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Andrew Hall,
Marketing Managing,
OKI
:
“Minimising the risk of a data breach is
paramount and more companies do still
need to put measures in place. Corporate
data security breaches continue to be
a challenge, organisations must get to
grips with the considerable data security
challenges associated with emerging
technologies such as mobility, big data,
social business and cloud technology.”
Phil Jones,
Managing Director,
Brother
:
“Cyber security is currently a huge
headache for IT managers and business
owners. The threat is very real and
businesses are equipping themselves
better, but there is always more that can
be done and it isn’t always top of the
agenda for smaller enterprises. Hackers are
exploiting unpatched, out-of-date software
and operating systems for this reason.
“Zero-day vulnerabilities (undisclosed
software vulnerabilities embedded in a
product) are particularly worrying, due
to vendors actually not knowing there’s
a security hole in their product which
is discovered by determined hackers,
then having to react once an attack has
happened which is usually too late.
“Statistics show smaller businesses
are more likely to be targeted than larger
businesses, so it needs to be something
that is reviewed regularly. Ways of avoiding
an attack include:
n
Creating an internal security policy
and assigning someone to systematically
update and review your firewall;
n
Updating your software and browsers
regularly;
n
Using secure cloud services rather than
hosting the data yourself;
n
Creating stronger password protocols
with staff and regularly changing
passwords.
Quentyn Taylor,
Director of Information
Security,
Canon Europe
:
“Companies
must do more to minimise the risk of
data breaches, especially as they are now
becoming part of the journalistic lexicon
and the PR impact of a reported breach
can be hugely significant.
“I would also question the 76% figure,
and imagine that the remaining 24% were
simply unaware, rather than never having
experienced a breach. In today’s digital-first
world, the heavy reliance on networks and
endpoints means it is not a case of if you
have been hacked, rather when you will be
or have been hacked. However, the risks
to data security are not insurmountable; a
safe and thorough method of securing your
printing infrastructure can greatly minimise
any threats.”
Brian Young,
Solutions Manager,
UTAX
:
“A raft of high profile data breaches means
security is much higher up the agenda at
the moment – in many cases it’s at the
very top – but more can certainly be done
to highlight the business case for print
security and document workflows. Resellers
need to ensure their conversations cover
the topic, not least because it provides an
opportunity to introduce security measures
and additional print features, that can help
organisations monitor their data security
on an ongoing basis.
“One area that should be of concern
is the memory of printers and MFDs – and
the transfer of data to and from them via a
network. Seen and used every day, they are
often taken for granted as they print, scan,
email and store – and the keyword here
is ‘STORE’ – because all these machines
effectively have a substantial hard disk
which, if unsecured, can pose a major data
risk. And the latest working processes that
are gaining in popularity, such as BYOD
and mobile printing, pose even more of a
risk.”
James Dunne,
Product Business Manager
– Office Solutions,
Sharp Europe
:
“From
our experience, security is definitely higher
on customers’ agendas and we’re seeing
businesses place much more value on
a vendor’s knowledge of key security
issues. Consultative capabilities on these
issues can often help you to get a foot in
Printers can represent a significant weakness in IT security, they are just as
susceptible to data security breaches as PCs. Following on from last issue when
the channel talked about security, this month we ask the OEMs: Are companies
doing enough to mitigate the risk?
Is print the
weakest link in
the security chain?
PITR:
According to a Ponemon Institute report (August 2016), 76 per
cent of IT practitioners say their organisation has experienced the loss
or theft of company data over the past two years. Is minimising the risk
of a data breach much higher up on the business agenda now, or do
companies still need to do more?
Phil Jones,
Managing Director,
Brother UK
