From a business perspective, security can mean a lot of things. It could mean your alarm system in the building. It could also mean preventing intruders from coming in by placing a security officer at your front desk. In most cases, it means ensuring cyber criminals do not enter your network, stealing critical business, employee, or customer data. But did you know, security can also apply to your print environment?
Generally, your printers are often overlooked because many assume it’s a one-way street for communication. But it’s just the opposite. Your printers are typically on the network and have a hard drive for storage, making it an incredibly vulnerable asset in the company, and one that has been a subject for attack.
4 Easy Tips To A More Secure Infrastructure
1. Conduct a Security Assessment
First things first – assess the network. You can do this by working with a provider who can map each device that your company owns – printers, pc’s, laptops, smart devices, and multifunction devices. Your print devices should always be included when it comes to your security strategy. Any future security projects should always be included in your IT roadmap.
2. Monitor Printer and Network Threats
Threats can take form in all shapes and sizes. Cybercriminals are becoming smarter by the day and its very important to make sure your business is protected from these strategic attacks. By implementing a solution that will monitor your devices, threats can be detected and mitigated before your employees even realize there is a problem.
3. Operating Systems Should Be Up To Date
By keeping operating systems up to date, it can resolve any potential risks. Work with your print provider to update the firmware in your printers or consider upgrading to the newest models. Make sure the line of communication between your printers and PC’s and network is secure.
4. Train Your Employees
Data and security breaches are often started in the most harmless ways. By educating your employees and showing them examples of various threats, it can help alleviate the risk of human error. If they don’t know they are clicking on an email that is really a phishing ploy, could they have possibly opened the company to a malicious attack?
Securing your business doesn’t have to be a tedious task. Recognizing the need and partnering with a company who can provide a total security assessment can pave the way for a safer infrastructure.
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