ThinPrint Survey Reveals Dangerous Lack of Knowledge on Virtualization and High Availability When Printing

DENVER, CO--(Marketwired - Nov 29, 2016) - ThinPrint, the world's leading provider of print management software, surveyed more than 1,500 attendees at VMworld Las Vegas and Barcelona on virtualization and high availability printing. The survey found that an astonishing 68 percent of all respondents mistakenly believe that high availability when printing is guaranteed solely by virtualizing print servers.

ThinPrint surveys attendees each year at the VMworld shows. This year, the printing experts interviewed 1,538 visitors.

The results:

• Forty-nine percent of respondents said that high availability is required for printing in their companies, with an additional 20 percent remaining uncertain.
• Sixty-nine percent of those interviewed mistakenly believe high availability is achieved through virtualization alone.
• Fifty-eight percent of respondents have already virtualized their print servers, and an additional 15 percent are planning to do so in the near future.
• Fifty percent of those who either already virtualized their print servers or are planning to in the near future did so to achieve high availability or easier maintenance.

The survey reveals dangerous misconceptions regarding virtualization and high availability in the area of printing. Virtualizing print servers mainly protects against hardware or virtual server failures. However, far more common are print-specific problems, such as faulty printer drivers or driver incompatibility. These problems are not solved by virtualization alone.

"We were somewhat shocked by these survey results," said Thorsten Hesse, chief product officer at ThinPrint. "Since Windows Server 2012 and continuing with Windows Server 2016, print server clusters can no longer be formed, leaving a severe gap when it comes to high-availability printing. However, with the right solutions in tow, IT admins can overcome these obstacles all while increasing productivity and reducing costs and resources." Hesse advises all those in charge of IT to fully engage with the topic of high availability prior to upgrading.

Companies searching for a comprehensive solution that safeguards against these issues can see how ThinPrint 11 ensures high availability for printing at: www.thinprint.com/v11

The research note relating to this survey can be found here: https://www.thinprint.com/en/resource/research-note-virtualization-high-availability-printing/

ThinPrint
ThinPrint, with more than 15 years of continuous development and internationally patented ThinPrint technology, is the leading provider of print management software and services for businesses. Whether printing from traditional PCs, mobile devices, thin clients, virtual desktops, or from the cloud, over 25,000 companies across all industries and of all sizes optimize their printing infrastructure and increase productivity thanks to ThinPrint. In addition, more than 100, and growing, Desktop-as-a-Service, and Software-as-a-Service providers deliver reliable, high-performance printing from the cloud to their customers all due to ThinPrint. The investment in ThinPrint leads to a fast ROI because the easy-to-implement and manage print system reduces the burden on IT departments, results in significant performance improvements to the network while ensuring optimal, reliable print support at every workplace. ThinPrint technologies and components enable its use in almost any infrastructure and take into account integration of branch and home offices as well as mobile employees. The solutions are developed and rigorously tested at ThinPrint's headquarters in Berlin - software Made in Germany. Offices in the United States, the UK, Australia, Japan and China, as well as more than 350 channel partners around the world offer direct and on-site customer care. Thanks to numerous OEM partnerships, ThinPrint technology components are integrated in a variety of terminals, print boxes and thin client of leading hardware manufacturers. Special significance is placed on the strategic partnerships of the company with Citrix Systems, Fujitsu, Fuji Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, IGEL, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Lexmark, Microsoft, OKI, Samsung, VMware, and Wyse.