This week, Microsoft opened a private preview of its all-cloud universal printing service to customers running Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education.
These customers also need an available Azure Active Directory (AAD) tenant, to which personal computers accessing the cloud print preview must be joined.
Elsewhere, Microsoft has described Universal Print as “a Microsoft 365 subscription service.” it was unclear if this meant that only Microsoft 365 licensed customers – the subscription that includes Windows 10, Office 365, and a host of management and security tools – would be eligible for preview, the final when its beginnings or both.
From other supporting documents, Microsoft has suggested that Universal Print will require a license, which suggests that it will be an additional expense.
“Universal Print moves key Windows Server print functionality to Microsoft 365 cloud, so organizations no longer need on-premises print servers and no longer need to install printer drivers on devices, “wrote Kristin Carr, group program manager, print and networking services. in a March 2 article on a corporate blog.
Like other providers’ cloud printing services, Universal Print allows printing without direct device-to-printer links – allowing printing from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets – without printer servers for manage printer access and manage service billing, and centralize printing so that a multitude of users can share more sophisticated printers.
Ironically, Microsoft launched its cloud printing service just as Google ended its multi-year efforts. Google’s “Cloud Print”, which debuted in 2010 and has never left beta status, will cease operations at the end of this year.
“Effective January 1, 2021, devices on all operating systems will no longer be able to print using Cloud Print,” Google said in a statement. business support document.
One of the barriers to cloud-based printing is that printer manufacturers have to support the functionality of each variant. This has generally meant a time lag between the introduction, for example, of Google Cloud Print and Apple AirPrint, and the emergence of support materials. Microsoft’s universal impression will fight the same headwind.
“You will get the best cloud experience with printers that support Universal Print natively,” said Carr. “We are working with our ecosystem of partners to bring you the latest printers with native support.” She mentioned Canon as one of these partners.
Instead of native support, administrators should install a proxy, called the Universal Print connector. The connector installation can be downloaded from the link on this support page.
To register for the Universal Printing Preview, the company’s IT administrators must complete and submit this form.
After registering printers in Azure Active Directory (AAD), company employees will be able to access remote printers from Windows 10 devices. Until printer manufacturers provide native support for Universal Print from Microsoft – or update the firmware of existing models – most printers will need to be registered using the proxy application of the Universal Print connector.
Copyright © 2020 IDG Communications, Inc.
