How well do you understand the security of your print jobs?
I’m not just talking about the security protecting your print server – I mean the actual printing process itself, from start to finish. In other words, the end-to-end security of print jobs.
NEWS FLASH! Print management isn’t particularly glamorous, security-wise
I’d wager that print management is the least interesting function in your workplace.
Let’s face it, print management doesn’t have the glitz and glamour of trojans and keyloggers; it’s not as Hollywood as black hat hackers.
Rather, print management is the annoying, we’re out of toner again, where’s the spare paper kept, there’s another paper jam, why don’t my prints come out problem child of your IT ecosystem.
Why end-to-end print security matters
It’s vitally important to add your print environment to your security checklist. Why? Because it’s prone to attacks from outside the workplace, and carelessness from within.
Fortunately, PaperCut MF supports end-to-end encryption on the network. Not just security at the printer, but from the device to the print server, the print server to the printer, and the printer to the user. With Papercut MF, you’re protected from “I want to print this” to “I’ve printed this, now it’s time for coffee”.
PaperCut MF and GDPR
If you have customers in the EU (including the UK), you’re affected by the new GDPR privacy regulations. End-to-end encryption plays a mighty big part in ensuring you’re GDPR-compliant. After all, your multifunction printers are handling sensitive data all the time.
Fortunately (again), PaperCut MF is all set for GDPR. In fact, we’re so set, we wrote a compliance guide for it!
Our end-to-end encryption philosophy
At PaperCut, our approach to end-to-end print security is:
- Apply(standardized secure printing protocols for print jobs in transmission)
- Validate (checking it works at each point)
- Maintain (keeping print job encryption processes up-to-date)
These steps are lovingly explained in the comprehensive guide to end-to-end print security post in the PaperCut knowledge base. If you’re not sure whether your print environment has end-to-end encryption enabled, I heartily recommend a visit to that post.
