Newly imposed tariffs on imported tech equipment, particularly from regions like China, are threatening to squeeze enterprise IT budgets.
In response to the U.S. tech industry tariff impact, IT leaders have begun evaluating their print and document environments. They are seeking solutions that offer strategic flexibility and budget relief, like Managed Print Services (MPS) and Business Process Automation (BPA) to mitigate risk and regain control.
Schedule a discovery call to learn how imageOne can help stabilize your IT budget with a future-ready, optimized print strategy.
The Rising Cost of Tech: How Technology Tariffs Are Disrupting IT Budgets
Tech-focused tariffs are driving up prices on critical foreign-made hardware, like printers, scanners, and computers, raising immediate concerns for IT budgets already under pressure. Devices that once felt routine to procure are now significantly more expensive or difficult to source
In response, IT leaders are revisiting budgets and purchasing plans, attempting to make swift and strategic pivots that preserve security and operational efficiency without blowing up the bottom line.
In fact, research experts from International Data Corporation (IDC) have already dropped their projections for global IT spend growth from 10% to 5%, largely due to uncertainty caused by tariffs and inflation. This updated forecast underscores the impact of tariffs on IT planning, investment, and prioritization for 2025.
Equipment Cost Spikes Are Reshaping IT Procurement Strategies
AS tariffs inflate hardware prices, IT leaders are shifting away from traditional, capital-heavy purchasing toward more agile models–specifically leasing and subscription-based contracts. The shift isn’t just about short-term budget relief; it’s about protecting organizations from long-term exposure and pricing volatility. The tariff impact on prices has forced IT teams to reevaluate their procurement strategies in search of flexibility and predictable spending. With new print hardware subject to tariff increases, locking in pricing through a Managed Print Services (MPS) agreement can provide much-needed cost stability. MPS also consolidates expenses like maintenance and support into a single predictable monthly spend, helping IT teams plan with confidence.
For teams already frustrated by poor service, complicated contracts or an aging fleet, this is a natural inflection point. Rather than patching together a legacy environment, now is the ideal time to switch providers and build a more secure, efficient, and tariff-insulated print strategy..
Budget Uncertainty Is Forcing Tough Trade-Offs Across IT Projects
Volatile pricing is making it harder than ever for IT leaders to forecast spend. Unpredictable hardware costs are causing delays in innovation and infrastructure upgrades as organizations are reprioritizing their investments.
Unfortunately, those delays come at a cost. Postponing infrastructure improvements can derail broader IT goals, like modernization, digital transformation, and cybersecurity. Older devices are not only harder to maintain, but often more vulnerable to security breaches and compliance gaps.
And while waiting may feel like the safe move, it can leave organizations stuck paying more for outdated, less efficient equipment. Investing in newer machines now–under leasing models or MPS agreements–can lock in pricing and reduce exposure to future tariff spikes.
When facing uncertain conditions, hesitation carries its own risks. The smarter move is to act strategically and insulate your infrastructure before costs climb even higher.
Supply Chain Delays Compound Budgeting Challenges
Tariffs aren’t just increasing costs–they’re also creating supply chain disruptions that impact device availability. There are already reports of cargo shipments to the U.S. from China declining by as much as 60% since early April, signalling a growing supply chain bottleneck. For IT teams, these delays create a dangerous ripple effect. When new devices are backordered or unavailable, organizations are forced to rely on outdated tech longer than planned. While this might appear to save money in the short-term relief, the reality is far more costly..
Why Delaying Investment is Riskier Than It Seems
Many organizations are postponing hardware upgrades, but the hidden costs of delay are mounting. Keeping legacy tech longer than its intended lifecycle may feel like a workaround, but it often becomes a liability–financially and operationally:
- Rising maintenance and service costs on aging equipment
- Security vulnerabilities from outdated firmware
- Productivity slowdowns and worsening user experience due to extended downtime from device failures
- Greater exposure to tariff-driven price spikes as newer machines with locked-in pricing become less available
As companies delay the purchase of new devices, they’re discovering that aging infrastructure becomes a drain on performance, security, and the bottom line.. Older print devices consume more energy, break down more frequently, and require increasingly expensive service calls to stay operational. They also lack modern security features, making them targets for breaches and compliance violations–especially in regulated industries, like healthcare, finance, and legal. Outdated devices slow workflows, frustrate users, and reflect poorly on IT when reliability suffers. Delaying upgrades might avoid immediate spend, but over time, it erodes efficiency, increases risk, and can ultimately cost more. The smarter move is to modernize now–before limited supply, rising costs, or a major failure forces your hand.
Learn how outsourcing some (or all) of your IT workflows can help mitigate risk, reduce costs, and streamline operations in the face of tariff uncertainty.
How Tariff Impacts are Driving a Strategic Shift in the Print Industry
Ongoing tariff pressures are prompting IT leaders to reassess outdated infrastructure, especially in areas like print management. While leaders certainly face plenty of challenges in the near term, this moment also creates an opportunity to modernize print operations for better efficiency and cost control, with long-lasting benefits even once conditions normalize.
This shift allows IT leaders to be proactive with tariff mitigation strategies that make their print environments more adaptable to further developments of U.S. tariff policies. This includes reevaluating print management and shifting to service-based models that offer pricing predictability and long-term efficiency.
Print Hardware Imports Are Vulnerable to Tariff Fluctuations
Tariffs are driving up the cost of important print hardware and supplies. Unpredictable increases makes budget planning more challenging, prompting companies to reconsider how and where they invest in print technology. As teams figure out how to prepare for tariffs amid rising price pressures, the appeal for service-based solutions, like MPS, that provide predictable cost structures without capital-heavy expenditures will continue to grow.
Rising Costs Are Prompting Audits of Print Volumes and Output Waste
The higher cost of print hardware and consumables is prompting organizations to examine their usage patterns more closely and identify inefficiencies or opportunities to right-size operations and save.
Teams may implement print management software to monitor printing behaviors, review logs to identify unnecessary print jobs, and speak with personnel to understand their printing needs. Based on their findings, teams have several avenues for addressing unnecessary spending and inefficient usage, including implementing smart printing policies and utilizing document automation to reduce waste and drive meaningful savings.
Remote Work Amplified the Need for Centralized Print Oversight
Separate from tariff-related challenges, the rise of hybrid and remote work has created decentralized print environments, making it more difficult to monitor activity, control costs, or enforce security standards..
With a renewed push for centralized oversight and improved visibility across print operations, MPS solutions can help bring print back under control while remaining adaptable to hybrid workflows. This level of control is more important than ever as cost pressures and security demands converge.
Print Security Gaps Are Getting Riskier in a Regulatory Environment
As rising global tensions and economic shifts are spur more scrutiny on data security and regulatory compliance, print environments have become a weak link in many organizations. Unsecured devices, scattered workflows, and legacy infrastructure leave teams vulnerable to compliance gaps and data breaches.
While the specifics of pending regulatory changes remain unknown at this time, the direction is certain: more oversight, more accountability, and higher stakes for failure. Now is the time for IT to proactively secure both digital and physical document processes.
Read more on how printers pose security risks & how to create a secure print environment.
How Print Companies Can Prepare for Tariffs
Despite ongoing uncertainty with international supply chains, companies can take proactive steps to mitigate tariff-related risks. Specifically, solutions like Business Process Automation (BPA) and Managed Print Services (MPS) offer benefits like cost control, operational transparency, and long-term flexibility–even in a volatile economic landscape.
MPS: A Smarter Path to Cost Control
Managed print services give teams a way to lower costs, simplify management, and modernize their infrastructure while avoiding large capital expenses. In the current environment, leasing print devices rather than purchasing them helps organizations navigate rising hardware costs with predictable spend. For teams already navigating poor service or unpredictable support, it’s an opportune time to switch to a more reliable provider. In the current climate, that decision isn’t just strategic, it’s urgent.
Securing Documents in a Changing Regulatory Landscape
Amid shifting regulatory pressures and evolving industry standards, it’s important for organizations to ensure a secure print environment and protect sensitive information. Document security isn’t just optional–it’s foundational. ImageOne’s document security solutions help companies stay compliant, reduce risk, and close infrastructure gaps before they lead to breaches or penalties.
BPA as a Strategic Shield Against Uncertainty
Unlike hardware, software licenses aren’t subject to tariffs–-making BPA a smart, future-proof investment. BPA reduces your reliance on hardware, helping to lower your costs and improve workflow efficiency. While there are plenty of examples of business process automation streamlining operations, document automation, in particular, can help save money while improving efficiency, boosting productivity, and supporting long-term digital transformation efforts without increasing your tariff exposure.
Partnering with imageOne to Future-Proof Your Tech Environment
Now is the time to future-proof your print and document strategy—not after tariffs go up again, not when parts are backordered, and not when another regulation forces your hand. imageOne can help you make the shift by:
- Right-sizing your print fleet to reduce waste and cost
- Tightening print security and compliance policies
- Transitioning to leased devices with locked-in pricing
- Evolving beyond the printed page with document automation
We deliver tailored solutions that protect your budget and keep your operations moving—no matter what tariffs or supply chain shifts come next.
Schedule a discovery call today to learn how imageOne can help you build a smarter, tariff-resistant print and document strategy.
