Print.IT Reseller - issue 87

01732 759725 VOX POP 44 ...continued the increase in home printing. “Cyber criminals took note. Over the coming months their activity spiked, up 400 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, and used increasingly sophisticated methods. With hybrid and remote working very much a part of the future workspace mix, this security issue is one that must be addressed to protect business data and operations, an area that IT professionals have not yet fully considered. “We continue to meet new clients where they have not been made aware of all the risks associated with how data is stored, transferred and retained across their print infrastructure or multifunctional print devices. In a recent survey conducted by Quocirca, it was found that 11 per cent of all security incidents are print-related, equating to an average of nine print-related incidents per year. 59 per cent of these lead to data losses, costing an average of £313,000 per annum to deal with. Other impacts include lost productivity and revenue. “There is a common misbelief that no one will ever go to the effort of trying to take data or installing ransomware on print devices. Therefore, insufficient controls have traditionally been put in place to help manage print estates. Despite many reports of incidents over the previous years, there are still organisations who have not implemented a secure print infrastructure, let alone data security controls on individual devices, or in fact established methods to isolate and recover systems post a security breach. “Furthermore, devices are still being disposed of which hold commercially sensitive or personal information without adequate controls to ensure secure data erasure. In some cases, devices have ended up with secondary users that still contain data from the original owners, which aside from the obvious security issue, is also in clear breach of data protection legislation. One can only assume organisations are not aware of solutions that can help safely deal data erasure and certification.” James Overton, Business Development Director, SOS Systems: “I think the recent Microsoft printer spooling security flaw has put printing security back on the radar. Whilst integral to network and information security, perimeter defence does not provide sufficient protection for all your information. Unintentional data leakage and malicious breaches are real threats and you should assume they are already inside your network. Consequently communication across connected servers and devices needs to be secure, whatever the size of your network.” Neil Sawyer, Director of Channel & Partner Alliances, HP Inc.: “According to HP Wolf Security Blurred Lines & Blindspots Report, 45 per cent of IT decision-makers say they have seen evidence in their company of compromised printers being used as an attack point in the past year. The same report contains data from KuppingerCole showing 86 per cent of industry executives said their customers had concerns around the security of their home printers. “Today, the solution every company needs is best-in-class security. In light of the past year, 91 per cent of IT decision- makers surveyed said they spend more time on endpoint security now than two years ago. For customers and partners, a robust security solution will only become an even greater advantage in the marketplace as end-users and IT decision-makers place greater focus on comprehensive and resilient endpoint infrastructure and cyber defence.” In light of the past year, 91 per cent of IT decision- makers surveyed said they spend more time on endpoint security now than two years ago Sajan Shivshanker James Overton PrintIT Reseller: As a vendor, what can/are you doing to ensure that print security is an integral part of end-users’ IT security policies? Mark Bailey: “As with most subjects, communication is key. At EBM, these considerations are part of our scoping discussions with clients – particularly in industries such as healthcare, education and law, where we know strong emphasis is placed on security. We also raise it again at the beginning of their onboarding process, where we’re establishing their exact specifications. As a print reseller, EBM delivers print software designed to address security issues, and works with our clients’ IT teams to set up the devices as required. “IT support is also a core part of our business. As such, due to our heritage as an MPS provider, we are always mindful to write print security into our clients’ IT security policies. Where we are providing managed print only, we must again fall back on communication: making sure the issue is raised with the client’s IT provider giving them any information they need to get the job done right.” Steve Kendall-Smith: “At Lexmark, we believe that data security should be built into MFPs from the start rather than enabled with add-on hardware and software. Security is an integral design and engineering component embedded in our products, tools, and services. Our comprehensive approach to security covers a full spectrum of features and functions designed to protect every aspect of a business’s output environment. “We are working to highlight the importance of print security within organisations across different sectors, promoting a zero trust policy when it comes to security. The idea is rooted in the principle that organisations should not automatically trust anything inside or outside their perimeters and verify anything and everything trying to connect to systems before granting access. This is part of Lexmark’s education around print security and the implications of overlooking this as part of an overall network security strategy. There is still much work to be done around the education of print networks and the security risks they pose to any organisations network security. “Our full spectrum security offering