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Effective print management is crucial for companies using SAP. SEAL Systems offers certified solutions dedicated to SAP print management that ensure service availability, streamline IT infrastructure, reduce administrative efforts and costs, and improve data security. This practical guide outlines the key steps to implement an SAP Output Management solution.
Step 1: Assess Your Needs
Before you begin, it is essential to assess your specific printing needs. Identify the types of documents and their criticality, print volumes, the types and number of printers to manage, and availability requirements. You should ask yourself simple questions: What is the impact of printing service downtime on your business activities? What burden does printer administration and incident management represent? What are the costs associated with my current print management infrastructure (number of Windows servers or others, operating and update costs, etc.)? Are your print workflows secure? This assessment will help you choose the SEAL Systems modules that meet your needs and establish an implementation plan.
Step 2: Plan Your Project
Planning is a key step in ensuring a smooth transition. Set a realistic implementation schedule and identify the necessary resources, including personnel and equipment. Ensure that all relevant departments are informed and involved in the project. Indeed, an SAP Output Management project requires the participation of your SAP teams, architects, network teams, infrastructure, and security teams. They will be interested in having a solution that optimizes architecture and infrastructure, reduces administrative operations, while increasing security.
Step 3: Set Up the Infrastructure, Install and Configure the Solutions
- Infrastructure:
Based on your needs, SEAL Systems will recommend an architecture that meets your requirements. You will need to plan for platforms that meet recommendations in terms of CPU, RAM, and disk space. You should consider both a production environment and a non-productive environment for testing. Various installation scenarios are available here.SAP Output Management Solution Architecture - Installation:
- Download and install the transport orders provided by SEAL Systems into your SAP systems.
- Install the SEAL Systems job submission executable in your SAP environment. This application manages failover mechanisms.
- Open the recommended network ports.
- Install the PLOSSYS Output Engine output management solution and the administration modules.
- Define access management to the various interfaces through the Keycloak access provider or through integration with your user rights management directory (ADFS, AZURE AD).
- Configure the BC-XOM interface through transaction spad with the definition of LOMS (Logical Output Management Systems) and ROMS (Real Output Management Systems). Configure device types (e.g., SAPGOF, SAPGOFU).
- Printer Declaration:
Declaring printers in SAP systems and output management systems can be a significant burden for administration and project teams. SEAL Systems offers the easyPRIMA solution, which simplifies these operations. The easyPRIMA database allows you to automatically create printers on various SAP systems and PLOSSYS Output Engine with just a few clicks.easyPRIMA Printer Management
Step 4: Train Your Teams on Administration Tools
Train your teams on the use of the new print solutions. SEAL Systems offers training resources and technical support to assist you at every stage of the process. Your teams are involved in all project stages, and knowledge transfer is conducted to give you mastery of administration and supervision tools.
Step 5: Initiate Support Services
SEAL Systems offers various support packages based on your activities: standard services during business hours, 24/5, or 24/7 services. A JIRA ticket management system is available to your teams for opening and tracking any assistance requests.
Step 6: Evaluation and Optimization
After implementation, assess system performance and identify areas for improvement. Use the reports, statistics, and analyses provided by SEAL Systems to optimize your print processes.
PLOSSYS Administrator – Reporting
Customer Case Examples:
Example 1: Pharmaceutical Industry
- Context: A large pharmaceutical company needed to comply with strict documentation regulations, particularly those of the FDA and EMA.
- Challenge: The company needed to ensure document traceability and security while optimizing printing processes to reduce costs and incidents.
- Solution: SEAL Systems provided an SAP print management solution that enabled:
- Conversion of SAPGOF and SAPGOFU data into print data streams.
- Monitoring of print queues and control of output channels.
- Ensuring regulatory compliance through end-to-end data encryption mechanisms (via IPPS protocol).
- Result: The company improved the quality and security of its documents while reducing operational costs and increasing efficiency.
Example 2: Manufacturing Sector
- Context: An international manufacturing company had a complex IT infrastructure with numerous print management servers.
- Challenge: Print services were regularly interrupted, and incident management required many resources, leading to delays and additional costs.
- Solution: SEAL Systems implemented an SAP print solution that enabled:
- Centralization of print management.
- Reduction in the number of print management servers needed.
- Improved transparency and tracking of print processes.
- Result: The company reduced infrastructure and operating costs and increased the reliability of its print processes, leading to better productivity.
Example 3: Aerospace Sector
- Context: An aerospace company had to manage sensitive documents and comply with strict security standards.
- Challenge: Ensuring data security while optimizing printing processes to meet operational requirements.
- Solution: SEAL Systems provided an SAP print solution integrating security mechanisms such as encryption and authentication (AD), as well as real-time tracking and monitoring tools.
- Result: The company secured its sensitive data while improving the efficiency of its print processes, meeting the strict requirements of its sector.
Implementing SEAL Systems’ SAP print solutions can transform your print processes, making them available, secure, and easy to manage. By following this practical guide, you can ensure a smooth transition and fully benefit from the advantages offered by SEAL Systems’ certified SAP solutions.
Do you want to optimize your SAP print management? Contact our teams to discuss your needs and discover solutions tailored to your expectations.