“UniPrint overall is excellent. The people I have dealt with, whether it be in sales or tech support have been top notch, and that goes a long way to building customer loyalty.”
– Jim Dirkes, System Engineer, University of South Carolina
THE ORGANIZATION
Established as a private college in 1824, The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), USA has expanded to become the premier academic health center in the state, and is known for excellence in education, biomedical research and patient care.
MUSC deploys advanced information technology to enable full alignment between the University’s research, educational and clinical imperatives, and the activities of its large numbers of highly dispersed user groups.
THE CHALLENGE
The IT network at MUSC links over 14,000 PCs, Mac computers and laptops connecting to Windows, Macintosh and Linux platforms. Through Citrix, thousands of researchers, students, faculty and staff members, clinics and health care providers locally and remotely access customized applications, some of which are provided by third-party software vendors, such as electronic medical records software from McKesson and Cerner.
Fast and reliable multiple-platform printing is critical to the effective operation of the University. In addition, its users have unique printing requirements, ranging from prescription labels and nurse’s notes, to patient medical records and financial reports. However, IT administration was inundated with printer management and printing unreliability issues. “The workflow at MUSC is seriously impacted when our people can’t print,” remarked Jim Dirkes, MUSC Systems Engineer.
As a publicly funded institution, MUSC had strict budget constraints, yet required access to a leading-edge printing solution that met its standards for reliability, quality service and support. They needed a proactive partner that could provide users with access to fast, reliable printing, help MUSC meet evolving technical requirements, and also provide responsive professional support and competitive pricing.
THE SOLUTION
After using UniPrint with one of its key applications, MUSC decided to deploy UniPrint to enable reliable, multi-platform printing throughout the University. "UniPrint integrates seamlessly with MUSC's Citrix environment," explained Dirkes. "Finance software, medical records software, anything that has to print a hard copy, when we leave it up to chance it has become a problem. Having UniPrint allows us to fill in the gaps and provide reliable printing. If we can get the end user to install the client, then of course we can guarantee that they will print. With UniPrint it's pretty much that simple."
In addition to reliability, UniPrint's ease of management and deployment was another key benefit for MUSC. Administrators only needed to install and manage a single UniPrint universal printer driver that is recognized by all printers. The universal printer driver solves all printer incompatibility and management issues, making it easy for users to print. "We tried other solutions for print services, but it was a never-ending barrage of installing printers on the servers, and responding to user printing issues. With UniPrint, there's definitely a huge benefit in terms of administration," noted Dirkes.
MUSC's experience with UniPrint’s professional technical support team was also a key factor in the decision to switch and standardize printing with UniPrint. "Every time I have called tech support, they've always found a solution to my problem," stated Dirkes. While UniPrint’s universal printer driver technology has enhanced the printing functionality at MUSC, its technical team continues to support the University as its printing requirements evolve. "UniPrint has also been a proactive partner and worked cooperatively with us with regard to pricing and upgrading to help meet our pressing needs."
UniPrint BENEFITS
The Medical University of South Carolina has deployed UniPrint Server to enable reliable multi-platform printing, simplify printer management, and ensure access to responsive, professional support at a competitive price.
Key benefits include:
– Reliable cross-platform printing for local, remote and mobile users
– Ability to transfer application printing functionality into a Citrix environment
– Elimination of printer management issues, simplifying IT administration
– Ease of deployment; simple to add new users and locations
– Professional, proactive support from the UniPrint technical support team
– Cost effective solution
