How to Protect Your Business from Printer-Related Security Breaches
While much attention is given to securing computers and networks, printers often remain the overlooked gateway for security threats. This blog post explores practical strategies to fortify your business against printer-related security breaches, ensuring comprehensive protection in your IT infrastructure.
Key Takeaways:
- Printers are often overlooked in cybersecurity plans but can be significant vulnerabilities.
- Implementing strong access controls and regular software updates are critical steps.
- Regularly monitoring and auditing printer activity helps in early detection of security issues.
- Partnering with a managed print provider can offer specialized printer security expertise.
Understanding the Threat:
Printers, once simple peripherals, have evolved into complex networked devices that handle sensitive information. Unsecured printers can provide hackers access to your network, leading to data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and other security threats.
Strategies for Protection:
- Update and Patch Regularly: Ensure that your printers’ firmware and software are up-to-date to protect against known vulnerabilities.
- Implement Access Controls: Restrict printer access to authorized users only and use strong authentication methods to prevent unauthorized access.
- Secure Your Network: Use encryption for data transmitted to and from the printer and ensure the printer is behind a firewall.
- Monitor and Audit: Regularly check printer logs for unusual activities that could indicate a breach or attempted breach.
- Educate Your Team: Raise awareness among your employees about the importance of printer security and best practices to follow.
- Physical Security: Ensure that printers are placed in secure locations to prevent unauthorized physical access.
Partnering with a Managed Print Provider:
For businesses looking to enhance not just their security posture but also seeking to gain a cost advantage by managing their printers, ManagedPrint can help by:
- Helping you know the cost of each print from each device.
- With with you on cost recovery software so you can bill for the prints you make.
- Expert help with managing supplies and printer inventory.
Choose ManagedPrint
Don’t let your printers be the weak link in your cybersecurity defense. Contact ManagedPrint today to learn how our managed print services can help protect your business from printer-related security breaches.
