Ontario, Canada (May 1, 2017) — PrintFleet Inc., a global leader in print device monitoring software and solutions, announced today that it has released DCA Pulse, a completely redesigned data collection agent (DCA). DCA Pulse brings together years of experience in device data collection, customer feedback and our core commitment to provide the most accurate, timely, reliable data in the industry.
The focus while developing DCA Pulse was threefold; gather still more accurate device data, accelerate the pace at which data is gathered and enhance the customer experience with DCAs. To achieve the first objective PrintFleet created a model definition file (MDF) framework which enables us to target device-specific information and dramatically decrease the time required to release updated device specifications in the field. Further to the MDF framework, we also established Standard Types to address the lack of overall industry standard labels for data points such as supply levels and meters. Standard Types are a simple, intuitive hierarchical format that moves from general to specific to generate an exact description of what a value from a device represents. This ensures that our customers will be able to action the exact information they require.
“DCA Pulse is a complete re-think in nearly all aspects of our data collection process, and is based on the extensive experience the PrintFleet team has working with data collection on hundreds of thousands of different networks and configurations,” stated Greg MacLellan, director, Software Architecture, PrintFleet, “In addition to addressing some of the long-standing challenges customers had with previous generation DCAs, the new design gives us a platform to handle increasingly complex print environments and provide many new features and capabilities.”
To achieve the second objective, while ensuring actionable information, DCA Pulse empowers our customers to gather data points for supplies, errors, meters, and attributes on customizable scan frequencies. These scans are separate from the discovery process, ensuring that new devices are found quickly without interrupting the current device information being transmitted to PrintFleet Optimizer. Additionally, to help address the stale DCA challenge, DCA Pulse will send a regular heartbeat signal to PrintFleet Central, significantly increasing the visibility of potential issues and improving troubleshooting for our customers. Finally, we recognized that our traditional DCA may have stifled our customers’ ability to gather device information in any type of environment so Pulse is developed to be cross-platform; it is available on Windows, Linux, with basic support for Mac OS X, and dedicated specialized form factors such as a Raspberry Pi.
“Pulse reflects PrintFleet’s focus on the value of data and bringing the industry towards standardization which will ultimately lead to more streamlined, automated and industrialized device management,” said Chris McFarlane, CEO, PrintFleet, “We hope you get as excited about the possibilities of DCA Pulse as we are.”
Learn more at our upcoming Connecting the Data roadshow in Scottsdale next week, May 9–10, or register for our introductory webinar Wednesday, May 17 at 8 a.m. EST and 2 p.m. EST.
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About PrintFleet
PrintFleet connects businesses by providing timely, reliable data, facilitating actionable information that enables automation of processes within the imaging industry – the industrialization of our industry. Industry-leading print management solutions range from simple rapid assessment to advanced, managed services offering unparalleled agnostic data collection, analysis and back-end support. Available in multiple languages, PrintFleet solutions empower OEMs, resellers and distributors in over 100 countries to solve business challenges and foster growth. Additional information about PrintFleet can be found at printfleet.com. Twitter: @PrintFleet.
