Microsoft officially announces Universal Print, a cloud-based print server solution

Last week, we reported that Microsoft is working on a new cloud-based print solution is called Universal Print. Today, Microsoft officially announced Universal Print, a cloud-based print infrastructure that will enable a simple, rich and secure print experience for users and help reduce time and effort for IT.

Right now, large organizations deploy Print Servers which connects printers with client computers over a network. Print Servers manages the jobs initiated by users based on the printer availability. The new Universal Print moves Print Server functionality to the cloud, so organizations no longer need on-premises print servers. Also, organizations do not need to install printer drivers on devices. Universal Print also offers like like security groups for printer access, location-based printer discovery, and a rich admin experience for IT department.

Universal Print in Azure portal will allow admins to manage their print devices without deploying print servers:

• Register printers with Azure Active Directory
• Control printer properties and configuration from one central location
• Manage user and group access to printers across the organization, which are made visible to users through the cloud
• Users seamlessly discover and print via their AAD credentials

Interested enterprise users can sign-up for Microsoft Universal Print private preview here. Microsoft is working with printer OEMs like Canon to add native support for Universal Print in latest printers. For existing printers, organization can use a Universal Print proxy application that connects printers to Universal Print.

Source: Microsoft