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.