Ten Essentials Your Information Security Strategy Must Address

Researching ways to secure your print fleet can be overwhelming.

The need for security is pervasive across organizations, but “security” means different things to different functions within an enterprise. 

The executive suite and the legal team want to protect intellectual property from competitors and keep customer credit card numbers safe from hackers. Employee records and personally identifiable information create concerns for Human Resources.

Various industry regulations and mandates add more complexity. In healthcare for example, organizations must maintain the security of patient records to be in regulatory compliance. 

And what about IT? Well, they’re involved in all of it.

When shopping for a quality MPS vendor, look for one that will reduce your printer security risks as well as your print related expenses.

If you aren’t sure where to start, you can contact Green Office Partner for a free print assessment. We will be able to show you the security measures and the cost-savings we can provide.

In this article, we’ll address ten key strategies your organization should implement to keep your devices safe and protected from threats.

Enterprise Security at the Device Level

No matter what lens you look through, information security depends heavily on making sure the network isn’t vulnerable.

That includes not just hardening the firewalls, switches, and access points but also the endpoints like servers, printers, scanners, and multifunction devices. And without proper attention to detail, print devices can leave you wide open to security breaches.

This is one reason Managed Print Services (MPS) providers like Green Office Partner can be a key ally in helping enterprises with their information security strategies.

Ask Us to Get Involved

Schedule a meeting with Green Office Partner to take a hard look at your information security status and evaluate the policies you want to enforce. Include other security stakeholders from your organization in the meeting. You’ll want to discuss issues like these ten we listed to make sure you’ve covered all the angles and dark corners of information

1. Information Access

Consider all of the entry points to your information. Ask the following questions:

• What confidential information is accessible through your documents? 
• Who has access to that information? 
• What controls are in place to manage this information at output devices?

Having a pulse on all possible ways to access your sensitive documents will help you patch up vulnerabilities. After all, you can’t stop a ship from sinking if you don’t know where to plug the holes up!

2. Device Security Policy

Consider access to network assets, not just to the information. Have you created a security policy for access and printing to network assets?

Make sure that your devices are only being used by authorized personnel, and that the users only have access to the information you want them to!

3. Employee Guidelines 

What measures are in place to ensure employees adhere to guidelines?

Your employees are your company’s frontline against cyber threats. Ensure that everyone in your organization understands what their expectations are and how to properly handle and protect your company’s devices.

If your security policies are clear, you’re employees will be prepared if a threat tries to use them as an entry point to hack the company’s network.

4. Device Vulnerability

What possible vulnerabilities might expose your devices to attack?

Review your print suite from every angle. And think like a hacker. What would be the easiest way to attack your system?

5. Device Behavior Variability

How can you ensure devices comply with the policy for network assets? What’s the enforcement process?

An easy way to ensure your devices comply is by standardizing them! Using a select handful of device models throughout your entire organization will make managing them safely a breeze.

Green Office Partner takes device standardization very seriously, and we consistently make this a priority among our clients. 

6. Network Assurance 

Has the firmware you approved been deployed?

You should always have up-to-date firmware. Outdated firmware can leave you wide open for ransomware, malware attacks, and data breaches.

We recommend integrating a quarterly review of firmware across all print devices. When you regularly examine the firmware throughout the year, you’ll always have periodic times set to catch up on lingering updates your users may have missed or procrastinated on.

7. Security Configuration Verification 

Has there been any change to the firmware you approved?

When reviewing your firmware, if you find that there were updates to it, make sure that these changes don’t create additional vulnerabilities in your devices.

Your managed print services vendor can help you review accordingly.

8. Remediation Assurance 

Make sure your team is clear on what to do when a device falls out of compliance. Consider the following questions:

• Are you alerted when devices fall out of compliance? 
• What’s needed to bring it back into compliance? 
• Do you have a remediation policy? 
• How do you know the policy is in place?
  
  

9. Reporting

When a network asset becomes out of compliance, can you capture data for reporting? Is there an audit trail?

Make sure you have a reporting process for every situation. That way, your team is never caught off-guard by a device simply being behind the times.

10. Mobile Workforce 

What is your strategy relative to secure printing for mobile workers?

Mobile printing is a convenient, useful printing method that has become a staple in many offices, especially those with hybrid and remote workers.

However, people printing from their personal phones does leave you open to attacks. So make sure you stay clear with staff on how to properly use mobile printing in ways that stay within your compliance protocols.

Green Office Partner and Information Security

By considering these 10 key areas of data security and addressing each issue, you can create ripples in your entire organization’s strength in security.

And if you want help to bring your office’s security up to speed, Green Office Partner can help!

By assessing the gaps in your organization’s security, we can help you protect and integrate your device environment. The outcome will be tighter control not only for your networked devices but also for your critical business information.

Bottom line, Green Office Partner lets our clients focus on their core business... not printer-related headaches and security breaches!

Click below to schedule a time for your assessment specifically for financial and wealth management organizations.