MyQ in Cloud

In the past, print management was heavily associated with onsite hardware and its maintenance and for many reasons this made sense. You needed printers in your office that real people use to transfer digital data onto paper, by necessity this is a physical solution.

However, in recent years Managed Print Services (MPS) has changed this approach as organizations started relying on 3rd party providers to coordinate their print environment, even though the organization itself still owned the hardware.

The final step in this evolution is to move away from onsite server infrastructure. Organizations have started looking for cloud-enabled solutions for print management. It makes sense – if you host most of your solutions in the cloud already, migrating your print management there is a logical step to take.

Here at MyQ, we have observed this trend, and have options available for everyone ready to migrate into the cloud.

On-premises vs Cloud Print Management

As seen in the comparison above, each solution brings some obvious benefits as well as possible negative consequences that organizations should consider. The choice between the two depends on the organization's specific requirements, budget, and preference for control or convenience.

Private or Public Cloud

After considering all the pros and cons, you might conclude that a cloud print management solution best fits the environment you are managing. However, having decided to move to cloud printing, there are further considerations for administrators. The type of cloud service is important and effectively determines what your management experience will be.

Private and public cloud-hosted services are two distinct approaches to deploying and managing cloud computing resources

	Private Cloud	Public Cloud
Key Factors	The infrastructure and services are dedicated to a single organization. The cloud environment can be controlled by the organization itself, or by a 3rd party service provider.	Computing resources are usually accessible to multiple organizations over the internet. The organization manages the specifics of their cloud instance (tenant), while sharing the backend infrastructure with other tenants.
Benefits	Offers greater control, security, and customization options as the organization owns and manages the entire cloud environment.	Can suit businesses with fluctuating workloads, limited IT resources, or seeking scalability without substantial upfront investments.
Hosting Models	SaaS, IaaS, On-Premises, Hybrid Cloud	SaaS
Maintenance	The organization or its service provider manages updates, back-ups, and the entire maintenance of the print management system.	Updates, security enhancements, and backups are managed by the cloud provider (MyQ).
	Your solution	Your solution

MyQ X in Private Cloud

There are several ways that MyQ X and accompanying components can operate in the private cloud:

• Hybrid Cloud – A combination of MyQ X servers in the cloud and on-premises.

• Full Cloud – All of MyQ X's environments are operated in the cloud with connections to devices and clients in on-premises networks.

Let’s explore how these environments are structured.

Hybrid Cloud – Central Only

Central Server running in the cloud-hosted virtual machine with sites operated in on-premises networks.

Hybrid Cloud – Combined

The Central Server and selected site servers operate in the cloud, with sections of the MyQ X environment running in on-premises networks.

Full Cloud

All servers are in the cloud, and with connections to on-premises networks.

Private Cloud Providers

Models mentioned above can be run in various cloud services, including the two major ones – Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.

Microsoft 365

Customers using Microsoft 365 as a private cloud hosting their internal systems can add MyQ X to the list of IT services they no longer need to have installed on an on-premises server. 

MyQ X servers can be installed and run on an Azure Virtual Machine with a VPN tunnel connecting the physical network and Azure's virtual network hosting the Print Server(s). The Central Server does not require a VPN to communicate with its sites.

X can also utilize the integration with Entra ID (formerly called Azure AD) user synchronization and single sign-on features, including the support for hybrid Entra ID Connect environments, and authenticated print from Entra ID registered and Entra ID joined devices.

Microsoft Entra Connect (formerly known as Azure AD Connect) is a tool that integrates your on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Active Directory). It allows users to have a common (hybrid) identity for accessing both on-premises and cloud resources, synchronizes users between your on-premises AD and cloud-hosted Entra ID, secures your organization with Conditional Access, and more.

Amazon Web Services

MyQ X can utilize AWS’s private cloud infrastructure. The Central Server does not require VPN connections to communicate with its sites, and the Print Server(s) communication with on-premises devices can be facilitated through the Site-to-Site VPN.

in combination with the support for Amazon S3 file storage, MQ X is Amazon-ready.

Cloud Printing with Microsoft Universal Print

Microsoft Universal Print is also fully integrated into MyQ X, offering mobility, quick printer discovery, and no need for a VPN connection.

Organizations benefiting from their services, users, and devices joined in the Entra ID environment can employ Universal Print to enable cloud printing for their zero-trust networks or hybrid/remote workers.

Moreover, this solution supports various devices and operating systems, ensuring compatibility across different environments, all thanks to its driverless approach. MyQ’s Universal Print connector can work with older devices, so there’s no need to invest in upgrading your fleet with more recent models that would natively support Universal Print.

Deployment Guide: MyQ X in the Cloud

Public Cloud with MyQ Roger

While MyQ X is an ideal solution for on-premises or organizations that already operate or plan to build their private cloud infrastructure, MyQ also offers a public cloud-hosted solution, MyQ Roger!