Posted on Mon, May 31, 2010
Has anyone been following Facebook & their recent challenges around protecting the privacy of their more than 200 million active users? At last count, there were more than 30,000 users committed to ‘quitting' Facebook.
As always, this situation has me thinking about the parallels with printers, copiers, and the privacy that should be protecting these devices.
'Assuming' Facebook was properly managing your security has turned out to be questionable. Similarly, assuming your MPS Provider is treating your confidential data in a secure way may also lead to problems down the road. Printers and MFP's are incredibly sophisticated and if not properly managed, can pose a serious threat to the security of the business. They deliver and communicate data, store information on hard drives and have direct network access. That being said, it's no surprise that there is a lot of buzz nowadays around security.
We've talked about arbitrarily removing personal devices in the effort to save a few dollars. Beyond the potential loss of productivity, this product transition can also result in significant risks to personal and corporate information if not managed with an appropriate focus on privacy and security.
There are a few things to consider when thinking about your print security strategy. I would recommend your supplier(s) (MPS provider, hardware, software, etc) must be able to properly address all of the below:
- How is data stored and ultimately removed from device hard drives?
- How is sensitive information accessed?
- Who has access to information stored?
- Is encryption required?
- Should jobs be tracked?
- Are sensitive documents printed left unsupervised in public spaces?
- What happens to documents that are left behind or forgotten?
- What types of documents are being printed and where?
- What sort of credentials are required for scanning and sending?
- How can printers be accessed outside the firewalls? Inside?
- Are there potential threats around outsourced managed services providers with access?
The list continues but the point is any printer with network access (even ones locally attached) should be treated like any other network device, and vulnerabilities should be addressed. Software solutions can address several issues around secure workflow. However, where the software stops, a strong Managed Services company must step in. Can a hacker get to your printer? What happens to information stored on your devices if they are returned when the lease is up? What did that service technician do with the faulty hard drive he just replaced? I would even challenge you to go take a look at what's sitting in that printer outside your office waiting to be picked up.
We have seen an explosion around MPS over the past 2-3 years, with many new companies (including OEM manufacturers) suggesting they are fully capable of deploying a complete MPS solution. Through my eyes, it's not that basic as MPS is far from being a ‘Me Too' commodity industry. Without significant experience and outstanding processes, the risk exists that when one of the above questions is asked, the Provider may not have the needed experience. Worse still: the Provider is unaware of the security risk of the above & sensitive data escapes into the public domain. Further, if you're considering moving some components of your print environment into the ‘Cloud' one day, these questions will become even more important.
As technology continues to advance, so should expectations around your MPS Provider. While both the direct cost of printing documents and managing workflow should be part of any customer decision, don't stop there. Add security as a critical component to your vendor selection and you'll greatly reduce the risk of personal or corporate information getting into the wrong hands.
Posted on Wed, Apr 28, 2010
On the road to the MPS Conference in San Antonio via Las Vegas. A few notes from the HP Americas Partner Conference:
Mark Hurd took the stage yesterday, presenting to the largest HP partners across North and South America. A great speaker, Hurd made it clear HP is all about the economics...and the P&L performance of HP suggests he's delivering on that objective! While he didn't spend much time on HP's Imaging & Printing Group, he was very clear about HP's focus on growing their networking business. The data presented suggested 67% of CIOs have been mandated to reduce their carbon footprint within their IT group. HP says the new networking solutions are significantly more energy efficient that provide twice the capability, with a 30%-60% savings over previous technology. Sounds quite a bit like MPS doesn't it?!
Hurd discussed the capabilities and size of HP, in both a positive and negative light. From a positive, HP has a very integrated platform covering everything from the network to pcs to servers to printers. Oh, and HP just announced they're buying Palm...just another billion dollar ‘tuck in'! http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/04/28/hp-buys-palm.html
On the other side, he acknowledged the need to work on streamlining the vast operations within HP, understanding that many processes are simply too complicated & take far too long to get an answer on ‘anything'. They also discussed the significant learning they've been going through with their MPS program and the issues around constrained product. They were very clear on the ‘thank you' to their key partners for ‘sticking with' HP during this cycle.
On the whole, it was an excellent update from HP...now hitting the road to the Managed Print Services Conference in San Antonio. Looking forward to hearing the fresh insight from Photizo on their view of the market & where MPS now sits on the Hype curve.
Posted on Wed, Apr 21, 2010
Can you imagine we have been celebrating Earth Day for the past 40 years? Wow...time flies. Seems like only yesterday the US government proposed legally binding restrictions on the use of ozone-depleting chemicals (btw, that was 1987). In any event, I'm sure like most of us, you are contemplating your personal and/or professional impact on the environment today.
From my perspective, it's good to see more companies establishing green mandates and purchasing policies, and that's good news for the environment. In fact, it could be argued that business and individuals alike have been pushing the ‘green movement' with far more success than our global governments. One is Cisco's One Million Acts of Green. Another area that is working to reduce waste is Managed Print Services (MPS) and we should all be proud of the strides were making in the reduction of waste.
The first step to reducing impact is having a full understanding of resources and processes. That's where Stage 1 of MPS comes in. Stage 2 begins with the consolidation and selection of responsible vendors, selecting supplies and devices that are efficient and responsible and then looking to improve workflow by turning paper processes into electronic ones leads us into Stage 3. A good MPS consultant works with the customer to reduce waste while maximizing the useful life of existing devices, and that's good for the environment...and also a customer's bottom line.
For LaserNetworks, the environment has long been a pillar of both our culture and our vision. This year, we are helping our customers become ‘Print Neutral' during Earth Month. In reviewing some of the facts, we will be planting almost 3,000 trees to off set one month of our customers office printing...and these 5,000 trees simply come from twenty of our largest customers.
Next month at the MPS Conference in San Antonio I will be giving a presentation on Green IT and how you can utilize MPS to support your customer's green initiatives. Until then, here's a list of Printing Tips to reduce your environmental impact.