Pharos Systems International

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Pharos Systems International
Private
IndustryEnterprise software
Print management software
Founded1992; 34 years ago (1992)
FounderGeoff Shaw
Paul Reddy
HeadquartersWest Henrietta, New York, U.S.
Key people
  • Josh Orum (Chief Executive Officer)
  • Kevin Pickhardt (Executive Chairman)
Products
  • Pharos Cloud
  • Pharos Cloud Education Edition
  • Pharos Blueprint
  • Pharos Uniprint
Services
  • Enterprise print management
  • Cloud print management
  • Secure printing
  • Print analytics
  • Print automation
  • Print infrastructure management
OwnerSpotlight Equity Partners
Websitepharos.com

Pharos Systems International (“Pharos”) is headquartered in West Henrietta, New York, and backed by Spotlight Equity Partners.[1][2] Pharos connects print into the broader IT ecosystem through centralized management, analytics, automation, policy enforcement, and open APIs, enabling organizations to manage print as a secure, scalable, and fully governed enterprise service. The company serves global enterprises with a focus on leading the transformation to PrintOps, a modern, integrated, people-centric, and cloud-native approach to managing print and the infrastructure and operations behind it.

Pharos develops enterprise print management software that enables organizations to modernize print infrastructure. The platform helps IT teams eliminate print servers, strengthen security, increase visibility, reduce costs, and simplify print operations across distributed environments. Its flagship product, Pharos Cloud, is a cloud-native enterprise print management platform designed to help organizations eliminate print servers, simplify operations, strengthen security, and modernize print infrastructure across distributed environments.[3]

History

Pharos Systems International traces its origins to 1992, when the company was founded in New Zealand with a focus on solving customers’ problems using innovation and technology. In 1993, Pharos was engaged to solve the problem of uncontrollable printing at a large university client. Pharos solved the problem by inventing pull-printing—a secure model of capturing printing in its digital form to be later released to the printer once a user has authenticated. This solution was later introduced as Uniprint and became widely adopted to manage student printing in higher education.[4] The company continued to pioneer modern print solutions, introducing user-level print analytics in 1994, enabling greater cost visibility and accountability.

In 2003, Pharos expanded pull-print functionality, becoming the first to embed pull print technology into MFP devices, beginning with Lexmark. Other printer OEMs followed in the years to come.

In 1998, Pharos expanded on its success in higher education by releasing Blueprint, a print management product designed to provide advanced visibility and analytics for corporate enterprises seeking ways to measure and manage the increasing cost of printing.

In 2009, the company broadened its enterprise print optimization capabilities through the acquisition of PathForward, then a division of the Standard Register Company.[5]

Pharos advanced into cloud services with its introduction of Pharos Cloud in 2013. In 2016, Pharos introduced what it describes as the first true cloud-native enterprise print management platform. The company began supporting large-scale enterprise cloud deployments in 2018. It expanded its security capabilities by enabling Zero Trust print architectures in 2019, reflecting the growing importance of identity-first enterprise security.

In 2021, Pharos was acquired by Spotlight Equity Partners and joined their portfolio of enterprise software companies.[2] Then, in 2024, it introduced PrintOps, the modern, integrated, people-centric, and cloud-native approach to managing print and the infrastructure and operations behind it.

Leadership

  • Geoff Shaw and Paul Reddy — Founders (1992)
  • Kevin Pickhardt — Chief Executive Officer (2001-2023); Executive Chairman (2023-)
  • Josh Orum — Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (2023-)

Products and services

Pharos develops print management software and related solutions for enterprise and education environments. Key products include:

  • Pharos Cloud: A cloud-native enterprise print management platform designed to eliminate print servers, simplify operations, strengthen security, provide centralized management, analytics, automation, and policy-based control across distributed enterprise environments.[3] As of July 2026, Pharos Cloud is available on AWS Marketplace, “enabling organizations to procure and deploy secure, cloud-native print management within their existing AWS workflows.”[6]
  • Pharos Cloud Education Edition: A cloud-native print management platform designed for higher education institutions that enables secure, driverless printing, centralized management, analytics, and cost recovery.[7]
  • Pharos Blueprint: An on-premises enterprise print management solution providing secure pull printing, reporting, and multi-vendor fleet management for organizations that maintain on-premises infrastructure.[8]
  • Pharos Uniprint: An on-premises print management platform designed for higher education institutions with secure printing, campus integrations, and print cost recovery.[4]

Awards and recognition

Pharos has achieved several notable industry awards, including:

  • Achieved ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications for information security, as well as SOC 2® attestation in 2025.[9][10]
  • Recognized by The Silicon Review as one of the 30 Fastest-Growing Private Companies to Watch in 2024.[11]
  • Named a Leader in Quocirca’s 2026 ACT Print Industry Ecosystem Leadership Report[12]
  • Named a Top Workplaces Winner in 2026[13]
  • Achieved a Great Employee Benefits Recognition in 2026[14]

References

  1. ↑ "About Pharos". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Pharos Systems International Acquired by Spotlight Equity Partners". Software Equity Group. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Pharos Cloud Platform". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "UniPrint for Higher Education". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Pharos and PathForward Announce Partnership for Expanded Enterprise Print Consulting Services". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Pharos Announces Availability of Pharos Cloud in AWS Marketplace". Business Wire. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Pharos Cloud Education Edition". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Blueprint". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Pharos Achieves ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27017 Certifications, Reinforcing Commitment to Information Security". Pharos. 1 October 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pharos Completes SOC 2® Examination, Demonstrating Commitment to Data Security and Compliance". Pharos. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Pharos Recognized as One of the 30 Fastest Growing Private Companies". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Pharos Named a Leader in Quocirca's 2026 ACT Print Industry Ecosystem Leadership Report". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Pharos Systems International Named a 2026 Rochester Top Workplaces Winner". Pharos. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Pharos Systems International, Inc". Mployer Advisor. Retrieved 25 July 2026.

External links

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