5 Security Features Your Printer Should Have

When looking for a target, cybercriminals will attack the weakest link. For many small and medium-sized businesses, this means their printers. No longer simple machines, networked printers handle large amounts of valuable data each and every day. Is your printer putting your business at risk? If it doesn’t have these security features, it may be.

1. Encryption – Transmitting data puts it at risk for interception. Encryption makes the intercepted packets of data useless to thieves. Your data should be encrypted while being transmitted to the printer, and also when being sent to the cloud or from a scanned document back into your network.

2. Hard drive clearing – Modern printers contain hard drives that store your printed, scanned and faxed data. To prevent theft, the hard drive should be cleared regularly. Look for a printer that makes it easy to do this.

3. Authenticated printing – Data theft can happen digitally or manually. Unclaimed print jobs can leave sensitive data open for any passerby to take. Authenticated printing (“pull” printing) contains this problem by making the user enter a password or PIN code before the printer will release the print job.

4. Password protection – When you scan and digitize your data, you need to store it securely. Automatically transmitting to the cloud is one feature many printers now offer. Regardless of where you store your digital data, a printer that allows you to password protect your documents adds an important layer of protection to your data.

5. Activity logging – No matter how strong your security protocols are, they won’t work if they aren’t followed. A printer with activity logs will show you who is using the printer, when they are using it, and what they are doing on it. This can help ensure compliance with security regulations. If a breach were to occur, activity logs can help you better understand the weakness in your system.

Your printer is an essential piece of office equipment, but is often overlooked as a security risk. With as many as 60% of SMBs that suffer a cyberattack going out of business, it is essential to protect yourself. Printers that incorporate the latest security technologies allow you to shield your data from theft and reduce your risk of becoming a victim.  To learn how to keep your print environment safe and secure contact us today.

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