When it comes to information security in your office, you’ve probably made sure all computers, servers, network and mobile devices are protected. But there’s one elephant in the room that may not be secure and likely stores priceless information about your business: the printer.
Did you know that 60% of businesses lose data through an office printer security breach? Data lost due to these breaches can cost a company an average of $400,000. If your printer is outdated or in need of a software update, your office could be vulnerable to hackers.
What is Printer Security?
According to a survey completed on Global Print Security, print is predicted to continue to play a major role in the business process. 28% of businesses surveyed said that they expect print to still be important to their business in a year. With that in mind, how does your company ensure office printer security?
Simply put, securing your printer means that you close any unlocked doors to potential hackers. It involves implementing passwords, restricting access, working on an encrypted network and updating the printer firmware.
Best Practices to Prevent an Office Printer Breach
1. Choose the right printer. Everything you print, scan, copy or fax is stored on your printer’s hard drive. Small, home printers are usually not equipped to handle the security needs of a small business. Your office should consider selecting a printer that can provide disk encryption and protect sensitive data stored on the device.
2. Keep the printer up-to-date. The software that runs on your printer is like any other software, it needs to be regularly updated in order to improve security features, patch known security holes, and fix other issues.
3. Manage printer access. You can easily configure your printer to restrict access only allowing for certain networks, devices and IP addresses to have a connection to the device.
4. Don’t run unnecessary protocols and services. These protocols can allow remote access to your printer, unbeknownst to you. When you disable these services, you protect your printer from being used as a server for unintended purposes.
5. Change the default password. This one seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many of our clients have not thought to change the password to the administration control panel, which is the home of all your computer security settings.
Secure Your Printer in Sacramento
As a printer and copier dealer in Sacramento (with offices in Fresno and the Bay Area), one of our highest priorities at WiZiX Technology Group is to ensure the security of your machine. When you buy or lease a copier, printer or MFP through us, you can rest assured it is protected against snooping and hackers. We’ll also make sure you understand how to update the software and test your printer’s security. Call for your free quote today: 1-(866) 592-6877.