Printing – an overlooked security concern?

Managed Print Services Connect (Aug 14 2012) Blogs , Print Security

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   Even with the rise of digital technology, printing remains a fundamental business requirement across industries. While companies often state that they go to great lengths to protect sensitive data, security is often overlooked as soon as a document is sent to a printer.

   Within an enterprise network, access to certain documents is restricted and limited only to those who are assigned the right to access. The problem becomes who can actually collect the confidential documents once they are printed. The simple mistake of collecting an extra sheet of paper from a shared printer can lead to anything from an embarrassing situation to a serious security breach. When printing documents, especially in places such as hospitals and healthcare offices where information protection is mandated by law, it is imperative that the documents are received by the right hands.

   Regulations like HIPAA, for example, which restrict the number of eyes permitted to see individual information, will only continue to grow. It’s apparent that companies must consider end-to-end documents security, including at the printing stage. 

   The quick fix?

   Traditionally, when employees have raised concerns over print document security, organizations have implemented quick fixes and ad hoc solutions. They give the concerned user their own individual printer, position it on their desk and install the necessary driver locally.

   From a long-term cost perspective, this is not a cheap option. Yes, there is minimal outlay initially, but think of the ink, toner, maintenance, repairs; every piece of hardware has an ongoing cost. When multiple departments flag the same concern, a one-time solution becomes a company-wide initiative. Quickly, the simple fix spirals into an ongoing solution of every user’s printing situation and it drives up a company’s costs.

   But an escalating printer fleet size has more than just price consequences. IT helpdesk calls will increase when individuals cannot print to their local personal printers.  Every new printer requires the installation, administration and upkeep of a separate printer driver, a complex task for any IT department. Consequently, excessive printer drivers will invariably slow down the wider network performance. At a large organization, the number of printers can quickly grow out of control.

   Printing smart and secure

   So, how can organizations address the issue of printing security without the escalating cost and administrative issues that come with managing a large printer fleet? An emerging trend in printing adopts the way in which traditional computing has developed security measures. Companies need to ensure that the appropriate user is the sole person able to pull or release the printed document at the shared printer. In this way, the printed document will not be released from the printer until the specified user is present at the printer and requesting the document to print.

   Technologies including PIN, smartcard and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enable single or multiple factor authentication to create a highly secure printing landscape. Any card, be it a credit, debit or access card can be converted into a smart printing card which, when swiped on location, will release pending documents for that user. Similarly, entering a unique and secret PIN number will tell the printer that the authorized user is present and waiting to collect his or her print job.

   By introducing this technology into the printing environment, organizations can rely on ease of use and high adoption rates since it so familiar to most users and companies can rest assure that printing is no longer the weak link in their security chain. This technology can help prevent major security and regulatory violations, saving a company’s IT and even law departments, time and money that can be spent elsewhere.  In an industry like healthcare, a company’s energy and dollars are better spent on technology that can help patients. This solution is simple, efficient and cost-effective.

   Security policy can no longer stop at a company’s doors, it must travel within the company and make its way to every nook and cranny of the business to be truly protected, and this includes printing. Printing security should be top of mind for every CSO, CTO and even CIO. Unchecked, unmonitored and unsecured printing presents a very real and very major security threat. Executives can rest easily, though knowing that technology is on hand to safeguard their printing environment, ensuring that sensitive information is as secure on paper, as it is in soft form.

   By

   Arron Fu, VP of Software Development for UniPrint

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