What business problems does HP Secure Print address?
HP Secure Print is designed to help organizations tackle three main challenges around printing:
1. **Bringing print into the cloud strategy**
Most companies are moving core services into the cloud and want printing to follow the same path. HP Secure Print runs on a cloud‑native platform built on Amazon Web Services (AWS), so you can reduce or eliminate print servers and queues while still maintaining secure, reliable printing.
2. **Meeting security and compliance requirements**
Many organizations operate under strict regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. HP Secure Print supports these needs by:
- Requiring user authentication at printers and MFPs (via mobile device, ID badge, email + PIN, or user ID + password)
- Releasing documents only to the document owner, which helps protect confidentiality
- Reducing abandoned printouts left in output trays, which lowers the risk of sensitive information exposure
- Using TLS v1.2 for data in transit and AES‑256 encryption for data at rest (whether jobs are stored in the cloud or locally on the workstation)
3. **Making printing simple and flexible for employees**
Work patterns are more distributed, with employees working remotely, on personal devices, and outside standard hours. HP Secure Print supports this by:
- Allowing users to submit print jobs from virtually any location, including outside the company network
- Letting employees release their jobs at any secure printer on the network, rather than being tied to a single device
- Supporting multiple operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS)
In addition, when HP Secure Print is used with HP Insights, organizations gain data and analytics to continually optimize the print environment and manage costs over time.
How does HP Secure Print work in different network environments?
HP Secure Print is built to adapt to a wide range of network topologies and data policies. At a high level, the workflow is “print, park, pull”: users print, jobs are securely parked, and then users authenticate to pull and release their documents.
**1. Conventional networks with cloud job storage**
In a traditional corporate network (with perimeter security and some trust between devices):
- Users print from their workstation using the Print Scout software.
- Jobs are uploaded and stored securely in the HP Secure Print Cloud on AWS.
- Data in transit uses TLS v1.2.
- Data at rest uses AES‑256 encryption.
- At the printer, users authenticate (mobile, badge, or credentials).
- A cloud‑aware HP printer pulls the job from the cloud and prints it, or presents a list of jobs for the user to select.
**2. Conventional networks with local job storage**
For organizations that do not allow print job data to be stored in the cloud (for example, due to export controls or internal policies):
- The network still allows workstations and printers to access internet resources and to see each other.
- Print jobs are stored locally on the user’s workstation via Print Scout, not in the cloud.
- After the user authenticates at a secure printer, Print Scout pushes the job directly to the printer for release.
- AES‑256 encryption is used for jobs at rest on the workstation.
**3. Zero Trust (internet-only) networks**
In Zero Trust environments, devices cannot communicate laterally—workstations and printers do not see each other on the network. Each device only connects out to the internet:
- Users print from their devices using Print Scout.
- Jobs are stored in the HP Secure Print Cloud (local storage is not an option because workstations cannot reach printers directly).
- When the user authenticates at a cloud‑aware HP printer, the printer pulls the job from the cloud and prints it.
**Configuration options that support these models**
- **Cloud Connector option**: Enables true cloud workflows without print servers (Zero Server). Supports both conventional and Zero Trust networks, with cloud or local job storage depending on policy.
- **Local Connector option**: Supports multivendor integrated printers and Active Directory authentication, using a Device Scout in your network.
- **QR Code option**: Enables mobile-based job release on any PCL6‑compliant network printer by scanning a QR code, useful when you want secure release without full embedded integration.
This flexibility allows you to mix and match configurations across sites or regions, depending on security posture, compliance rules, and existing infrastructure.
What are the key benefits of the HP Secure Print Cloud Connector and serverless setup?
The HP Secure Print Cloud Connector is designed to help organizations rethink how they manage print infrastructure by shifting more of the workload into the cloud.
**Key benefits of the Cloud Connector**
- **No print servers required**: Secure printing workflows on integrated HP true cloud printers do not need on‑premises print, application, or database servers.
- **Immediate cost impact**: Eliminating print servers can deliver measurable savings. Using Microsoft’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator, a typical enterprise print server costs around **$7,500 per year** to license and manage.
- **Scalability and elasticity**: The HP Secure Print Cloud is a multi‑tenant platform built on AWS. It:
- Has no single point of failure.
- Scales up or down automatically as workloads change.
- Can support environments from about **10 devices to 10,000 devices**, and can grow from, for example, **500 to 5,000 devices** without you needing to plan new servers.
- **Always up to date**: Automatic cloud updates mean IT does not need to track product versions or manually deploy upgrades.
- **Simplified deployment**: With no print servers to design, deploy, and maintain, solution rollout is faster and consulting overhead is lower.
**Serverless (Zero Server) configuration**
The Zero Server option is for organizations that want to fully embrace cloud-based print management and avoid on‑premises print servers:
- Users print from Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS through Print Scout.
- Jobs are “parked” either:
- In the cloud (with TLS v1.2 in transit and AES‑256 at rest), or
- Locally on the workstation (AES‑256 at rest) if cloud storage is restricted.
- Users authenticate at any secured printer or MFP.
- Depending on configuration:
- Cloud‑stored jobs are pulled by the cloud‑aware printer from the HP Secure Print Cloud (true pull printing), or
- Locally stored jobs are pushed from the workstation to the printer after successful authentication.
For existing HP Secure Print customers using the Local Connector, the Cloud Connector also provides a path to gradually decommission Device Scout servers and move toward a lighter, more cloud‑centric print environment while maintaining secure, authenticated release of documents.