WHY IS PRINTER SECURITY IMPORTANT?

Many companies have extensive security protocols to ensure that all of their private, data-based information remains secure. Whether it’s personalized security tags upon office entry, firewalls for your website, email servers and more, company security is important. 

One area of security that some businesses do not even think of, is your printer security. Although your printer or multifunction device does the simple task of printing and scanning documents, there is so much data behind the scenes that your printer stores and has access to. 

Below highlight the top reasons why you should have a secure multifunction device. 

1. AVOID UNAUTHORIZED USAGE 

Although printing is a great service, it can also have great costs. Companies can spend thousands of dollars annually on purchasing paper, ink and supplies for their 

printer. If you have external vendors, cleaners, contractors coming into your office, it would be wise to consider a system that manages who’s printing what and giving people specific access.

Authorized access can be done in many ways – logging in through the multifunction device screen, a scanning card, a specific password. 

By having specific authorization requirements in place, you avoid unwanted individuals from utilizing and potentially tampering with your devices. 

2. KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE

Although your multifunction device and printer may seem pretty simple in terms of technological capabilities, they have the ability to store large amounts of data. 

Printed have hard drives that function similarly to a computer hard drive – they store lots of data and keep that information stored. 

If your company has a lot of confidential information – such as medical, legal or personal profiles, having strong security features in place means that your information is less likely to be compromised. Companies who rely on confidential information in their day-to-day operations can’t afford the risk of a hacker, especially not someone who hacks into a printer system. 

With good security measures in place, companies don’t have to stress about printing confidential documents. 

3. AVOID HACKING

The last but definitely the most important reason why you should focus on your printer security is to avoid hacking. An unsecure printer can be a company’s weak spot for a hacker to access the network and all the security information. 

As best described by this article from Office Interiors, “Network printers and multifunction devices that aren’t adequately secured can lead to a network breach, data theft, and worse.” (Office Interiors, 2018). 

Heightened security measures with all your devices and company information, can greatly avoid your company from being hacked and having your data from being silently stolen. 

A non-secure printer can lead a hacker to your network, which can cause grave problems for your company and its information. With a strong security system in place, your company information, whether it be emails, servers, or hard drives, are much less likely to be compromised by outsiders. 

Business security protocols are definitely considered in many companies, but it is vital that companies also factor their multifunction devices into their security measures. Although these devices may seem simple, they have a lot of power and it can be detrimental to a business if they do not have adequate security features.