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Network security is a growing concern for every business, but while many businesses owners go to great lengths to secure computers and servers, they often overlook their office printers, another significant source of potential vulnerability to outside threats. Why Do I Need to Secure My Print Environment? Today’s modern office printer is quite sophisticated compared to its predecessors, and in many ways, functions much like a computer with its Ethernet interface and IP address. Although advances in print technology have proven beneficial to businesses in almost every aspect, they have also given birth to new security risks that can result in costly damages if you don’t take the proper precautions. Print security is important for businesses that: Print sensitive or secure documents. Must comply with industry standards or security protocols. Want to protect their network environment from outside threats. Why are Printers a Threat? There are several security threats associated with office printers. For example, printers now have internal hard drives for document queueing and caching, and sensitive documents can sometimes be recovered from the printer’s hard drive. Furthermore, an ill-configured printer can provide an access point for hackers to infiltrate your network and steal your business’ sensitive data. Minimizing the Security Risks While there are ways to secure your printer, it is important to take a holistic approach to maximize your protection. There are three main areas in which you should focus your efforts to reduce your system’s vulnerability: the printer itself, the data on the printer, and the network in which your printer resides. Printer Security Steps The first step to printer security is securing the printer itself. Make sure your printer is set up and configured properly with the following steps: Set Up Passwords and Admin Profiles – Set up a device password or create an administrator profile on your printer to ensure only authorized users can make changes to your device settings. Perform Regular Software Updates – As hackers get smarter, new threats emerge. Hardware manufacturers constantly release security patches to counter these threats, so it is critical to perform regular software updates to remedy these flaws. Engage Your Printer’s Security Features – Many printers have settings specifically designed with security in mind. For example, the Xerox Secure Print feature holds a print job in the queue until the user enters a passcode on the device to “release” it. This eliminates private documents from being viewed in the output tray or even taken by someone else. Place in an Open Location – Place your printer in a central area of the office or an open space that is visible to others. This will reduce instances of people tampering with the device’s settings or taking documents they shouldn’t. Data Security Steps In addition to securing the printer, you must secure the data inside the printer as well as the data transmitted to and from it. Transmitting unsecured data, or allowing unsecure data to remain at rest in your printer, is a security flaw with significant implications. Set Up Device Encryption – Many printers have internal storage features like hard drives and flash storage that allow them to store printed documents. If you choose to leave these features enabled, you should enable device-level encryption. This is a common feature on business-class or enterprise-class printers, but many people forget to enable it. Strong encryption can protect your data and keep it from being used by outside parties. Set Up Network Encryption – For many businesses, internal printer encryption isn’t enough. Network encryption protects data as it moves from a computer or server to the printer. Encryption is especially important if you have a wireless office network since devices outside of your physical office space might still be able to connect to your network and read the data you transmit to your printer. Educate Your Staff – One of the best ways to keep your data secure is to develop print policies that outline things like who can print what and how to properly dispose of sensitive documents. Then you must educate your staff on these SOP’s, test for understanding, and periodically double-check to ensure they comply.

Every business relies on technology to stay productive. Computers, printers, servers, and more – all of these devices must work consistently for your organization to operate efficiently. So what happens when the technology you depend on starts to become unreliable? No matter what kind of technology you use, it all has a limited lifespan. Here are a few things you can look for to determine if your office needs a technology refresh. Signs You Need to Upgrade Office Equipment Slow Performance – Many people complain that their office equipment begins to run more slowly over time. For example, computers lose speed for several reasons, including a shortage of RAM, low hard disk space, software updates that require more resources, etc. Another example is older inkjet printers, which will typically perform more slowly than newer laser models. If your devices are running too slow, it may be time to replace them or upgrade. Incompatibility – Often, upgrading a portion of your network, such as switching to a new application or server operating system, leads to a partial loss of functionality in your older equipment. This can be caused by a lack of appropriate software or resources, or it might be because older hardware is no longer supported. By replacing or refreshing office equipment every three to five years, you can reduce the risk of incompatibility between devices and applications. Overworked Equipment – Significant growths in business such as opening new locations, hiring new employees, or expanding your product and service offerings may take a toll on your computers, printers, and servers. If your copier is struggling to handle the increased workload or your server is bottlenecking from an increase in traffic, you should think about upgrading to newer technology that is built to meet such high demands. Frequent Service Issues – Frequent repairs and service issues can result in decreased productivity and costly downtime. If you have noticed an increase in the number of It Support calls in the last six months or the number of repairs performed on the same office copier or printer, it’s time to evaluate whether your old technology is costing you more to maintain than it’s worth. Making Sense of Upgrading – Once you have determined that your office needs a technology facelift, knowing where to start can be tricky. For instance, if your employees are having trouble accessing network resources from their PCs and laptops, what exactly do you need to fix? Do you need to upgrade their computers, the server, or the network infrastructure? Knowing what to fix or replace and what to replace it with requires careful thought. Here are a few office equipment questions for you to consider. What technology (and applications) are critical for your business? Upgrading mission-critical equipment and applications is a risky process, and it needs to be handled with caution. For example, if you rely on a particular piece of software for tracking customer orders, you want to be sure that it will work flawlessly on new computers or servers to avoid a disruption in business continuity. Is keeping old office equipment affecting your bottom line? Is your equipment costing you more than it’s worth? Even if your old copier works on your updated network, you might benefit more from having a newer copier that offers energy-efficient features, faster print speeds, and lower costs-per-print. Also, it Is important to note that servicing older equipment is more costly because parts are typically harder to find, and often this maintenance is not covered under warranty. What is the most cost-effective method to upgrade your office equipment? Replacing all your office equipment to optimize your performance or to solve functional issues just is not financially realistic for most organizations.  As a result, many business owners hang onto dated technology for far longer than they should, and employee productivity suffers.  In recent years, however, a new purchasing model has emerged to give business owners a more cost-effective alternative to procuring new technology.  

Most printer manufacturers offer multifunctional models that provide the capabilities of multiple machines in a single unit. These devices often include print, scan, copy and fax capabilities in the form of one all-inclusive machine. Originally marketed for home and small business users, many manufacturers now offer larger and more robust models for medium to large business use. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of a multifunction printer helps you make an informed decision when purchasing new equipment. Convenience A multifunction printer offers the convenience of additional features you may not have purchased otherwise. For example, if you normally do not send or receive many fax messages, you may not have invested in a separate fax machine. However, a multifunctional printer that includes fax capabilities allows you to send or receive the occasional fax without an added expense. In addition, the ability to scan an image and then print that image using the same machine offers another level of convenience by saving you the time of walking to two separate devices. Space Savings Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of a multifunctional printer includes the space savings offered by the device. Rather than having to find space for a printer, a copier, a fax machine and a scanner, you can have the same functionality in a single machine. This space savings may benefit those trying to make the most of their home office space or those working with significant space constraints. Cost Savings Another advantage of a multifunctional printer includes the cost savings of purchasing one device that performs multiple functions. Although the purchase price for an all-in-one printer may exceed that of a traditional printer, the overall cost typically remains less than purchasing multiple machines. Therefore, you can benefit from increased functionality without paying for each feature. In addition to the savings associated with the original purchase price, maintaining one device costs less than maintaining multiple devices. Power Savings Multifunction printers typically require one cord to power the entire device. Not only does this reduce cable congestion, it lowers the electricity required to run the device. This power savings also leads to increased cost savings.