Mark Asbridge, Head of Product Enablement at MyQ speaks to PrintIT Reseller about global customer needs, partner-driven product development, security by design, and why the company is investing equally in cloud innovation and on-premise resilience
PrintIT Reseller (PITR): There’s been a lot going on at MyQ recently, what are your main areas of focus?
Mark Asbridge (MA): MyQ is a global company with more than 140 employees worldwide, over one million devices running MyQ, and more than 50 million users. Ultimately, we create products that are easy to use; at the heart of everything we do is a simple principle – printing should just work. Users shouldn’t have to think about how to print, the experience should be seamless and exactly the same, regardless of which device they’re using. Behind the scenes, there’s a huge amount of work we do to make that possible. We stay very close to what customers care about and what’s happening in the market. Whether it’s new features or enhancements, or our ongoing focus on security, there’s a constant effort to continuously refine and improve both the end-user’s and IT admin’s experience.
PITR: What keeps you close to market changes and customer needs?
MA: We maintain a continuous feedback loop with our partners which tells us what’s working and what isn’t. That’s how we validate our ideas and decide whether something is worth developing or not. We partner directly with channel resellers and OEMs so their feedback comes straight to us. That creates a very close knit relationship. When we’re considering a new feature or change, we can go directly to trusted partners and say: “This is what we’re thinking. Does it make sense? What are you seeing?” It’s a two-way process. They tell us what they’re experiencing in the field, and we share what we’re piloting or planning. That collaboration drives our product development. A good example of this is Printer Provisioning Profiles. We held meetings with partners not just in Europe, but also in the US and Asia, gathering pain points from every region. All of that input shaped the final feature-set.
PITR: What is Printer Provisioning Profiles and why is it important?
MA: It’s a major upgrade designed for organisations moving away from on-premise Active Directory servers toward cloud environments like Entra ID and Intune. Traditionally, deploying print queues in these setups has been complex and time-consuming. We’ve solved that by embedding the new functionality directly into the MyQ Desktop Client (MDC). The MDC already handles authentication and print processes, and now it also manages automated, location-aware print queue delivery through a single application. It also simplifies life for channel partners. Many partners deploy similar driver sets and configurations across multiple customers. Printer Provisioning Profiles lets them import and export entire profiles, not just drivers. For large installations, they can prepare a CSV file with all queue names and settings, then import hundreds of profiles in seconds.
PITR: MyQ is a software company how does that enable you to be agile?
MA: We can be more agile in our development plans and equally, our roadmap, because we can adapt and change quickly. Because we have close relationships with our partners, what we develop is directly based on their needs, we validate ideas before we build them and if multiple partners request something, we assess whether it’s logical and valuable. For larger projects or integrations, we run deeper consultations across regions to make sure we capture all requirements. That’s how we ensure features work globally, not just in one market. As a case in point, one of our partners, Alan McGhee, Professional Services Manager at Document Data Group told us that what sets MyQ apart is not just the technology, but the people behind it. “Their support, responsiveness, and willingness to collaborate have made them a trusted partner, not just a vendor. “With the numerous options available to us and our customers, it is crucial that we select a partner that provides the highest level of support and flexibility. And in MyQ, that is exactly what we got,” he said.
PITR: Security is a huge topic right now. How does MyQ approach it?
MA: Security has always been part of our DNA; we’re not just jumping onthe trend. Our products are secure by design, which means we can confidently reassure partners and users that MyQ won’t expose their data. I always talk about security in terms of data flow because people often overlook it. Whether on-premise or cloud, the key question is when you click print or perform a scan, where does your data go? MyQ’s philosophy is simple, we never want to touch your data. It stays in your environment unless you choose otherwise. For example, with MyQ Roger, if you print via the cloud, your job is stored in your OneDrive or Google Drive, meaning it’s always under your control and your IT policies. When scanning, the data goes directly from the device to your cloud endpoint. It never passes through MyQ servers. The same applies to MyQ X. Scans go directly from the MyQ X server to the destination whether that’s OneDrive, SharePoint or Google Drive, without traversing any MyQ hosted infrastructure.
PITR: MyQ is known for a seamless end‑user experience, but you’re also focused on simplifying life for IT admins. How do you balance that, especially in terms of security?
MA: People often assume that strong security means complex configuration. But MyQ is built around one-click actions. From an IT perspective, setup is guided and straightforward. We balance security, compliance and ease of use in one package. Users get simplicity, and admins get a system that’s secure, without being burdensome.
PITR: Is there still demand for on‑premise, or is cloud taking over?
MA: Cloud adoption is growing rapidly, but there’s still a massive part of the market that requires on-premise, especially banking, government and other regulated sectors. Our investment reflects that reality. We continue to develop both platforms equally. Our ethos is to provide an advanced printing ecosystem that fits seamlessly into a customer’s existing IT environment and remains user-friendly. Delivering on this requires constant updates and improvements. MyQ X, our on-premise solution, is a flagship product, and we’ve invested heavily in innovation with version 10.2.
PITR: How do you maintain global consistency while tailoring the experience to regional needs?
MA: Working with partners worldwide shows just how different regional requirements can be. Europe is heavily focused on regulation for example, while APAC markets may prioritise different workflows or integrations. MyQ products are a single platform, but highly customisable. When I joined the company, I thought I understood print management (I did, from a UK perspective), but speaking to partners globally showed how varied expectations can be. Security, however, is universal. Our products are secure by design, and that translates worldwide. Security is number one for us, but it can be customised to be integrated into different systems. It can have different connectors. A good example is our connector for global payment provider Stripe which is included as part of the standard licence.
PITR: And what about AI? How does it fit into your strategy?
MA: In print management, AI doesn’t make much sense. If you need AI to configure or onboard a product, it probably means the product was too complicated to begin with. Where AI is powerful is in scanning, digitisation and document classification. That’s where it adds real value. We use AI in our onlinedocumentation and support portal, where it helps users create tickets and reference previous cases. But for print management itself, our philosophy is, it should just work.
PITR: You have a new solution coming out shortly. What can you tell us?
MA: We’re launching PrintSharing, a feature that enables guest printing in public spaces. Users scan a QR code on the device, which opens a web app (no installation required). They upload their document, pay, and the device prints it. The clever part is that the phone and device never need to be connected. It’s a zero trust workflow running entirely through the cloud, with no infrastructure needed beyond an internet connection. Other solutions exist, but ours follows the MyQ philosophy – simple, easy and convenient. No app, no account, and it supports Apple Pay and Google/Android Pay. For partners, it creates new revenue streams without additional management overhead. And from a security standpoint, it eliminates the risks associated with visitors requesting network access or temporary credentials.
PITR: So, what’s next for MyQ?
MA: The market is pushing toward cloud migration, but organisations still want the security and control of on-premise. The question is how do you combine both? Well, keep an eye on what’s next for MyQ!
