Zebra Technologies’ best-in-class fleet of mobile and industrial printers is now supported and managed by SOTI Connect. SOTI’s IoT management solution enables organizations in many sectors to manage, protect, and gain greater insight into all IoT devices across their operations.

Zebra and SOTI have worked together for years to develop and mutually test novel strategies for SOTI MobiControl to efficiently manage Zebra mobile computers. This entails supporting Zebra LifeGuard OTA, integrating Zebra secure remote control APIs, and allowing the quick conversion of Zebra devices to Android™ Enterprise.

The Business Case for an IoT Device Management Solution

With improved Zebra printer administration offered by SOTI Connect, which is a component of the SOTI ONE Platform, a long-standing cooperation now becomes even stronger.

Many organizations rely on internal resources to manage IoT devices. Zebra also provides their own excellent mobile device management. Where SOTI Connect really shines is helping reduce total ownership costs.

The costs and time required to deploy, manage, support, secure, and update hundreds of devices quickly adds up. Hours of productivity lost when a printer goes down. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in data lost in a data breach. “Missing” devices. Troubleshooting firmware updates manually.

Discover how to effectively manage Zebra printers at scale in the video below.

Zebra Printer Management Is Easy With SOTI Connect

Take control and ensure your Zebra printers perform at their very best.

Quick Deployment

It doesn’t have to take hours or days to deploy and set your Zebra printers up. As soon as your Zebra printers are connected, customize them to match the specific requirements of your company and you’re done.

Better Visibility

Gather important information, like the state of the battery, the device’s temperature, memory consumption, data usage, and printing speed. Take action based on data to increase the efficiency and return on investment of your Zebra printers, whether they are located nearby or halfway across the world.

Protection from Data Breaches

60 percent of firms worldwide experience data loss due to printer security breaches. With one click, you can update firewall configurations and apply security updates on your Zebra printers at scale.

Automated Error Alerts

If a printer isn’t functioning properly, SOTI Connect automatically sends remediation steps to resolve issues as soon as possible. This cuts down on expensive downtime as well as the total cost of ownership for your fleet of Zebra printers.

Automatic Firmware and OS Upgrades

Zebra printers can automatically check for and apply firmware and operating system upgrades, freeing up your IT personnel to focus on more pressing problems.

For a closer look at everything on offer, download the SOTI Connect data sheet.

Which Zebra Printers Does SOTI Connect Support?

SOTI Connect is designed to handle several IoT protocols, making control Zebra mobile and industrial printer management easier than ever.

New Zebra printers are supported by SOTI Connect’s data-driven architecture as soon as they become live.

Zebra printers that SOTI Connect supports:

• ZQ310
• ZQ320
• ZQ511
• ZQ511R
• ZQ521
• ZQ521R
• ZQ610
• ZQ620
• ZQ630
• ZQ630R
• ZR318
• ZR328
• ZR658
• ZR668
• ZT411
• ZT421
• ZT510
• ZT610
• ZT620
• ZD421C
• ZD421D
• ZD421T
• ZD510
• ZD621D

If you’ve purchased any of these printers, contact us today to see just how much time and money SOTI Connect can save your organization.

You depend on Zebra for high-quality printers. With SOTI Connect, you make the very most of your investment on a single IoT platform.

It has become evident that after installing KB5003690 or later Windows Security updates (including out of band updates, KB5004760 and KB5004945), users are having issues printing to certain printers. The issues are primarily found with receipt and label printers that connect via USB.

Printers affected include all printers running Windows 10 versions 21H1, 20H2, or 2004 and all printers running Windows Server 20H2 or 2004. Zebra printers have been impacted, as well as other brands and models.

Windows is aware of the issues affecting multiple brands of printers when printing from PCs that have been recently updated via the Windows Update Service (KB5004945, KB5004760, or KB5003690). They have found that the most common symptom is print jobs being sent, but not actually printing.

This issue is observed after users install the Windows 10 out-of-band security update KB5004945 (or previous updates, KB5004760 and KB5003690). The KB5004945 security update addresses a remote code execution exploit in the Windows Print Spooler service, known as “PrintNightmare,” documented in this article.

The following are the affected Windows 10 versions and their Update KB IDs (build numbers):

• Windows 10/Windows Server version 21H1, 20H2, 2004 – KB5004945 (Builds 19041.1083, 19042.1083, and 19043.1083), including previous updates KB5004760 (Builds 19041.1082, 19042.1082, and 19043.1082) and KB5003690 (Builds 19041.1081, 19042.1081, and 19043.1081)

Please see the links below to view the steps being taken to address these issues across multiple versions of Windows:

Helpful Information:

• Microsoft Support: July 6, 2021—KB5004945 (OS Builds 19041.1083, 19042.1083, and 19043.1083) Out-of-band
• Microsoft Support: June 29, 2021—KB5004760 (OS Builds 19041.1082, 19042.1082, and 19043.1082) Out-of-band
• Microsoft Support: June 21, 2021—KB5003690 (OS Builds 19041.1081, 19042.1081, and 19043.1081) Preview
• Microsoft Security Response Center: Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2021-34527)
• Windows Latest: Windows 10 KB5004945 emergency update released to fix PrintNightmare

Compared to other prominent warehouse tools like mobile computers and scanners, labeling systems are relatively low-cost, yet they play a vital role in securing inventory accuracy for proper stock counts. As supply chains become more fast-paced, growing businesses may require a scalable and easy-to-use identification solution to:

• Eliminate manual data entry
• Prevent downtime from printer jams
• Maximize printhead lifespan
• Shave off wait times from printing stations

To remain competitive in today’s demanding market, printing and labeling solutions must be adaptable, scalable, and cost-effective, much like Zebra’s Warehouse Printers featured in our video below:

Assessing Your Printing Solution

When evaluating your options, Barcodes, Inc. recommends that you consider the following questions:

1. Can printers handle sudden high printing volumes?

As seen in previous years, order demand can change drastically in a matter of days, automatically ruling out consumer-grade printers as an optimal choice. Enterprise-grade printers such as Zebra’s barcode label printers come in varying sizes to fit different workspaces while harnessing durable printheads, intelligent printing software, and trusted security to prevent breakdowns and cyberthreats during peak seasons. The result is a printing solution that can readily handle greater demand without compromising uptime.

2. Can printers be mobilized?

While industrial and desktop printers can successfully deliver needed labels, they may not be the best mobility choice. Past studies have shown mobile printers to boost processing time by as much as 62% while reducing picking times by almost 50%. This frees up your staff to accomplish other important tasks faster while increasing printer availability without more wait times.

3. Which labeling supplies will I use?

Lastly, efficient printing systems heavily depend on your chosen consumables since they directly impact your hardware’s printhead. Inferior consumables can scratch printheads over time, leading to jams and downtime. On the flipside, smoother quality thermal ribbons protect printheads while retaining legibility in varying conditions, ultimately decreasing operational costs.    

As leaders in scalable optimization for big and growing businesses alike, Barcodes, Inc. is ready to assist you in navigating through these questions to create a tailored printing solution that matches your needs. Contact us today to see how you can begin your solution design for seamless deployment and maintenance. 

Zebra is now offering free Zebra Setup Utilities software for many different models from its line of thermal label printers.

With the software, you can quickly and easily configure select Zebra desktop, midrange and high-performance printers right out of the box—no need to create and send complex command scripts. Advanced features, such as a terminal window, let you communicate directly to printers connected via USB.

Easy-to-use wizards quickly guide users through configuration, whether you are adding a new printer, moving an existing printer to a new location or looking to add new capabilities. All it takes is a few clicks.

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