Ever since the advent of desktop publishing and the rise of the networked business, print service providers have had to build competency in Information Technology (IT). The reliance on IT to drive business processes and services has increased exponentially over the past decade; print businesses have relied more heavily on software for initiatives like internal automation and reaching new audiences. While the general administration of IT systems is still a concern for print businesses, many are looking to leverage their IT staff for revenue-generating activities like custom software configuration, development, and integration. As this shift occurs, balancing general IT administration activities with development activities can be challenging, especially if resources are limited. Printers are pursuing a number of options to create an edge on using IT to drive business growth.

General IT administration functions typically consist of setting up employees’ computers, troubleshooting computer problems, assisting in implementing new hardware & software systems, and monitoring the health of the internal network. While many printers hired network administrators to head up these responsibilities when IT was becoming a necessity for business operation, there has been a growing need for IT staff to spend less time focusing on these functions. Service providers now want to use IT competency to help configure and develop on top of solutions utilized to drive service offerings, as well as integrate systems internally and externally. To help catalyze this shift, print businesses have engaged in a number of activities.

There are IT outsourcing options available for businesses of any size and for functions of any type. In other words, print businesses may only want to outsource certain administrative components, such as computer purchases and setups or even help desk services, while maintaining internal management of server hardware and software systems. Consultancies at many IT outsourcers can determine what the appropriate fit is for each business. In addition, outsourcers (especially for smaller companies) can be locally based and easily accessible.