Cloud print management continues to grow in popularity, but there are still some businesses that haven’t embraced it, especially SMBs, including those that operate hybrid working arrangements. What are the barriers that these businesses face, how can resellers effectively overcome them and what goes into an effective cloud print management strategy for hybrid SMBs?
Cloud print management solutions are quickly gaining in popularity among small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the UK, especially those with hybrid workforces as they seek to find production and efficiency gains where they can in a competitive marketplace.
“Cloud print management helps hybrid SMBs simplify IT environments and eliminate or minimise the costs and administrative burden of print server dependency,” says Louella Fernandes, CEO of Quocirca.
“Quocirca’s Cloud Print Services Landscape 2026 found that 78% of organisations already use some form of cloud print management, reflecting its move into the mainstream. Cloud platforms also support secure printing across home and office locations, offering centralised management, analytics, workflow automation, and integration with cloud ecosystems, helping SMBs advance their broader digitisation initiatives.”
Stuart Brookes, EMEA regional lead and head of sales & channel at PaperCut, says that the cloud takes a lot of pressure off small businesses. “It enables them to outsource important but time-consuming management and maintenance of essential business software and services,” he says.
“In the case of cloud-based print, they have the reassurance of knowing that they’re always using the latest and most secure versions of software, with automated updates happening in the background without impacting their time. Nor do they require specialised in-house technical knowledge to maintain print servers. Cloud-based print is also easier to scale for when their business grows or demand for print changes. It provides all of the flexibility and accessibility that a hybrid workforce needs.”
Perceived barriers
While Quocirca’s research shows that many organisations use a cloud print management solution, there is still a significant percentage that don’t, and often that is because there are perceived barriers to adoption.
“Performance stands out as a particular concern in the SMB sector – more so than in larger organisations,” notes Louella. “SMBs want their investments to deliver clear business outcomes and are reticent if they perceive performance to be a problem. Security and functionality sit second on the list of concerns, followed closely by cost.”
Stuart adds that SMBs often raise concerns about visibility into costs as well as potential vendor lock-in, complexity and data security. “Those concerns are compounded for SMBs because they rarely have in-house technical experts and it’s often the business owners who have to navigate those perceived barriers,” he says.
Overcoming barriers
While there are perceived barriers, it is the job of resellers to help customers to overcome these. “Education is critical,” says Louella. “Resellers should focus on demonstrating business outcomes, showing how cloud platforms improve security, reduce infrastructure costs and support hybrid work.
“They should start with cloud maturity assessments and work to understand functionality needs in this performance-sensitive market segment. Feature disparities remain between cloud and on-premise print management solutions, so it is important that SMBs get the right solution for their needs.
“Quocirca research shows that 40% of MPS customers view provider support for cloud transition as very important, highlighting the opportunity for partners to act as trusted advisors.”
Stuart says that resellers can help by changing how they position themselves. “Rather than being sellers of individual solutions, they need to define their role as advisors SMBs can call on to discuss their long-term IT strategy,” he says.
“A reseller that has taken the time to understand the SMB, its goals and ambitions and the role that tech – including the cloud – can play in getting them there is an invaluable asset. SMBs approach investments very cautiously because they have smaller budgets and safety cushions to absorb the impact of any bad decisions.
“Helping SMBs understand how and why cloud-based print provides robust security and how it delivers the accessibility and scalability they need presents an opportunity to work in an advisory capacity. Therefore, SMBs require the reassurance of a long-term tech partner, as much as they need a specific tech solution.”
Ease of use and security
Ease of use and the security of solutions tend to be two of the top concerns of SMBs when considering cloud print management.
“Security is the number one adoption concern, while ease of deployment and management is a major driver,” says Louella. “There are lingering concerns around functionality when compared to on-premise solutions, but vendors are working hard to close any gaps.” Louella continues,
“Modern cloud platforms increasingly offer secure pull printing, support for zero-trust architectures, identity-provider integration, encryption and centralised policy management. As SMBs work to build more sophisticated and secure technology stacks, these features are becoming key decision-making influences. At the same time, ease of use through serverless deployment, automated updates and simplified administration reduce the workload on lean SMB IT teams.”
Stuart adds that many SMBs are mindful of the high-profile cyberattacks that targeted well-known brand names and are conscious of the business and reputational damage those brands suffered. “In some cases, it was security vulnerabilities in the supply chain that were the hacker’s route into those organisations,” he says. “Many SMBs supply to globally recognised brands, or even large organisations, and no SMB wants to be the cause of its client’s downfall, not to mention wanting to protect their own business.
“Ease of use is vital for SMBs because they need their time to be invested in running their business, and not having that slowed or hindered by obstructive or outdated IT solutions.”
Effective solutions
For SMBs, particularly those with hybrid workforces, there are a range of features that an effective cloud print management solution should include. Stuart says flexibility is key. “It lies at the heart of all our offerings, because customers have different needs, requirements and hosting policies,” he explains.
“To that end, we offer PaperCut Hive and PaperCut MF. Hive is our fully hosted, cloud-native solution, while PaperCut MF provides even more flexibility. It can be self-hosted on-premise, in a private cloud, or by a partner. PaperCut MF has been developed to adapt to the hosting model that best suits customers, even though it is well-known for being an on-prem print management solution.
“Furthermore, our Unified Subscription model enables end users to move between PaperCut MF-Subscription and PaperCut Hive without any cost implication. This means that end users don’t need to worry about making investments into an on-prem solution now, when they’ll want to make the transition to SaaS in a few years.”
Louella says an effective solution should combine serverless or hybrid deployment options, strong security, secure print release, identity management integration, analytics and reporting, remote fleet management, mobile and home-worker support, and workflow automation capabilities.
“It should also integrate with wider document capture, collaboration and cloud storage platforms, while providing a clear route for future AI-enabled workflow and document-processing capabilities,” he adds.
As take-up of cloud print management solutions is expected to continue to grow, there are plenty of opportunities for resellers in the coming years in this space.
Cloud print for labelling
It is a similar picture for SMBs that use cloud labelling management software, as Paul Vogt, vice president of global channel sales at Loftware, explains. “SMBs adopt cloud-based, online labelling software faster than bigger businesses because it deals with all the nightmares of purchasing and maintaining traditional business labelling software.”
Paul adds that SMBs also choose cloud labelling because they don’t have a large IT team and so need their software to be managed by vendors. “They can also log in from anywhere, at any time, using any PC, without a license key – in the office, remotely, on the production floor, in the warehouse,” he says. “Also, software is kept up to date automatically with the latest GS1 and other standards.”
However, some SMBs still perceive cloud labelling software printing as difficult because they must manage change. “Concerns often include integration with legacy systems, upfront investment, and potential downtime during transition,” says Paul.
“Security is also frequently cited, particularly when organisations move from familiar on-premise environments to cloud-based infrastructure. In hybrid settings, there is an added challenge of maintaining consistent user experiences across locations.
“In many cases, these concerns stem from a lack of visibility into how cloud solutions actually operate.”
Resellers play a key role in helping SMBs move past perceived risks by reframing cloud labelling software as a strategic improvement rather than a technical disruption, Paul says. “This starts with demonstrating how centralised, cloud-based solutions reduce complexity over time, rather than adding to it,” he adds.
“Successful partners focus on practical adoption strategies, including phased implementations, clear integration paths and measurable business outcomes. By showing how cloud solutions align with existing systems and workflows, resellers can build confidence and accelerate decision making. There is also a clear services opportunity. Partners can deliver long-term value through onboarding, optimisation, and ongoing management, positioning themselves as trusted advisors rather than one-time providers.”
Paul recommends channel partners design the blueprint for their customers, who then scale it up across the business. “That’s what cloud labelling software make so effective,” he says.
“Central control is essential, giving organisations a single point of oversight across devices, users and locations. Channel partners that set up controls make for an excellent customer experience.
“Integration is equally important. Channel partners have the excellent opportunity to sell professional services that map dynamic data from business systems onto labels for seamless, accurate and fast print.”
