If you’re not worried about your office’s print security, perhaps you should be. Printers may not appear to be a security risk on the surface, but think about how they’re integrated with company computers. Most printing devices these days are connected to a network, which means they’re vulnerable to hacking. This connection could be a major problem for any business whose employees regularly print out sensitive information.
A reliable, high-quality print management service provider should have a system in place for handling device security. Here are a few things they should be doing in collaboration with IT directors, to ensure your company’s information is kept safe.
Lock Down All Network Printers
Setting up a modern printer on a network is easy since they’re often plug-and-play. Many printers, however, don’t have security set up out of the box. It’s essential to ensure that any printer you add to your network be locked down. So change the password for each one to something unique, turning off protocols which aren’t being used, and switching on the firewall if it has one. It’s also wise to limit access to necessary users. Print management service providers should ensure device security is the same as any other computer on the network.
Check Security After Updates
It’s common for factory resets to occur after major service updates. This refresh will turn all printer settings back to default, including those related to security. It’s incumbent upon print management service providers and IT directors to determine if device security remains effective after a machine has been serviced. Creating a security protocol for printer updates may be helpful.
Set Up Print Security Technology
Print management service providers may be able to offer specialized tools to increase device security. One common solution includes letting employees print documents, but rather than send the job to the printer it holds it in a secure virtual queue. Employees must then log in directly to a specific printer, either with a user ID and password or access card, and print their documents. This way, nothing gets printed unless the employee is physically present at the printing device. Every page should be collected, with none left behind for anybody else to pick up.
Applying these types of print security protocols may also have the side-effect of reducing printing volume. Employees will be more mindful of what they print, and printing jobs in the virtual queue will expire if they’re not executed in a certain amount of time. Extra security may end up being a good way to save on paper and ink.
Printers may not be the first thing you think about when it comes to office security, but it’s crucial they’re treated the same as any other smart device on a network. A reputable print management service provider should be able to offer security solutions for your company. Stay on top of device security and your sensitive information will be kept safe.
If you need help streamlining or improving productivity, contact a technology advisor today.