PRINT
IT
RESELLER.UK
43
VOX POP
Adam Gibbons:
“Print, as a business
function, is often overlooked. Only recently
have companies started to wake up to the
fact that unmanaged print is a hidden – yet
considerable – cost to an organisation. If
print costs are only starting to become a
realisation for many companies, then it may
take even longer for them to appreciate the
security vulnerabilities that print and print
devices expose a business to.
“Another factor could be that
we typically view security as being a
‘computer’ or a ‘network’ problem. It’s
widely thought that it’s their content which
is of value to a hacker, which is true – but
the gateway in to those robustly protected
assets, is the innocuous MFP in the corner
of the office. Businesses need to realise
that it’s just as important to protect the
gateway as it is to protect the assets
cybercriminals want to steal.”
Toni Gibiino:
“Put quite simply it’s further
down on the list of projects compared
to losing a server and data back-up that
allows you to keep the business running.
I’m not aware of a business that has
been compromised at a server level,
directly from a printing device. Controlling
what and how is being printed for cost
reduction purposes appears higher up
on the agenda compared to security, in
many instances, but it’s often not enough.
The other surprising request that is more
prominently sitting on the agenda is for us
to not sacrifice user experience for better
security.”
Simon Riley:
“Yes, a lot of businesses
are unaware. Many of the devices we
now supply come with data encryption as
standard, so any information on the hard
drives is overwritten, ensuring nothing can
be retrieved. But not all manufacturers do
this as standard.
“We try to add value to this, but as we
have already established, many people
do not see this as an issue. We do see the
requirement for hard drives to be wiped
or destroyed in some tenders, but not in
all. Educational establishments seem to be
the clients who ask for this the most. But
once again, much to my dismay, this level
of security is now becoming included in
the price of the machine, so we are maybe
devaluing the risk ourselves.”
Julian Stafford:
“We promote the
importance of security, give advice and
offer assistance with every new business
proposal. Currently, we sell HP machines,
which are the most secure devices, and our
other manufacturers, Sharp, Toshiba, and
Ricoh are all following suit and locking
their devices down.
“I think that it all comes down to
training. Most data breaches are caused
by accidental human error – leaving
confidential documents at the printer for
example, so proper training for all staff on
how to avoid silly mistakes, and on how to
use security features properly, should be a
clear starting point for any business.”
Scott Walker:
“ZenOffice MPS is in
a position to be able to offer MacAfee
whitelisting as standard with all Xerox
devices. We also work closely with all our
clients during the implementation stage,
to look at things like ‘print release’ so jobs
only print when authorised at the device.
“We can also set the devices to
automatically remove the jobs from the
print queue after a specific period of time
(hours, days etc.) to further avoid risk.
Beyond that, mobile working also forms a
large part of our design stage, to ensure
the right security is in place.”
Matt Goodall:
“As a professional and
responsible installer/supplier it is down
to us to ask the right questions and to
ensure that the option they have chosen
fits their requirements and demands.
Suppliers should also make them aware
of what happens to the hard drive when a
machine is removed from site, do you offer
an option to retain the drive, or swap it out
with a new one?
“Many customers though, even
after advice, seem to not take data theft
seriously: “Who would want my data?” or
“There’s nothing of importance on there.”
are comments we often hear. What can
we do? Well I think the least you can do is
ensure that your own info is up to date and
that you can advise what best practice is.
Also partner with a good IT company who
can offer solutions to minimise network
breaches and tighten up security.”
Grant Howard:
“In my view, businesses
are simply unaware of the risks. This,
teamed with the speed at which print
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PITR:
Are businesses simply unaware of the security
risks that printers pose? As a vendor, what can/are you
doing to ensure that print security is an integral part
of end-users’ IT security policies?
Scott Walker,
Head of MPS Business Development,
ZenOffice
Julian Stafford,
Managing Director,
Midshire Business Systems Northern Ltd
“Most data breaches
are caused by accidental
human error”
