Chances are, you take all kinds of precautions to make sure your business, your data, and your clients are safe. You change your passwords regularly, shred documents rather than throwing them away, and keep your network secure–but did you know that your printer needs a little extra care when it comes to security? Here’s everything to need to know to print like a pro!
Printing Security
There are lots of ways to make sure your printers are working for you instead of against you. Managed print services is a great way to understand your print habits, strengthen your fleet, and streamline your workflows–but it will also help bring your attention to a bigger issue: print security. The truth is that printers are often overlooked when it comes to security procedures, and this can cause a lot of big, pricey problems in the event of a security breach.
Sound a little scary? Don’t worry–here are the two biggest issues with your printer’s security (and a few tips for fixing them).
#1: Hard drives are storing your data.
Almost all of today’s printers and multifunction devices use hard drives to store data. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because it helps the machines do their jobs quickly and efficiently; the problem arises when those hard drives aren’t secure. If your hard drive is hacked or you return a leased printer without wiping it, all of that data becomes vulnerable.
To dodge this data issue, you have a couple options: encrypt your machine’s hard drive, or utilize a “data erase” function that will make sure no one can access your deleted documents.
#2: Mobile print connections aren’t always secure.
Mobile printing is a great tool in the business world–but if you aren’t careful, it can come with some security risks. The problem here is usually an unprotected network or connections to mobile devices that aren’t secure.
The best solution is to include printers in all of your security measures. If you lock down your networks and create guidelines for using mobile connections safely, you should be well on your way to printing like a pro.
There are lots of security risks out there, but with solutions like managed printing, you can rest easy. To learn more, contact us today!
