Microsoft's Universal Print feature enters private preview

[steven36]

Universal Print makes it easy for IT departments to view and manage printers through the cloud.

 

 

What you need to know

• Microsoft announced the private preview of Universal Print.
• Universal print moves Windows Server print functionality to the cloud.
• Universal Print allows IT departments to manage devices over the cloud.
•  

Microsoft announced that Universal Print is now available in private preview. Universal Print allows IT departments to view and manage printers through the cloud and eases printer management. Microsoft announced Universal Print and breaks down how it works in a recent post.

 

Universal Print takes Windows Server print functionality and moves it to the Microsoft 365 cloud. As a result, organizations don't need on-premises print servers. Additionally, Universal Print makes it, so you don't have to install printer drivers on devices. Universal Print also adds security groups for printer access, location-based printer discovery, and a "rich administrator experience," according to Microsoft.

 

IT departments can use Azure Active Directory to discover printers. Microsoft highlights that people "can continue to print from their Windows devices or Office as they always have, with no learning curve."

 

To get the best Universal Print experience, Microsoft recommends printers that natively support Universal Print. At the moment, there are no printers that natively support the feature, though Microsoft states that it is "working with [its] partner ecosystem to bring you the latest printers with native support." Specifically, Microsoft mentions that it is "excited to be working with Canon Inc.."

 

To use Universal Print right now, or on any printer that doesn't natively support it, you can use a Universal Print proxy application that connects printers to Universal Print. Additionally, organizations and schools need to have Windows 10 Enterprise or Education version 1903 and have an Azure Active Directory.

 

To participate in the private preview, you need to follow the steps outlined at the bottom of Microsoft's announcement post.

 

Source

[steven36]

Microsoft's latest cloud innovation: Printing

 

 

Universal Print, a new Microsoft Azure service now in private preview, allows printers to be registered with Azure Active Directory so users can print to them via the cloud.

 

"Universal print moves key Windows Server print functionality to the Microsoft 365 cloud so organizations no longer need on-premises print servers and do not need to install printer drivers on devices," the company said.

 

The service ties in with the ability to join Windows PCs to Azure Active Directory, the cloud-based directory used by Office 365, which Microsoft said will have easy access to Universal Print.

 

 

Azure Universal Print architecture diagram

 

Printers that have native support, specific drivers for Universal Print in other words, will give "the best cloud experience," according to Microsoft, but other printers can be supported via a Universal Print proxy application. Initial support from Canon is mentioned. Currently Windows 10 1903 or later is required. Windows 7 support is not mentioned, and the word "subscription-based" features in the documentation, suggesting that it may be extra cost or at least require Microsoft 365, which includes cloud-based device administration as well as Office 365 services.

 

Universal Print has been announced for Microsoft Azure

 

Does Microsoft not already have cloud printing?

 

Yes. It is called Windows Server Hybrid Cloud Print. This service requires a hybrid on-premises/cloud setup with Azure AD Connect, and has a complex setup procedure involving an on-premises print server, PowerShell scripts, manual registry editing, and an application called MopriaCloudService. The intricate setup and the requirement for on-premises servers makes it unsuitable for many smaller organisations.

 

Google has a Cloud Print service, which it is abandoning, having said: "We recommend that you find an alternative print solution and migrate your print services by the end of 2020. For devices running Chrome OS, we recommend native printing (CUPS). For other devices or multi-OS scenarios, we recommend the respective platform's native-printing infrastructure or working with a print-solutions provider."

 

Why is Microsoft jumping in while Google performs its familiar trick of pulling a useful service? The answer is that Microsoft is trying to persuade customers to migrate to cloud-based IT administration, and printer management was a missing piece. Google, on the other hand, is not invested in on-premises computing and may well see printing as something to discourage in favour of cloud-based collaboration.

 

Source