You may have seen coverage like this of another printer hack job. The hacker’s program scoured the Internet for printers that were online, but didn’t have basic security controls enabled. Over 150,000 networked printers were compromised, but this hacker appeared to want to alert people to the risks, rather than do actual harm.
Still, it’s a wake-up call for organizations to be responsible for the security of their endpoints. If you have Managed Print Services, your MPS partner should offer specialized support to protect your devices and the information and processes they touch.
Checklist for MPS Security Capabilities
When you have device fleets, paper and digital workflow, and employees who use both, it’s essential to work with an MPS professional who understands how to secure information in a complex workplace. Here are some things to consider as you evaluate the security skills of an MPS provider:
- Does your MPS partner use software tools and a secure protocol to send and receive information from print and MFP devices?
- Does your MPS partner work with the Cisco Identity Security Engine (ISE) to enforce security requirements based on user, device and access context, as well as mobile device compliance with corporate policy?
- Device security policies must consider access to network assets, not just access to information. What is your policy for access and printing to network assets? Can your MPS provider help automate and monitor asset access?
- Can the MPS software be configured to send the device only information your organization allows, such as “Restrict IP address information from being transmitted”?
- Does the MPS partner use standards-based technology? Is the MPS partner’s back office certified by ISO 27001 as a secure facility?
- Can the partner’s software interrogate the MFP or printer fleet for device firmware levels and determine if they align with your security policies?
Extending Document Security to the Cloud
The move to the cloud has added a twist to the security story. The cloud has reduced demand for for pricey on-premise servers and given practically anyone anywhere, anytime access to applications, platforms and services. This makes security even more critical. Forrester Research found that although nearly a third of global enterprise infrastructure decision-makers had already adopted or were in the process of adopting or expanding public cloud services, an almost equal number had security concerns regarding application and data protection.
Next-generation MPS can support your move to the cloud in a number of ways, including these. However, as more of your documents and work processes move to the cloud—including managed print services—this adds another dimension to security strategies. Use this list to make sure your MPS partner can maintain document security in cloud-based environments.
MPS Partner Cloud Security Checklist
- Uses cloud content solutions to ensure a secure repository to host your documents in the cloud.
- Delivers personal and office productivity capabilities for secure collaboration.
- Employees can freely but safely share and interact with content, without being constrained by rigid enterprise security solutions.
- Digitizes routine office processes, so tasks like document review and sharing don’t take as much time or as many steps. Back-up documentation can also be automated and digitized, which is great for compliance.
- Replicates functions traditionally supported by paper as digital formats, so the associated documents can be secured in the cloud. Also allows employees to handle paper when a document is needed in that way, such as letting front offices accept paper forms from customers and ingest them right away into secure, digital workflow via an intelligent, multi-function device.
- Uses workflow automation to make document-related tasks easier, resulting in greater productivity and less risk of data breaches from human error.
- Provides embedded hardware security solutions to provide services via the cloud through partnership with best-in-class security companies like Cisco.
Where is your organization on the security journey? Your MPS partner can be a valuable guide, so use these lists to make sure your provider is qualified to help safeguard your documents and devices.
