When considering the security of their business data, all too often companies overlook one of the most obvious vulnerabilities for their office today: their documents. According to research firm Quocirca, 63 percent of businesses surveyed admit to experiencing one or more print-related data breaches. However, in a survey of IT security practitioners by the Ponemon Institute, 56 percent of respondents believe employees in their organizations do not see printers as an area of high security risk. Thus, the threat is real, but it is not being taken seriously.
Multifunction printers (MFPs) have proven to be an extremely valuable asset to workflows across the world, and as such, MFPs are used to handle sensitive information on a regular basis. MFPs scan documents and digitize the content within them, share this data, and store it. When those printers are networked to streamline business processes, they become even more vulnerable, potentially providing unauthorized access to your confidential data. Thankfully, there is a solution available that help you improve the security of your organization, in addition to numerous other benefits: Managed Print Services (MPS).
MPS is outsourcing the active management of all aspects of an organization’s printers to a trusted external provider. One of the key advantages of an MPS solution is improving the security of your documents. Printer security is essential in today’s digital business world, especially since compliance is now a requirement in so many different industries. (Did you know the simple act of leaving printed documents unsecured on a printer is a violation of both HIPAA and The Sarbanes–Oxley Act?) MPS provides you with the ability to better protect your office technology devices.
Managed Print Services enables you to protect your printing environment by securing your printers both physically and digitally. An initial assessment of your printing environment will enable your MPS provider to identify any security vulnerabilities in your existing devices and policies. Authentication will enable you to control access to your printers and their functions at the group, individual, and activity level. Keeping your printer software up-to-date ensures that you are always operating the system’s latest version with the most up-to-date security patches. Implementing sign-in procedures and pull printing will prevent printed documents from being abandoned at devices or picked up by someone other than the person to whom the printed document belongs. Automatic hard drive wiping functionality can purge electronic copies of sensitive data saved to your devices.
In order to keep your sensitive business information safe, your printers need to be secure. MPS provides you with the ability to protect your data with the help of security professionals. Contact Monster Technology today to get started protecting your print environment and gaining peace of mind.