How Does It Work?

Sentinel is comprised of two major parts - the Server software and the Controller hardware. Controllers are connected to each printer that should be controlled by the Sentinel and the software is installed on the printer server.

When a user prints a document, the print job is sent to the Sentinel instead of the printer. The job is then saved on the server until the user identifies themselves at a printer using their ID card or keycode.
Once the user is identified, their job will be sent to the printer where they identifed and printed. This printer does not have to be the printer to which they sent the job, it can be any Sentinel-controlled printer.

In this way, the user could print the job in one branch of the company, drive to another branch, identify themselves to a printer at the other branch and print their job on location.

Additionally, Sentinel can be programmed to limit access to certain printers or to limit the type and/or amount of pages a given user can print. If the user then tries to print at an unauthorized printer or over their page limit, their job will not print and they will be sent a reminder message.

Sentinel comes with its own management and report system. Any user can access their own printing information, but only an administrator can access information about everyone. Users can delete print jobs waiting to be printed if they don't want to print them anymore. Also, they can generate their own reports to see their print activity and change their personal settings.

Administrators can change any user settings, including limiting users' print quota or printer access. They can generate reports about companywide printing behavior and they can access and change the jobs waiting to be printed by any user.

These reports are very useful for understanding how much Sentinel is saving your company.