[en] Label Cloud is a cloud-based version of the NiceLabel label management system. It enables you to reap all of the benefits of digitally transforming your labeling, including lower costs, improved quality assurance, and a faster time-to-market, without a significant upfront investment. With Label Cloud, you get an ROI in less than 6 months, and a quick, efficient way to scale standardized labeling to your entire organization and external business partners.
[en] NiceLabel now brings its best practice label management system to businesses of all sizes with the introduction of Label Cloud. It includes everything businesses need to produce accurate, consistent labels:
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[en] Built-in label designer
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[en] Document management system for streamlined quality assurance
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[en] Built-in support for manual and integrated label printing
[en] Label Cloud introduces the “pay-as-you-go” service deployment model. Based on your requirements, you select the appropriate Label Cloud edition that defines the range of available features. You pay a subscription rate based on the number of printers you use. Label Cloud reduces your local IT infrastructure and labor costs because cloud completely automates provisioning and updating of your labeling system.
[en] Customers access their Label Cloud at this simple-to-remember URL:
[en] https://<account>.onnicelabel.com/dashboard
[en] The heart of NiceLabel Label Cloud solution is a Document Management System (DMS) running completely on Microsoft Azure cloud. This approach offloads the installation of DMS from the shoulders of IT teams to NiceLabel Label Cloud.
[en] Figure 1: NiceLabel Label Cloud architecture
[en] To access the DMS you can use several client applications:
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[en] Web browser. Many document management functionalities are accessible with your browser. The DMS is an HTML5 application and runs on any OS and in any browser.
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[en] Label designer / application builders and print clients run on customer computers but integrate seamlessly with your cloud DMS. The applications are automatically licensed, they automatically send printer statuses, report print history, and honor the role-based access as provisioned by the DMS. The clients also automatically retrieve labels, graphics and forms from the DMS.
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[en] Web client. Thin client for shared Web Applications.
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[en] Integration system. You install the integration system on the on-premise server within your company’s network. Integration system has access to your printer infrastructure and allows you to print labels using your local processing power. On one hand, you configure the integration system to interact with DMS in the cloud, and with your business applications on the other hand. NiceLabel Label Cloud also introduces Cloud trigger that can link data from your cloud-based business system with local printers. Integration system can also be hosted in your cloud.[1]
[en] NiceLabel Label Cloud is available in three editions, each focusing on specific needs and requirements.
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[en] Label Cloud Business
[en] This is a fully featured Label Management System for businesses of any size. It starts with 5 printers and scales to an unlimited number of printers. It includes a digital DMS, significant storage space for your labeling assets, and 1 year of print history. You can use your existing corporate user directory and enable the role-based access control.
[en] Label Cloud Business supports manual on-demand Web printing. You can also deploy the integration system on-premise and run the newly introduced Cloud trigger. With 5 GB of cloud Microsoft SQL database, the storage covers the demands for synchronizing your business data with cloud.
[en] You can access support using priority emails and phone calls during regional office hours (standard SMA is included).
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[en] Label Cloud Essentials
[en] This is the entry level Label Management System for smaller businesses with up to 20 printers. Label Cloud Essentials includes digital DMS, enough storage space for your labeling assets, and 3 months of print history.
[en] Label Cloud Essentials supports manual on-demand Web printing but does not include an integration system. It supports data from your Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access files that you store in DMS (available in read-only mode). Microsoft SQL cloud database is not part of Label Cloud Essentials.
[en] Support is available through partner network and emails.
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[en] Label Cloud Unlimited
[en] This is a highly customizable Label Management System for large enterprises with 100+ printers. Label Cloud Unlimited expands the feature set as offered by Label Cloud Business: even more storage space for labeling assets, 5 years of print history, and 100 GB cloud Microsoft SQL database. Label Cloud Unlimited supports the change transport system for automated synchronization of multiplied printing environments (DEV/QA/PROD).
[en] Support is included in Platinum SMA level with 24/7/365 and 1-hour response time.
[en] Additionally, the infrastructure becomes more flexible in the Unlimited edition with the ability to define a custom Label Cloud upgrading schedule, and to run cloud-based integration system in hosted environments.
[en] You can top any of the selected editions with add-on options, such as additional storage space, extended print history, updated support level, sandbox environment for multi-tier deployments, and more Microsoft SQL cloud data space.
[en] NOTE: Cloud trigger requires product editions NiceLabel Label Cloud Business or above.
[en] Cloud trigger allows you to integrate your Label Cloud with an existing business system that runs in a cloud, and to print labels with your local printers. Modern IoT printers can communicate directly with the cloud, but this is not something legacy printers can do. To print labels to legacy printers, you need a locally installed integration system.
[en] If an existing business system (e.g. SAP S/4HANA or Oracle NetSuite) produces an output, you can send it to a NiceLabel cloud-hosted API which then relays the output for processing to the on-premises NiceLabel Automation integration system.
[en] Cloud trigger enables a secure and transparent way to integrate your local label printing using applications that communicate over the open Internet. The on-premises integration system merges the label template from NiceLabel Label Cloud DMS with the data originating from the cloud business system.
[en] The cloud trigger does not require opening any ports in your firewall to enable the HTTP requests. Your local integration system uses the industry-proven method[2] for accessing the cloud-based services, so you can deploy local printing in a secure and time efficient way.
[en] NiceLabel Label Cloud transfers user identification to external authentication providers who let the users log in using their existing login credentials. Once the users are identified, the Label Cloud’s authorization process grants these users access to certain parts of the software as configured in the Access Roles.
[en] There are two types of authentication available with NiceLabel Label Cloud products:
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[en] Microsoft account. This is Microsoft cloud-based directory and identity management service. If you use Office 365, you are already using this service. If you have an on-premise Active Directory set up, there are chances you are already synchronizing your Active Directory to the cloud – Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AAD). Typically, you would use the Microsoft account and AAD for corporate users who are members of your organization. NiceLabel Label Cloud Business edition and above support integration with corporate user directories.
[en] You can also use the personal Microsoft accounts with the Label Cloud if your company does not have the Office 365 / Azure Active Directory set up. The users are not integrated with the Label Cloud account out-of-the-box (as are when using Office 365 / Azure Active Directory), but you can invite them separately and assign them with a specific role in a system.
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[en] Google Sign-in. This is Google’s authentication system enabling users to log in with their Google accounts. Typically, you would use this authentication type for external users. These are users that are not members of your organization and are not subject to your company’s access policy. Google authentication is useful if you use Web Applications to extend label printing to contract manufacturers, third-party logistic partners, and suppliers. These users can log in using the same credentials as they use for their Gmail accounts.
[en] Google users can be also assigned with another role inside the Label Cloud’s Document Management System and are not limited to the Web printing role only.
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[en] On-premise NiceLabel Control Center also supports “Application Users” that you define inside Control Center.