudmigrationchallengesandopportunitiesin2022.June13,2022.

6. 5stepstobuildingyourcloudprintmigrationstrategy • 1Consider theroleofprintinyourgrowthtrajectory • Thefirststeptomodernizingandmigratingyourprintinfrastructuretothecloudisunderstandingitsroleinfuture growth and how itcanhelpsupportyourorganization’sdigitalevolution.Importantquestionstoconsiderinclude: • Howwillamovetothecloudimpacttheproductivityofyouroperationsandenhancetheuserand customerexperience? • Whatarethetechnicalrisksinvolved—fromdatacentreredundancymeasures and uptimeexpectationsintheeventofadisruption? • Howsecureistheplatformorserviceagainstevolvingcyberthreats? • Answerstothesequestionscanprovideinsightintowhatyouneedfromacloudprintserviceandtheirabilityto scalewithyourchangingneeds.

7. 2 Understandyourcurrentprintchallenges andwhatisneededtoaddressthem Identifythechallengesassociatedwithyourexistingprintinfrastructureandhowitcanbeimprovedandoptimizedto supporttheneedsofyourhybridor flexibleworkforce.Forexample,oneofthemainchallengesfacedbyorganizationsismanagingprintdrivers.PrintdriverscanbeamajorsourceofpainforITteamsduetotheircomplexitywhichincludesconstantmonitoring,updating,andtroubleshootingtoensurethatprintingoperationsremainoperationaland secured. The challenges associated withprint drivers are furtherexacerbated when organizations havemultiple vendor printmanufacturersandavariety ofsmallprintersscattered acrossdifferentlocations,including employees’homes. • Inaddition,otherareasoffocus should include: • Userdevices • Userworkenvironment • Network • Printservers • Printeraccessandlocations

8. 3 Evaluate theroleoftheprintserverinsupporting yourhybridorflexibleworkforce Printserversareanintegralpartofanorganization’sday-to-dayprocessesto supportworkflowsandoperational efficiencies,especiallyinthetraditionalofficesetting.Inahybridorflexibleworkenvironment,thereareother factorstoconsider,includingaseamlessremoteprintingexperienceregardlessofnetworkandlocation,and managingandmonitoringprintdevicesremotely.Withasoundunderstandingoftheprintserver’sroleinmeeting yourworkforce’sneeds,you’llbeinabetterpositiontochoosetherightcloudprintinfrastructureandservice providerforyourbusiness.Herearesomekeyfocusareastoconsider. Printerdeployment ITeitherhandlesdeploymentcentrallythroughaguided policyorenablesself-serviceforusers Printeradministration Centralizedmanagementofprinterports,storageof printdrivers,accesscontrol,etc. Grouppolicies Centralmanagementandconfigurationofusers’ settingsandauthentications Queuingprintjobs Managementofprintjobstoaccommodatelargeprint volumesandrequestsforquickturnaroundtimes Printdrivermanagement Printdriversareusuallystoredlocallyattheprint servers,allowingusersaccesstodownloadwhen required;printdriverupdatesarealsocentrally managedbyIT Pullprinting Printjobsaresenttoaprintqueue,andbeforethe documentsarereleasedforprinting,theuserneeds firsttoauthenticatethemselvesattheprinter

9. 4ConsiderthechallengesofyourITresources Doyoucurrentlymonitorprint-relatedmaintenance issuesacrossyourentireorganizationcontinuously? Canyouproactivelykeepallofyourprinterdevicesup-to-dateand well-maintained?Ifso,howlongdoesittakeforyourITteamtomonitorandmaintainyour printdevices?Thesearesomequestionstoaskwhen determiningwhethertokeepyourprintinfrastructure onsite or migrate toa comprehensive cloudprint managementplatform. Youshouldalsoconsiderthattraditionalorlegacy printinfrastructurerequiresregularmaintenance andputsastrainonyourITresourcestotroubleshoot errorsfromprintdriversandqueuemanagement —regardlessofthesizeofyourorganization. Furthermore,yourITteamcanbeboggeddownwith tedious maintenance tasks suchas keeping track ofsystemupgrades,patches,securityandvirus scanning,andmore. Whenlookingforacloud-basedprintmanagement platform,partnerwithaproviderthatcanmanageand monitoryourprint infrastructurebetter thanyou can. Lookforaserviceproviderthatcanensureaproactive approachtoresolvingprintissuesonsiteandremotely, ultimatelyreducingdowntimeandimprovingthe performanceofyourdevices.

10. 5Evaluateyournetworkand security requirements • Tohelpsafeguardyourdata,documents,andotherproprietaryinformation thatwillbesharedoveryourcloudprintecosystem,ensurethatyour infrastructureincludes: • Swipecardorpinauthentication • End-to-endencryption • Deviceportclosures • A reliablecloud complianceandgovernance management • Asystemthatoverwriteslatentdataonyourprintdevices’harddrives • Asystemthathelpsyourorganizationmaintaindataconfidentiality andintegrity • Continuousmonitoringandpatchingofsoftwareandservers • Continuousmonitoringandconfigurationofsecuritysettings • Accesscontrolanddatapermissionssuchasauthenticationand userprotection • Ifdataprivacyandsecurityareaconcern,looktotheSoftware-as-a- Service(SaaS)model tohelpensurethatsecurityfeaturesand patchesarefullymanagedandkeptuptodate.Specifically,lookforaservicethat continuously monitorsand updates the securityconfigurations of your printdevicesandperformsthird-partypenetrationtestingontheservice softwareandinfrastructure.Acloudprintserviceproviderofferingthis supportlevelshouldalsoprovide24/7monitoringforvisibilityintoyour overallprintinfrastructure.

11. Keyareas offocus whenyou’rereadytomakethemove Executingonyourcloudprintmigrationplansisn’tdifficultwhenyouhavetherightpartner,butitdoesrequirea sustainedandfocusedapproach.It’simportanttounderstandyourgoals,opportunityareasandchallengesineach oftheseareasofyourbusiness. Serverarchitecture Considertheabilitytoscaleup and downaccordingtobusinessneeds.Youshouldalsofactorinmulti- tenancyoptions,whichenablesharingofserverresources. ITadministration AutomatingITtasksthatrequireminimumornohumaninterventionmitigatesthestrainonyourIT resources,allowingthemtofocusonmorestrategicpriorities.EnableyourITteamstoleverageaweb- basedmanagementconsoleprovidinganoverviewofall sites, printersandusersfromasinglepaneof glass.Yourcloudprintsolutionshouldalsoenableself-serviceforuserstoeasilyadddevicesor simplifytheprocessofaddingprintdevicesbyonlydisplayingthoseavailablelocallytothem. Userexperience Useradoptionandchangemanagementarekeytoimprovinguserexperience.Betteryet,ITteams mustensurethatusershaveaseamlessprintingexperienceduringthemigration,withlittletono disruption.Usersshouldeasilyself-installanewprinterorhaveaccesstosecuremobileprinting. Combinedwithpullprinting,anorganizationcanconsolidatetheirentireuserpopulationtoasingle globalprintqueuethatcaterstoeverydevice(regardlessofmanufacturer)ineverysite(irrespectiveof network orevencountry). Networkandsecurity Ensuretherearenosinglepointsoffailuredespitetemporaryinterruptionstoaninternetconnection. Movingtothecloudshouldenablecustomerstohaveahighavailabilityarchitecturebydefault.Your newprintplatformmustbeabletocontrolitsbandwidthutilizationwhiledeliveringprintjobsata speedacceptabletousers.Itshouldalsosupportpropercloudidentitymanagement,enablingyour organizationtomanageidentityacrossmulti-domain,multi-tenancyenvironments. Alleffectiveprintplatformsshouldadheretodefinedcloudsecurityprinciples–ISO27001orSOC2 compliance.Thesestandardizedlevelsofsecuritywilllikelyrequireend-to-enddataencryption. 11

12. Whatis ahybridcloudplatformandhowcanyoutakeadvantageof • Thehybridcloudplatformisanall-in-onecloud-hostedprintsolutionthatrequires: • Nocomplexset-up • NocomplexITinfrastructurerequirements • Minimalcapitaloutputtogetstarted • Ahybridcloudcombinesthebestofbothworldsofon-premisesprivateandpublic • cloudhostingservices.Anorganizationbenefitsbykeepingcontrolovermission- criticaldataandapplicationsaswithanon-premisessolution(privatecloud),while leveragingoff-premisesresources(publiccloud)forcost-effective,long-termdata storage.Italsoenablessharedaccesstopowerfulcomputingassetsandservices theorganizationcouldnotimplementascost-effectivelyonitsown. • Hybridcloudsoffertheflexibilitytoshiftworkloadsbetweencloudsandlaunchnew • virtualassetsasneedschangeovertime.Withthepropersoftwaretoolstoconnect themallforefficientcommunicationsbetweeneachservice,ITadministratorscan managetheentirecloudenvironmentfromasinglepaneofglass. • Theprimarydriverbehindtheshifttoahybridcloudisflexibility. • Flexibilitytoscale,moveworkloads,launchnewapplications,and quicklyrecoverfromserviceinterruptions.Organizationshavethe flexibilitytochoosefromseveralconfigurations,includingpubliccloudhosting,on-premisesprivatecloud,oracombinationofthetwo. 12

13. Acorrectlyimplementedhybridcloudstrategy brings the followingbenefitstoanorganizati Flexibilityandscalability Acloud-basedprintinfrastructureenablesorganizationstoaccessresourceson-demand,creatingamore agileITenvironmentthatcanscaleaccordingtoneeds,maximizeaccessibilityandminimizecosts. Businesscontinuity Havingsomecomputingassetsmanagedatoff-premisesdatacentresprovidesredundanciesthatprotect dataintegrityandavailabilityintheeventofanaturaldisaster,cyberattackorserviceinterruption.Ahybrid cloudreducesriskandspeedsrecoverytimeshouldtheprivateorpubliccloudexperienceanoutage.It eliminatestheneedforITtoperformregularbackupsandstorecopiesoftheentireenvironment. Remotemanagementsupportforadistributed workforce Properlyauthorizedemployeeshaveglobalaccesstoinformationandcanworkfromanywherewithan internetconnection.Applicationscanbedeployedandupdatescanberolledouttoteammembersand deviceswherevertheyare. Streamline andreducecosts Transferringsomeservicesandapplicationsoff-premisesreducesinternalcostsandoffersaccounting advantagesbyreclassifyingcapitalexpenses(CapEx)asoperationalexpenses(OpEx).Italsoenables organizationstoreducemanpowerexpensesandmaintenancecostsforupgradingon-premiseshardware andservers.Further,ahybridmodelrequiresmuchlesson-premisesdatacentrespaceandinfrastructure supportthanastrictlyprivatecloud—eliminatingtheneedtobuildthousandsofsquarefeetofdata centrespaceandcomputingassets. EaseIThelpdeskburden OneofthemostcommonandsignificantchallengesfacedbyIThelpdeskteamsisthetaskofconnecting userstoprinters,achallengethatisexacerbatedwhendealingwithemployeeswhofrequentlyvisit differentofficelocations.Byadoptingacloud-basedprintmanagementsolution,organizationscan streamlinethisprocessandempoweremployeestosecurelyprintfromanylocationusingaself-service approach.ThiseliminatestheneedtorelyonITsupportforprinterconfiguration,ultimatelysaving valuabletimeandresources.Thesetimesavingscanthenberedirectedtowardsmorestrategicand impactfulbusinessprojects,drivinggreaterefficiencyandproductivityacrosstheorganization. 12

14. 6questionstoaskwhenchoosingyourcloudprintsolution Whichcloudstructureisrightforyourbusiness —Infrastructure-as-a-Service(IaaS),wherethe managementandmaintenanceofthesystemare managedinternally,orSoftware-as-a-Service (SaaS),whereitcanbemanagedfromasingle centralizedlocation? 1 Canthecloudprintingsolutionaccommodate bothon-premisesprivateandpubliccloudhosting serviceswithoutsacrificingfeaturesandsecurity? Canthecloudprintsolutionsupportamixedfleet of printersfrom allmajor multifunctionprinter (MFP)brands? Isthesolutioncompliantwithlocaland internationalsecuritylaws/legislationsanddoes itclearlydefinewheredataislocated(i.e.,data sovereigntylaw)? Doesthesolutionhavetheflexibilitytoquickly scalebasedonyour changingoperationalneeds? Doestheprovideroffermonthlyorannual subscriptionfeeoptionsthatfityourOpEx? 2 3 4 5 6 12

15. IntroducingRICOHCloudStream RICOHCloudStreamisanall-in-oneSaaSprintmanagementsolutionthatenables organizationsofallsizestobenefitfromtheagilityandinnovationofcloudtechnology. ItisdesignedfororganizationslookingtoreducetheirITburdenandcost-effectively managetheirprintinfrastructure.CloudStreamoffers: Serverlessprinting Reducethecost and complexityassociatedwitha traditionalprintenvironment.CloudStreamlessensthe burdenonIT,removesrelianceonprintservers,enables centralmanagement,andvirtuallyeliminatescommonIT helpdeskpainpoints. Singleprintdriver CloudStreamoffersasingleprintdriverwithfullfinishing optionscompatiblewith thelatest multi-functiondevices. Itallowsemployeestoprinttoanydeviceandimproves productivitywhilereducingmaintenance andsupport. Hybridcloudsolution Best-in-classsecurity CloudStreamis designed toprotect your datawith features includingend-to-endserver-to-hardwareencryption,user authentication,auditingfunctionality,andintegrationwith cloud-basedauthentication. CloudStreamisISO/IEC27001certified,whichincludes SOC2complianceaswellasacommitmenttocontinuous maintenanceandimprovement,ensuringconsistentdataandprintsecurity.WithCanadiandatasovereignty, CloudStreamhelpsprotectyourprivateandconfidential informationandpreventsothercountriesfromacquiring thatdata. Multi-tenantplatform Createyour print environment on the CloudStream CloudStreamcanbedeliveredasahosted SaaSor multi-tenantplatformandreplaceexistingWindowsand installedasanon-premisesprivatecloud. Automationofprint-relatedadministrativetasksMac-basedprintinfrastructureinlessthantenminutes. Enjoyhassle-freeprintingwithimmediateend-user fulfillment/deviceprovisioning.Thereisnoneedtoinstall andmaintainmultipleprintdriversforallyourdifferent printers.CloudStreammakesiteasytodeployandcontroltheentireprintinfrastructurefromasingle web-basedinterface. 12

16. Empoweryourworkforcewiththepowerofprint Asorganizationsofallsizesreimaginethefutureofwork,shiftingtoatechnologyecosystemthat enables better workflow automation, seamless collaboration, and efficient communicationwill support businessesforsustainablegrowth. Despiteimpactingprintingintheoffice,hybridorflexibleworkwon’tsignalthedemiseofofficeprinters. Instead,theneedfororganizationstorethinkhowprintisprocured,monitored,andmanagedismore importantthan ever before.But one thingis clear, justas every organization isunique, so aretheir print infrastructurerequirements.Thereisnoone-size-fits-allsolution.It’sbesttoundertakeacloudprint migrationstrategyincollaborationwithatrustedpartner—onethatcanworkwithyoutoidentify workload distribution priorities,build aroadmap for yourdigital transition,and streamlinecloud services withoutcompromisingonsecurity—andRicohisreadytohelp. Learn moreaboutRICOHCloudStreamandhowitcanbenefityourorganization. Visit usatricoh.ca. Ricoh,atrustedpartner AtRicoh,we’reempoweringourcustomerstorespondtoourchangingworldwithactionableinsights. Webelievehavingaccesstotherightinformationtranslatestobetterbusinessagility,morehuman experiences,andtheabilitytothriveintoday’sageofhybridandborderlesswork.Throughourpeople, experience,andsolutions,wecreatecompetitiveadvantageeverydayforover1.4millionbusinesses aroundtheglobe. Tous, there’sno suchthing astoomuchinformation. RicohCanadaInc.,100-5560ExplorerDrive,Mississauga,ONL4W5M3,1-888-742-6417©2023RicohCanadaInc.Allrightsreserved.RicohandtheRicoh logo®areregisteredtrademarksofRicohCompany,Ltd.Allothertrademarksaretheproperty cohfatnhgeeirrespectiveowners.Thecontentofthisdocument,andtheappearance,featuresandspecificationsofRicohproductsandservicesaresubjectto fromtimetotimewithoutnotice.Productsareshownwithoptionalfeatures.Whilecarehasbeentakentoensuretheaccuracyofthisinformation,Ricoh makes norepresentationorwarrantiesabouttheaccuracy,completenessoradequacyoftheinformationcontainedherein,andshallnotbeliableforanyerrorsor omissionsinthesematerials.Actualresultswillvarydependinguponuseoftheproductsandservices,andtheconditionsandfactorsaffectingperformance. TheonlywarrantiesforRicohproductsandservicesareassetforthintheexpresswarrantystatementsaccompanyingthem. 16