Even though we live in an increasingly digital age, printed documents are still vital for businesses of every size. Contracts need to be signed, paperwork must be submitted, and glossy pamphlets have to be printed for the latest ad campaign. All of these print jobs keep your company running smoothly. Unfortunately, these devices have security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. It’s all too easy for potentially sensitive data to end up in the wrong hands. Managed Print Services help you stay ahead of rising cybercrime as you stay on top of your company’s printing needs.

Revisiting Managed Print Services: What It Is

Managed Print Services (MPS) is an umbrella of convenient print-related functions offered by third-party providers. These include copier and printer providers as well as specialized agencies. Managed Print Services programs often include:

  • An assessment of your current and projected printing needs
  • Monitoring data access, paper usage, and more
  • Managing your business’s printing, scanning, copying, and faxing tasks

These Managed Print Services are provided by a contract that can be modified to offer more features or downgraded to a basic plan to match seasonal changes in productivity and growth. They often include security-specific services as cybersecurity becomes more and more of a concern.

Why You Can’t Neglect Printer Security

Unfortunately, the high season for your business may also be a busy season for cybercrime in your industry. Many of the older tactics used to protect your printer haven’t kept up with hackers’ latest approaches. These cybersecurity tactics include strong computer passwords, router firewalls, and keeping your antivirus software up to date. Of course, these are still very sensible precautions, but they’re no longer the armor against cyberattacks that they used to be. Why? Blame Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi connectivity is enabled in many devices a modern office uses, including printers. Each of these connections opens a point of a possible vulnerability in your computer network. In fact, in 2020, Cybernews.com ran a search for unprotected printers that were accessible over the internet and found over 500,000 devices. In many cases, the data flowing through these connections – customer information, credit card numbers, banking information, and more – can be easily hijacked by cybercriminals.

These data breaches impact productivity and harm your company’s reputation with customers. They can also cost you significant penalties if oversight agencies determine that your company didn’t do enough to protect client data. In 2010, CBS News purchased digital copiers owned by a health insurance provider. Examining the devices’ hard drives uncovered the personal medical data of over 300,000 clients. That information had not been adequately deleted before the machines were disposed of. The health insurance provider was eventually hit with over $1 million in fines for violating HIPAA regulations.

If you use your Wi-Fi-connected printer frequently, your company may be targeted. If you’re a small or medium business, you’re in a worse position. SMBs are, increasingly, the hacker’s target of choice. They tend to have simpler security measures, use older and more exploitable devices, and not have a dedicated IT team to defend their network.

What can you do to get ahead of this unfortunate cybercrime trend? Managed Print Services offer assessment and data monitoring within your office’s print environment. These include clear information on who is accessing data and where files are going. The MPS provider may be able to identify weak points in your printer security. After you find these security gaps, you’ll be given options for closing them.

Some Managed Print Services contracts include device upgrades. Newer devices may offer more options for securing data and controlling access. Another option is to have some or all of your print jobs handled outside of the business. In those cases, the Managed Print Services provider will be able to use the most modern security protocols to keep your company’s data safe.

How Managed Print Services Increases Data Security

So, what precisely can Managed Print Services do to improve your data security? It will probably be a multi-pronged approach that may include:

  • Upgrading hardware, software, and firmware
  • Offer varying plans depending on the security expectations of your industry (i.e., HIPAA-compliant security, compliance with international regulations, etc.)
  • Moving printers to a more secure location
  • Updating passwords and establishing a strong authentication process for endpoint devices
  • Enabling encrypted protocols for printers that are capable of this
  • Installing new devices with more robust security features
  • Restricting who can access the printer and what kind of functions are available
  • Routing print traffic through a server instead of using a direct connection between your computer network and the device
  • Smoothly integrating additional devices while maintaining excellent security
  • Removing all traces of sensitive data and properly disposing of the printer when it’s outmoded

Alongside cutting-edge cybersecurity measures and hard-to-hack devices, a Managed Print Services contract offers you a framework for cyber-attack management. These companies have been doing this dance with hackers for a long time. They will likely have a comprehensive list of strategies for dealing with these issues. On your end, this translates into concrete, actionable plans for locking down your system when you detect an incoming hacking attempt. Some MPS providers will also help you train employees in the new lockdown protocols to check for gaps in your printer defense plan.

Keep Hackers Out of Your Printers with Managed Print Services

Managed Print Services offer you a range of powerful tools for monitoring data access and streamlining the printing and document creation process. How does this connect to data security? Increasingly, cybercriminals are turning away from direct attacks on your computer network in favor of targeting your printers and other endpoint devices. An MPS helps you find gaps in your cybersecurity and control who is accessing print jobs. This lets you get ahead of a data breach before it happens.

Would you like to learn more about Managed Print Services for your Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware business? Contact KDI Office Technology today to discuss your options and get started with a free assessment.