In my most recent blog (posted last November – Print Security Part 1), I explained that each year we print around 2.8 trillion pages. I then questioned how an organisation can ensure the safety and security of both the documents printed and, more importantly, the devices that physically print these documents.
In today's world, where data breaches and cyber threats are a constant concern, ensuring the security of printed documents is as crucial as safeguarding digital information. With the increasing reliance on printers, the need for robust print security measures has never been more apparent.
Fortunately, print management software emerges as a valuable ally in this endeavour, offering a suite of features designed to enhance print security and mitigate potential risks.
Understanding Print Security Risks
Before delving into the benefits of print management software, it's essential to grasp the inherent risks associated with unsecured printing environments. Printed documents containing sensitive information, such as financial records, employee details, or proprietary data, are vulnerable to unauthorized access, interception, or theft. Moreover, the proliferation of network-connected printers introduces additional entry points for cyber attackers to exploit, potentially compromising the confidentiality and integrity of printed materials.
The Role of Print Management Software
Print management software serves as a comprehensive solution to address these security concerns while optimizing printing workflows for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Let me share a few use cases with you (as covered in our recent Cyber Security and Output Management White Paper). These help to illustrate the risks you face without print management – and how LRS solutions bolster your print security:
Challenge 1: Identifying the Correct User ID to Assign to the Print Job
Failure to assign the correct user ID to print jobs can lead to difficulties in properly pulling the jobs. At first glance, using the user ID from the operating system might seem straightforward. However, the landscape has evolved with the adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies in many organizations.
When users bring their own devices, they often use custom logins or default settings, which may not align with corporate authentication systems like Active Directory (AD), LDAP, SAML, or OIDC. While business applications typically authenticate through these central mechanisms, printing is often handled locally, especially when output is forwarded to a browser.
On BYOD devices, local printing may carry user-created IDs like "Admin," which lack association with corporate credentials. Consequently, audit information becomes less reliable, as multiple employees may use generic IDs like "Admin," and pulling print jobs becomes challenging. Although device authentication may occur with corporate credentials, the print job is stored without them, leading to discrepancies in auditing and job retrieval.
The LRS Personal Print Manager (PPM) component effectively addresses this concern by collaborating with the LRS/Gateway component to safeguard printing processes. Whenever a user activates PPM or begins a printing task, PPM ensures the verification of the user's authentication status before allowing the process to proceed.
Challenge 2: Recognizing and Capturing Output from Systems Outside of the Local Workstation
Print data generated from backend systems like SAP, Epic, Oracle Millennium, E-Business Suite, and various other applications represents some of the most sensitive information within organizations. Understandably, the data housed within these systems often comprises crucial organizational assets, including competitive data, sensitive employee and patient information, as well as corporate or government secrets.
Print jobs originating from these platforms are typically transmitted and stored without encryption, exposing them to potential security breaches.
LRS has worked extensively with many of these systems to address this vulnerability by implementing robust security measures. This involves intercepting the rendered data, encrypting it, and ensuring secure delivery to the intended device.
Remarkably, this aspect of security remains overlooked by most other vendors.
Challenge 3: Providing Access Control Over Print
After authentication, organising users into groups based on factors like department, division, or location becomes essential. LRS software offers security access panels that empower print administrators to group print access lists in an efficient manner. This functionality also allows users to view, modify, and adjust various print settings.
Whether it involves mobile printing, pull printing, direct printing via PPM, or scanning, LRS can tailor information access to meet specific customer needs.
Conclusion
In an era where data privacy and security are paramount concerns, organizations must adopt proactive measures to safeguard sensitive information in all its forms, including printed documents. Print management software emerges as a strategic asset in this endeavour, offering a multifaceted approach to enhancing print security while optimizing printing workflows for efficiency and productivity.
By leveraging authentication, encryption, secure release printing, auditing, and remote management capabilities, organizations can mitigate print-related risks and uphold the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their printed materials. Taking advantage of robust print security measures can significantly reduce your exposure to potential threats and enhance your overall resilience against cyberattacks. Furthermore, integrating print security into your broader cybersecurity framework will demonstrate your commitment to proactively addressing emerging threats and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your digital assets.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, investing in robust print management solutions remain essential for safeguarding valuable assets and maintaining trust in an increasingly interconnected world.
Please feel free to reach out to me for further information. You can contact me via LinkedIn here or email me directly at nigel.whitmore@lrs.com. Let’s talk.