Empowering Educational Institutions with Copilot+ PCs and Universal Print

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing learning experiences and streamlining administrative tasks. As an admin at an educational institution, you are constantly seeking innovative solutions to improve efficiency and security while reducing management overhead. Microsoft offers two powerful tools that can significantly benefit your institution: Copilot+ PC devices and Universal Print which is part of Microsoft 365. Let's explore why these tools are essential for your educational environment. 

Why Choose Copilot+ PC Devices? 

1. Enhanced Performance and Efficiency: Copilot+ PCs are designed to deliver exceptional performance with AI acceleration, making them ideal for educational settings. These devices are equipped with NPUs (Neural Processing Units) capable of handling AI workloads efficiently, ensuring that your institution is future-proofed for running AI applications and tasks for years to come. This means faster processing, improved battery life, and the ability to run complex educational software seamlessly.
2. AI-Powered Learning: With Copilot+ PCs, educators can leverage AI to create interactive and personalized lessons quickly. The AI capabilities of these devices enable teachers to design engaging content that caters to individual student needs, enhancing the overall learning experience¹. Additionally, AI-driven tools can assist in grading, providing instant feedback, and identifying areas where students may need additional support.
3. Security and Compliance: Security is a top priority in educational institutions. Copilot+ PCs come with built-in security features, including the Microsoft Pluton Security processor and secure bio-enabled authentication. These devices are Secured-core PCs, ensuring that your institution's data and student information are protected against cyber threats.
4. Seamless Connectivity: Copilot+ PCs support the latest connectivity standards, including USB4, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth LE Audio. This ensures reliable connections to the internet, peripherals, and other devices, making it easier for students and staff to collaborate and access resources from anywhere on campus.

Why Use Universal Print? 

1. Simplified Print Management: Universal Print is a cloud-based printing solution that eliminates the need for on-premises print servers. This reduces the IT burden associated with managing and maintaining physical servers, allowing your IT team to focus on more strategic initiatives. With Universal Print, you can manage printers and print jobs from a centralized web interface, streamlining the entire print management process².
2. Enhanced Security: Universal Print supports secure print jobs, ensuring that sensitive documents are not left unattended in output trays². This reduces the risk of unauthorized access to confidential information, which is crucial in an educational setting. Additionally, Universal Print integrates with Azure Active Directory, making it easier to manage user access and permissions for printing.
3. Cost Savings: By transitioning to Universal Print, your institution can eliminate the costs associated with purchasing and maintaining physical print servers. Universal Print also helps reduce waste by minimizing unclaimed print jobs, saving paper and toner. With the new licensing changes, educational institutions with Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 licenses receive 100 print jobs per license per month, significantly reducing additional costs ³.
4. Universal Compatibility: Universal Print supports all Windows devices, including those running Windows on Arm. This ensures that your institution can leverage the full potential of Copilot+ PCs, some of which are based on Arm architecture. This compatibility allows for a seamless printing experience across all devices used by students and staff.
5. Universal Print Ready Printers: For the best experience, it is recommended to use Universal Print ready printers. These printers are designed to work seamlessly with Universal Print, providing a fully zero-trust setup and a truly serverless infrastructure. If your institution does not have Universal Print ready printers, you can use the IPP driver on the connector to ensure compatibility ⁴.

Next steps 

By adopting Copilot+ PC devices and Universal Print, your educational institution can enhance performance, improve security, and simplify management. These tools empower educators to create engaging learning experiences while reducing the IT burden associated with print management. Embrace the future of education with Microsoft 365 and unlock the full potential of your institution ⁵. 

We'd love to hear about your experience with Universal Print.  Your input really does guide our future investments. Please share your ideas and feature requests with us or start discussions in the Universal Print Tech Community. 

Additional resources 

• Self-paced guided tour: Get to know Universal Print 
• Latest feature announcements (November 2024): Print from anywhere – literally. 
• Documentation and reference material: aka.ms/UPDocs 

About the Author 

Robert Cunningham serves as a Senior Product Marketing Manager, responsible for Windows AI and Cloud marketing. He has more than 30 years of experience in the technology industry, with a focus on enterprise and business-to-business marketing.  Overall, he’s pretty awesome.