Pharos
Pharos Systems International provides cloud-native and on-premises enterprise print management software to 5,500+ organizations globally. Its PrintOps platform eliminates print servers, enforces Zero Trust security, and supports hybrid workforces across financial services, higher education, and Fortune 500 enterprises.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersWest Henrietta, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Pharos does
Pharos Systems International is a private enterprise software company founded in 1992, originally in New Zealand and now headquartered in West Henrietta, New York. The company develops and sells cloud-native and on-premises print management software to large enterprises and higher education institutions, with a reported customer base of 5,500+ organizations and 500K+ managed printers.
The company's core platform, Pharos Cloud, is built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and eliminates the need for on-premises print servers through direct IP printing and a cloud-hosted control plane. The product portfolio spans Pharos Cloud and Pharos Cloud Education Edition (cloud-native delivery), Pharos Blueprint and Pharos Uniprint (on-premises deployments used in complex enterprise and higher education environments), plus modular capabilities including Secure Release Printing, Direct IP Printing, Insights & Analytics, Mobile/Chromebook Printing, and Print Driver Management. The platform integrates with enterprise identity systems (Active Directory, LDAP) and aligns with Zero Trust security frameworks, supported by ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification and SOC 2 Type II completion.
Pharos generates revenue through a hybrid model: SaaS subscriptions for Pharos Cloud (annual billing), perpetual licenses with ongoing support for Blueprint and Uniprint, and value-added professional services delivered through the PathForward partner channel. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales targeting Fortune 500 and large organizations, channel partners (MSPs, resellers, strategic printer OEMs such as Canon, HP, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Ricoh, Sharp, Toshiba, Xerox), and marketplace availability via AWS Marketplace. The company is PE-backed, having joined Spotlight Equity Partners' portfolio in 2021, and operates under CEO Josh Orum with Kevin Pickhardt serving as Executive Chairman.
Pharos firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pharos
- Legal name
- Pharos Systems International
- Website
- https://pharos.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Pharos Systems International provides cloud-native and on-premises enterprise print management software to 5,500+ organizations globally. Its PrintOps platform eliminates print servers, enforces Zero Trust security, and supports hybrid workforces across financial services, higher education, and Fortune 500 enterprises.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pharos industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Print Management Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cloud FinOps & SaaS Spend Management (BPAEAOAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- POD Platform Software & Workflow Automation (Order Routing, Prepress, MIS) (MPAJANAL)
Keywords
Where Pharos is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Henrietta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pharos business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Pharos Cloud SaaS Subscription: Cloud-native print management delivered as a subscription service, providing centralized management of print queues, policies, authentication, and security through a cloud-hosted control layer on AWS.
- Pharos Blueprint (On-Premises): On-premises print management software for complex enterprise environments and higher education institutions, sold as a perpetual license with ongoing support and maintenance.
- Pharos Uniprint (On-Premises): On-premises print management purpose-built for higher education and libraries, sold as a perpetual license with support services.
- Professional Services & Consulting: Value-added strategic consulting services provided through PathForward partnership for enterprise clients seeking to optimize their printing environment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Pharos Cloud customized pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Pharos product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pharos Systems International develops and sells cloud-native enterprise print management software, anchored by its Pharos Cloud platform built on AWS. The software eliminates on-premises print servers, enforces Zero Trust print security, and provides real-time print analytics and secure release printing for large enterprises and higher education institutions worldwide.
Product overview
Pharos offers a unified print management platform with two primary delivery models: cloud-native (Pharos Cloud and Pharos Cloud Education Edition) and on-premises (Pharos Blueprint and Pharos Uniprint). The cloud platform serves as the core enterprise offering eliminating traditional print servers, while the Education Edition tailors capabilities for higher education with student printing, cost recovery, and secure release. Blueprint provides on-premises enterprise print management with a migration path to cloud, and Uniprint serves the higher education market with campus-specific features. Supporting modules include Direct Print (direct IP printing), Insights (analytics), Secure Release Printing (authentication-based document release), Mobile Printing, Chromebook Printing, and Print Driver Management. The platform emphasizes Zero Trust security, 99.999% uptime, and up to 45% cost reduction.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pharos Cloud: Enterprise-grade cloud-native print management platform for modern, hybrid workplaces.
- Pharos Cloud Education Edition
- Pharos Blueprint
- Pharos Uniprint
Products and services
- Pharos Cloud Enterprise-grade cloud-native print management platform for modern, hybrid workplaces that eliminates print servers, reduces costs, supports Zero Trust security strategies, and delivers user-level analytics across distributed environments.
- Pharos Cloud Education Edition Cloud-native print management designed for colleges and universities, supporting student printing, secure release workflows, cost recovery, analytics, mobile printing, and Chromebook printing across campus environments.
- Pharos Blueprint On-premise print management software built for complex enterprise environments, providing centralized management of print queues, policies, authentication, and security with a migration path to Pharos Cloud.
- Pharos Uniprint On-premise print management purpose-built for higher education and libraries, originally launched in 1993 as the first secure pull-printing solution, supporting campus-wide secure release, mobile, and centralized administration.
Quantifiable outcome
- 45% cost reduction on monthly print costs for Citizens Bank
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pharos
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pharos technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature9 records
Pharos partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)corePharos Cloud is built on AWS infrastructure and is available in AWS Marketplace, enabling organizations to procure and deploy cloud-native print management within their existing AWS procurement and deployment workflows. AWS provides the underlying cloud-native infrastructure for the platform.
- HP (Hewlett-Packard)corePharos Cloud 4.5 introduced QR code sign-in authentication at HP printers and expanded mobile access controls. Pharos has deep integration with HP devices as part of its multi-vendor support strategy.
- MicrosoftcorePharos has been featured on Microsoft Tech Community regarding print readiness across the Windows on Arm ecosystem. Pharos supports Windows Protected Print Mode (WPP) and aligns with Microsoft's modern Windows print stack direction.
- PathForward and AssociatescorePathForward resells Pharos Systems software solutions and provides value-added strategic consulting services to enterprise clients in commercial and public sector markets. The partnership delivers up to 65% net hard-dollar savings through independent, vendor-neutral, objective software and consulting expertise.
- Canon, HP, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Ricoh, Sharp, Toshiba, XeroxcoreMajor printer and MFD manufacturers partner with Pharos to provide complete print management solutions. These manufacturers recommend and co-sell Pharos alongside their hardware, indicating a mutual go-to-market partnership for enterprise print environments.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights12 records
Pharos competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PaperCut Software: PaperCut is a direct competitor specializing in print management software for education, government, and enterprise SMBs. It is the most comparable competitor to Pharos, offering both cloud (PaperCut MF/NG) and on-premises deployment, with a similarly broad multi-vendor hardware support model.
- PrinterLogic (now Vasion): PrinterLogic (rebranded to Vasion) is a direct competitor in serverless direct-IP print management and cloud-native print infrastructure. Their Eliminating Print Servers narrative and SaaS delivery model closely parallel Pharos Cloud's positioning in the enterprise market.
- Y Soft Corporation: Y Soft is a direct enterprise print management competitor offering SAFEQ cloud and on-premises solutions with focus on enterprise cost optimization, secure printing, and 3D print management. Comparable to Pharos across large-enterprise and education segments.
- ThinPrint (Cortado): ThinPrint is a direct competitor providing cloud-based printing infrastructure (ezeep) and enterprise print optimization software for virtualized environments, hybrid work, and VDI/DaaS workloads — overlapping with Pharos's hybrid workforce and mobile printing capabilities.
Emerging players
- Printix: Printix is an emerging cloud-native print management SaaS provider focused on Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 environments. Its cloud-first positioning makes it a partial competitor to Pharos Cloud, particularly for SMB and mid-market accounts prioritizing Google Cloud integration.
- uniFLOW (NT-ware / Canon): uniFLOW is Canon's OEM print management platform and a strategic co-sell partner of Pharos. It represents a channel-adjacent competitor inside Canon-dominated enterprise accounts, and illustrates how OEM-bundled platforms compete against neutral managers.
Broad incumbents
- Ricoh (Streamline/Print Management): Ricoh is a broad incumbent printer OEM with built-in and partner print management software (Streamline, GlobalScan). While strategically partnering with Pharos for co-sell, Ricoh's native offerings create competitive overlap in accounts standardized on Ricoh hardware.
- HP (JetAdvantage / MPS): HP is a broad incumbent OEM that competes in managed print services (MPS) and print management software, with deep printer fleet integration. Pharos integrates with HP but HP's own solutions represent the primary alternative for HP-centric enterprises.
- Xerox: Xerox is a broad incumbent with Managed Print Services and partner print management software (including DocuShare workflow). Comparable as an OEM with competing solutions for enterprise fleet management and document workflow.
Others
- Kofax / Tungsten Automation: Kofax is an adjacent document workflow, capture, and intelligent automation vendor. While not directly competing in print management, it overlaps in enterprise document-process automation that can substitute for or complement print workflows at customer accounts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pharos social profiles
Digital presencePharos compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Pharos financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pharos leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Pharos funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pharos M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pharos
What does Pharos do?
Pharos Systems International develops and sells cloud-native enterprise print management software, anchored by its Pharos Cloud platform built on AWS. The software eliminates on-premises print servers, enforces Zero Trust print security, and provides real-time print analytics and secure release printing for large enterprises and higher education institutions worldwide.
Is Pharos a public or private company?
Pharos is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Pharos founded?
Pharos was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Pharos based?
Pharos is headquartered in West Henrietta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pharos make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Pharos Cloud SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are pharos Blueprint (On-Premises), pharos Uniprint (On-Premises) and professional Services & Consulting.
Who are Pharos's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PaperCut Software, PrinterLogic (now Vasion), Y Soft Corporation and ThinPrint (Cortado). Emerging players are Printix and uniFLOW (NT-ware / Canon). Broad incumbents are Ricoh (Streamline/Print Management), HP (JetAdvantage / MPS) and Xerox. Kofax / Tungsten Automation is listed as an others.
Does Pharos have an API?
Yes. Pharos Cloud 4.4 expanded API framework enabling organizations to automate print operations and integrate print more seamlessly into broader IT workflows. The API supports automation at enterprise scale and allows enterprises to scale securely while minimizing manual effort.
What industry is Pharos in?
Pharos's product category is Enterprise Print Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAOAH, Cloud FinOps & SaaS Spend Management, with a secondary code of MPAJANAL, POD Platform Software & Workflow Automation (Order Routing, Prepress, MIS). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7370.