Business Outcomes:

• TripAdvisor reduced print servers globally by 50%
• £10,000 per annum saving on print server infrastructure, maintenance & support
• 1 day per week of an IT man hours was redistributed to business critical tasks
• Global insight via analytics showed where inefficient document processes existed and where to focus digital transformation activity

Challenges

In 2018, TripAdvisor was shifting their infrastructure to the cloud, including print management. Their on-prem infrastructure was expansive, across the globe, and supported by smaller IT teams. IT was centred from the U.K., with North America owning the largest footprint, IT leadership had minimal controls, visibility, or access to improving operating efficiencies.

They had an existing on-prem print management solution, which served them well, but Safecom was an inter-dependent print solution requiring replacement, also.

The process

IT had 3-basic options:

• Move 100% to the Cloud
• Move to the Cloud partially,
  • Select the systems/programs easily transferrable to the Cloud, and exclude others
    • Print Management is often excluded, leaving IT to manage:
      • Cloud-servers, plus
      • Print-servers
    • Stay as is, with on-prem server solutions

Instead of removing print from the cloud equation, the IT Department embraced the opportunity it offered. Their IT Management envisaged an upside with greater rewards:

• Reduce escalating print costs
• Gain more visibility with remote print servers
• Outsource HelpDesk distractions caused by lack of print management
• Control future costs for the organization

Solutions (Business and Technical)

“Serving business users across geographies is challenging, without visibility to their requirements. Previously I had little control, or understanding around the costs, associated with print, yet leaning into the shift to Cloud enabled that possibility,” said an IT representative.

By outsourcing Print Management Services to Xenith, we immediately freed-up our IT Departments, from any print requests/issues. This allowed my IT teams to focus on migrating to the Cloud, where we really needed them. Thankfully these decisions were implemented, prior to employees working from home.

How we technically executed the transition from on-prem servers, to cloud?

• Trip advisor had Safecom for many years with Xenith, stretching across Europe/US/APAC.
  • This was a traditional, on-premise print management solution, predominantly providing follow-me printing with card authentication and secure release.
    
    
• Last year we swapped out Safecom for Xerox Workplace Cloud, which is a multi-tenanted cloud-based SaaS solution.
  • This provides the same functionality as Safecom, but with a modern cloud infrastructure, enabling all the customer’s requirements. 

1. Integrated with Azure AD authentication
2. Windows client deployed via Intune
3. Mac client deployed via JAMF
4. Workplace Mobile app for iOS and Android deployed via MDM software

• Xerox Workplace Cloud supports SSO and non-domain joined devices for better security, as it circumvents a VPN structure

Partnering with TripAdvisor meant the IT teams met their goals. Not to mention, enabling business users to work remote more permanently, without the headaches.