One statistic that we’ve cited before is that close to 60% of businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany experienced at least one print-related data breach in 2018.
The reason it’s worth citing again is because it rarely fails to take someone by surprise. Yet the real wake-up call is when you realize that each data breach cost the organization $400,000 on average.
The take-home message in all this is that print-related data breaches aren’t just more widespread than you might have thought. They’re also more expensive.
As organizations take steps to lock down sensitive information and beef up their IT security, it’s not uncommon for them to overlook printing. Or at least treat it like a secondary concern. But as the stats show, it’s a bad idea to take print security lightly.
Organizations in the financial, healthcare and education industries can be the exception. They’re the most proactive when it comes to finding and implementing secure print-management solutions. A lot of that comes down to the perception that those fields are where the risk is highest. Here’s the truth, though: No one can afford to treat print security like it’s optional.
Hardening Print Security with PrinterLogic
PrinterLogic puts a lot of emphasis on secure enterprise printing that’s also practical. That last part is important, because there’s no point in implementing all kinds of secure printing protocols if no one is going to actually follow through. Print security is only as strong as its end-user adoption.
That’s why our serverless printing infrastructure doesn’t aim simply to put a check mark in the “Secure” column. Ease of implementation and ease of use are crucial too. Here are a few features that really highlight that approach:
Secure Release Printing
PrinterLogic can boost everyday print security through pull printing. That removes some of the “autopilot” from routine printing by having users deliberately execute their print jobs once they’re physically present at a printer. Our secure release printing feature takes that one step further, requiring them to authenticate before the print job is actually printed.
Even though this splits printing into two steps, it actually gives the end user much more control over where their print jobs go. It also helps to ensure that sensitive documents don’t sit unclaimed in the output tray. And it’s super easy for admins to roll out.
Flexible Secure Release Options
Flexibility and security aren’t mutually exclusive. Whereas some print-management solutions think secure enterprise printing hinges on restricting user choice, that’s not what we’re about. PrinterLogic offers secure options that fit with your preferred print workflow.
For example, end users can use their existing ID card or badge as a secure authentication mechanism. Or they can authenticate right on the printer’s embedded touch screen using PrinterLogic’s new dedicated control panel applications. (We’ve currently got one for Sharp and one for Canon, with more in the works.) In moderate-security environments, they can just enter a PIN.
CAC/PIV Authentication Support
In many high-level government and defense organizations, standard secure enterprise printing approaches just don’t cut it. They use Common Access Cards (CAC) or Personal Identity Verification (PIV) smart cards to securely authenticate their users.
PrinterLogic’s next-gen print-management solution fully supports multi-factor CAC/PIV printing. It integrates seamlessly into those tightly regulated print environments and overcomes the common barriers to implementing CAC/PIV printing. That allows agencies as well as their contractors to comply with federal regulations on print security and increase their FITARA/DCOI score.
Serverless Print Infrastructure
Print servers are a risk to print security. There’s no getting around it. Any server-based print-management solution that pools print jobs in a common queue is going to be a target for malicious actors. Why? Because it’s a single-vector attack that can yield a big payoff.
PrinterLogic’s serverless print infrastructure eliminates print servers without compromising functionality. Instead it uses direct IP to create robust one-to-one connections between clients and printers. With print servers eliminated, you and your end users get more than a highly available print environment. You also get a secure one too.
User-Friendly Print Security Is in Reach
Secure enterprise printing isn’t a pipe dream. With PrinterLogic, organizations of all kinds have achieved major infrastructure reductions alongside increased print security.
Iowa’s Northwest Area Education Agency implemented our cloud solution, PrinterLogic SaaS, to give its users convenient secure-release printing (read the case study here). And EPIC Management, a healthcare-focused MSP, used PrinterLogic to enable medical staff to print EMR and PHI documents easily and securely (read the case study here).
Their experience shows that you can make print security an integral part of your corporate security without creating extra hassle for your end users or your IT staff. Start your free trial today and give PrinterLogic’s serverless printing infrastructure a test drive for 30 days.