Managed Printing Services (MPS) is a rapidly-growing solution by which organizations outsource the management of their printing environment to an external company or provider. MPS is expected to continue to grow exponentially in popularity due to a number of benefits, including reducing printing costs, improving document workflows, and freeing up your own IT staff from the burden of servicing your printer fleet. One of the most important impacts an MPS solution can have on a business is its ability to significantly improve document security, which is why law offices are increasingly embracing MPS as a necessary component of their overall strategic security plans.
Why is it important for law firms to keep data secured?
A law firm has access to an inordinate amount of confidential information, perhaps more sensitive data than any other industry outside of government or finance. This confidential material includes financial data, tax information, insurance details, medical records, criminal background checks, and more. Considering the amount of documents a law firm has to process in the course of doing business, the need for effective document security is essential. Moreover, firms are obligated by law to ensure the security of such information. By making use of an MPS solution to secure their printing environment, law firms can strengthen their confidentiality compliance requirements and mitigate the risk of sensitive information ending up in the wrong hands.
How an MPS solution can help law firms secure confidential documents:
• The first step of an MPS engagement is a comprehensive assessment of your printer fleet and document workflows. This assessment provides an initial overview of your existing environment and will identify any vulnerabilities or soft spots in equipment or processes where your data may be at risk.
• MPS ensures the security of your confidential documents through the implementation of password protection for your printers. When a password or PIN number is required, you are able to effectively control who has access to the printers in your office. This practice ensures only authorized employees collect documents from your devices.
• Pull printing, a practice in which the printer securely holds a printed job on a server until the user manually enters a password or PIN number on the device itself, is one of the most effective ways to ensure the security of confidential data. Pull printing prevents documents from ending up in the hands of someone other than the person who actually printed the document. Moreover, it sends your printed documents to the printer’s hard drive via an encrypted connection, further protecting it against the threat of network hacks. With pull printing, also referred to as “follow me” printing, lawyers can print their documents without affecting the company’s local network.
• An MPS engagement includes the management of your print fleet by trained professionals, so you’ll no longer have to worry about constantly installing updates and patches to your devices. Your MPS provider will make sure you always have the latest versions of software and firmware with the most up-to-date security features, adding an extra layer of security to your firm’s confidential data.
The legal field’s reliance on handling sensitive data coupled with required governmental compliance efforts makes it an industry that can benefit tremendously from an MPS solution. Contact Monster Technology today to get started with a FREE MPS assessment of your law office.