counthru 2 professional managed print service

CounThru TM 2 Professional Managed Print Service

WHITE PAPER

CounThru TM 2 Professional Managed Print Service

Introduction

This white paper contains information about the latest Managed Print Service from Samsung. The subjects presented in this white paper include the following:

• Overview of CounThruTM 2 Professional • CounThruTM 2 Professional Technology • CounThruTM 2 Professional Features and

Interface • CounThruTM 2 Professional Specifications.

Management Science

Management science is the practice of taking a business process and breaking it down to its component parts. These parts can then be represented by mathematical variables in a formula. Businesses use formulas to calculate how and where to optimize business processes.

The more information that an enterprise can gather, the better they can determine how to optimize their business processes.

This need for accurate business process metrics is the driving force that has motivated so many industries to create software systems for collecting their product’s metrics and provide useful information to their customers. The document device industry is an industry that recognizes the customer’s need for document management metrics. The Samsung engineers have developed a software solution for collecting business metrics from document devices. This product is CounThruTM Managed Print Service. The current version of CounThruTM is version 2, and it is designed in two configurations: one for internal device monitoring and one for external device monitoring. The internally focused solution is CounThruTM 2 Enterprise and the externally focused solution is CounThruTM 2 Professional.

CounThruTM 2 is a managed print service from Samsung that delivers the management science metrics needed to optimize the document business process.

Printing solutions as easy as

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CounThruTM 2 Pro White Paper

Printer Metrics

Printer metrics are the data collected from printers and document devices by CounThruTM 2. These metrics allow document process managers to optimize a distributed system of network printers over an entire enterprise (CounThruTM 2 Enterprise), or it allows a dealer to manage service contracts for their customer base (CounThruTM 2 Professional).

The type of printer metrics that CounThruTM 2 collects includes the following:

• Printer Faults (Errors) • Toner status • Print job statistics • Monthly usage statistics • Firmware version • Printer identification • Users.

Overview

CounThruTM 2 Professional is the new Managed Print Service (MPS) software solution from Samsung. It allows you to monitor your customer’s networked enterprise printing and copying devices remotely by using a powerful graphical interface.

The CounThruTM 2 Professional Dashboard View

The CounThruTM 2 Professional Dashboard view allows you to see, at a glance, all of the managed devices at your customer's sites quickly. The information displayed by the interface includes, fault status and toner status.

Dashboard View Example:

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White Paper CounThruTM 2 Pro

CounThruTM 2 Professional Technology

By using the advantages of web service technology, Samsung engineers have created a printer management application that can communicate with Samsung printers despite many layers of network obstacles. This, together with Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), allows CounThruTM 2 Professional to communicate with many different printer devices across many network configurations.

CounThruTM 2 Professional Features and Interface

CounThruTM 2 Professional includes features that allow you to manage your customer’s printers. These features are contained in an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI).

CounThruTM 2 Professional Features

The CounThruTM 2 Professional features provide uncomplicated printer management services.

Easy Service

High efficiency service maintenance is easy with the Device Map feature.

The Notification by Email or Text provides failure management services using accepted technology.

CounThruTM 2 Professional remotely upgrades firmware across entire fleets (Samsung devices only).

Easy Maintenance

CounThruTM 2 Professional uses a local agent to provide remote customer site device management. It provides real-time device status and reporting.

You can reduce costly maintenance overhead by using remote monitoring and troubleshooting features.

Accurate cost recovery and department charge-back mechanisms allow budget optimization.

CounThruTM 2 Professional supports device fleets consisting of multiple manufacturers by using SNMP and Management Information Base (MIB) protocols.

Easy Customer Satisfaction

Comprehensive service and support makes your customers happy and improves retention.

You can reduce downtime events by using the effective remote device management tools.

Thorough Print Management

The Management features allow you to monitor the customer's device status. You can monitor each printer's status, hardware errors, and toner. You can display printers with different toner levels remaining in 10% increments. You can view just the printers with low toner states. Best of all, you can export all of this data to an Excel spreadsheet!

Clear Statistical Measurements

The Statistics features display the usage rates and the failure rates on one screen. It analyzes printers, error types, usage rates, comparisons, and more. You can display these statistics by using a bar chart and you can export this data to an Excel spreadsheet.

Logical Report Generation

You can create reports for device operational rates, consumables supply rates, error-handling rates, usage rates, billing and more. It is easy to make detailed reports of the printer metrics.

Global Firmware Upgrades

You can distribute printer firmware upgrades automatically and on a set schedule. This firmware feature is only available for Samsung devices.

Complete Administration

The Administration features allow you to discover and register printers, set up customer parameters, configure device conditions, set billing rates, manage users and configure notifications easily.

One Click Driver

Samsung engineers have developed the "One Click Driver" feature to minimize the personnel and time needed for printer driver distribution to end users.

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The user enters the driver download website (where they can only see their associated company) and from here, the user can select their department, see the list of printers, and click on the printer that they want to use. When the printer installation is complete, the user can start using the printer immediately.

Multiple Language Support

CounThruTM 2 Professional supports eight languages without the need for additional language packs. The user can select languages dynamically when they access CounThruTM 2 Professional.

CounThruTM 2 Professional Interface

You can access the CounThruTM 2 Professional features from the easy to use and logically designed interface. Web pages deliver the browser-based interface.

The Authentication Page

You can access CounThruTM 2 Professional by using a browser over a network connection. The interface authentication page contains the user authentication fields and the Driver Download tab:

The Main Interface Page

The main interface page gives you an overall view of the devices and their status:

The Printer Management Pages

The Printer Management pages of the CounThruTM 2 Professional interface include the following:

• Printer Status page • Supply Faults page • General Faults page • Remaining Toner page.

The Printer Status Page

The Printer Status page allows you to view detailed information about the overall printer status categorized by company, region, branch and printer, all in real-time. This page is where you manage the history of the printer fault report such as: toner, paper jams, and toner cartridge replacement.

The Supply Faults Page

The Supply Faults page allows you to view supply-related errors, such as paper jams or toner out, so you can manage the errors. The administrator can view the errors, manage them, and enter the recovered status of the errors.

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The General Faults Page

The General Faults page allows you to check for faults other than supply-related faults. The administrator also uses this page to recover from general faults.

The Remaining Toner Page

The Remaining Toner page allows you to view the toner change history including the toner change date and toner serial number.

The Statistics Pages

The Statistics pages of the CounThruTM 2 Professional interface include the following:

• Print Type Page • Fault Type Page • Usage Comparison Page • Department Type Page • Employee Type Page • Printing History Page • Print Type by Toner Usage Page • Usage Comparison by Toner Usage Page • Comparison for Samsung/Non-Samsung Page.

Print Type Page

The Print Type page allows you to view the amount of usage and billing. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Region, Branch, Serial Number • Period • Item (Print, Copy, Fax in, Fax out, Scan, Report) • Color (Mono, Color) • Side (Simplex, Duplex) • Size (A4, A3).

Fault Type Page

The Fault Type page allows you to view the Fault Type statistics. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Region, Branch, S/N • Period • Status(New, Assigned, Completed) • Fault Type (Hardware, Cover (Door), Jams, Etc.,

Paper Tray, Print Output Tray, Toner).

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Usage Comparison Page

The Usage Comparison page allows you to view the Usage Comparison statistics. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Region, Branch, S/N • Period • Item (Print, Copy, Fax in, Fax out, Scan, Report) • Mono, Color • Simplex, Duplex • A4/A3.

Department Type Page

The Department Type page allows you to view the statistics for each department. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Department • Period • Color (Mono, Color) • Side (Simplex, Duplex) • Size (A4, A3).

Employee Type Page

The Employee Type page allows you to view the statistics for each employee. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Department, Employee • Period • Color (Mono, Color) • Mode (Simplex, Duplex) • Size (A4, A3).

Printing History Page

The Printing History page allows you to view printing history. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Department, Employee • Period.

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Print Type by Toner Usage Page

The Print Type by Toner Usage page allows you to view the statistics for toner usage. This page sorts these statistics into the following categories:

• Client, Region, Branch, S/N • Period • Item (Print, Copy, Fax in, Fax out, Scan, Report).

Usage Comparison by Toner Usage Page

The Usage Comparison by Toner Usage page allows you to view the statistics for comparison itemized by the following:

• Client, Region, Branch, S/N • Period • Item (C, M, Y, K, Print, Copy, Fax in, Fax out, Scan,

Report).

Comparison for Samsung/Non-Samsung Page

The Comparison for Samsung/Non-Samsung page allows you to view the statistics for comparison, itemized by the following:

• Client, Region, Branch, Samsung, non-Samsung

• Period • Print Mode (Print, Copy, Fax in, Fax out, Scan,

Report) • Mono, Color • Simplex, Duplex • Size (A4, A3).

The Report Pages

The Report pages of the CounThruTM 2 Professional provide detailed information about the printer operation rate, supply provision rate, reporting of fault types, usage and billing (for each region or branch), and usage and billing (for each printer model).

The interface pages include the following:

• Operation Rate Page • Supply Provision Rate Page • Fault Fixing Rate Page • Usage & Billing (Region) Page • Usage & Billing (Printer) Page.

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Operation Rate Page

The Operation Rate page allows you to view the percentage of time the printer was operational.

Supply Provision Rate Page

The Supply Provision Rate page allows you to view the percentage of time that supplies were on time.

Fault Fixing Rate Page

The Fault Fixing Rate page allows you to view the amount of time a printer has been in fault mode.

Usage & Billing (Region) Page

The Usage & Billing (Region) page allows you to view the cost of printing grouped by region.

Usage & Billing (Printer) Page

The Usage & Billing (Printer) page allows you to view the cost of printing grouped by printer.

The Firmware Pages

The Firmware pages of CounThruTM 2 Professional provide features for managing firmware files and uploading to the CounThruTM web server. With these features, you can upload firmware file updates to the printers.

These interface pages include the following:

• Firmware Registration Page • Distribution Result Page.

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Firmware Registration Page

The Firmware Registration page allows you to add new firmware versions to CounThruTM 2 Professional.

Firmware Distribution Result Page

The Firmware Distribution Result page allows you to confirm that the new firmware versions in CounThruTM 2 Professional successfully updated the printers.

The Administrator Pages

The Administrator pages of CounThruTM 2 Professional provide the tools required to manage the devices and to configure the software.

The interface pages include the following:

• IP Range Search Page • Printer Registration Page • Detailed Model Information Page • User Page • Fault Management Page • Billing Management Page • Group Management Page • Budget Management Page • Configuration Page.

IP Range Search Page

The IP Range Search page allows the administrator to search for printers on the network.

Printer Registration Page

The Printer Registration page allows the administrator to register individual or batches of printers on CounThruTM 2 Professional.

Detailed Model Information Page

The Detailed Model Information page allows the administrator to manage the printer information.

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User Page

The User page allows the administrator to manage user accounts.

Fault Management Page

The Fault Management page allows the administrator to configure fault notification properties.

Billing Management Page

The Billing Management page allows the administrator to configure the printing costs.

Group Management Page

The Group Management page allows the administrator to configure group properties (Clients, Regions, and Branches).

Budget Management Page

The Budget Management page allows the administrator to configure budget notification properties.

Configuration Page

The Configuration page allows the administrator to configure the CounThruTM 2 Professional settings to suit their environment.

They can use this page to configure the following items:

• Calendar • Working Time • Supplies Delivery Time • Billing Email • Threshold for Low Toner • Process • LDAP Server.

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CounThruTM 2 Professional System Requirements

This section contains information about the system requirements and device compatibility for CounThruTM 2 Professional.

Hardware Requirements

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system requires the following hardware:

• Intel Dual Core Xeon 2.0 GHz or higher (recommended)

• 3GB RAM (recommended) • 30GB Hard Drive space • SVGA 1,024 X 768 (or higher).

Operating Systems

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system requires one of the following Windows operating systems:

• Windows XP Professional (32 bit) • Windows Server 2003 (32 bit) • Windows Server 2008 (32 bit) • Windows Vista (32 bit).

Browsers

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0 (8.0 Beta is not currently supported).

Web Applications

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system requires the Apache Tomcat 5.5 web app.

JAVA

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system requires JRE 1.4 (or higher) JAVA

Databases

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system requires one of the following databases:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 • Microsoft SQL Server 2005 • Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express* • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express.

Database Performance An MS SQL 2005 Server Express system can support 1000 devices, monitored at 2-hour intervals, for 4 years.

Recommend Samsung devices

The CounThruTM 2 Professional system is compatible with the entire line of Samsung printers.

Recommended Third Party Devices

The following table contains information about the third party devices supported by CounThruTM 2 Professional:

Brand Model

A3

A3

Kyocera

CHC

Toshiba e-Studio 2820C

EPSON AL Epson

EPSON AL

Lexmark 117 (T644)

Lexmark 121 (C920)

Lexmark C532

Lexmark

Lexmark C782

LaserJet 4600dn

LaserJet 5100tn

HP

LaserJet 5200tn

Xerox Phaser 6350DP

Document Centre 286

ApeosPort C6550

Fuji Xerox

ApeosPort-II C7500

Aficio 2022 (DGWox 1020) Ricoh

Aficio CL4000DN

Canon iR2870

Canon iR3300

Canon

Canon LBP3360

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About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2007 consolidated sales of $103.4 billion. Employing approximately 150,000 people in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Business and Digital Appliance Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, TFT-LCDs, and printers. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Samsung MultiXpress C8380ND

For more information, please visit www.samsung.com

©2009 by Samsung Electronics. All rights reserved.

Samsung provides this white paper for information purposes only. All information included herein is subject to change without notice. Samsung Electronics is not responsible for any direct or indirect damages, arising from or related to use of this white paper.

WP_CT2P_RevA0, 1 June 2009

counthru 2 professional managed print service

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