Why print security must become a board-level priority

The findings were released by leading IT and print industry analyst Quocirca in its Global Print Security Landscape 2019 report*, [Insert link to Brother version of report on local website] which calls on companies to escalate the issue from the IT department to the board.

Compounding the fact that 59% of firms experienced print-related data loss in the past year, 11% of all IT security incidents in the same period were print related. Despite this, just 27% of businesses can currently be classed as print security leaders making it imperative for businesses to become more print security conscious.

[Insert name], [insert job title], from Brother commented: "It is a business priority here at Brother not simply to ensure our devices feature a host of high quality security features, but to encourage firms to properly set up, manage and review print settings and processes to ensure ongoing device security.

"This report from Quocirca, however, confirms what we are seeing as a business – that print infrastructure is an often overlooked aspect of the IT environment when it comes to both initial configuration and ongoing management.

"Huge strides are currently being made towards cloud integration, interoperability and  storage, creating a much more virtualised office network.

"While this offers a lot of possibilities for businesses, the last thing that such connected systems need is a weak point. Quocirca is absolutely right in its recommendations – this must become a subject that is addressed from the boardroom."

Infographic: 7 steps needed to address print security

In its report, Quocirca highlighted Brother’s continuous research and development to strengthen its capabilities in the area of print security.

The paper noted that security considerations are integral to Brother's Managed Print Services (MPS) and its solutions offering, while Brother printers include several features to securely protect devices by taking automated action, including:

•    Automatic intrusion detection, where a device automatically reboots if it senses a threat, ensuring the integrity of the individual device and the wider print environment.

•    Digitally signing device firmware and checking before updating firmware to prevent malicious code being uploaded. 

•    Password encryption and automatic logout after a period of inactivity.

•    All temporarily-stored print data is encrypted using a proprietary algorithm.

•    The ability to enable or disable individual communication protocols at a granular level, which reduces the potential attack surface while still allowing users to perform fundamental tasks.

[Insert name], [insert job title], from Brother concludes: "We strive to continuously review our security features and offer robust solutions to meet evolving security threats. By implementing just a few simple changes or working more closely with an MPS provider, businesses can easily improve their processes and protect operations, employees and customers from damaging data breaches."

Download the Global Print Security Landscape Report 2019

Survey methodology:
* Quocirca conducted an online survey with 250 SMB and enterprise organisations in UK, France, Germany and the US in December 2018.