HomeBusinessHow Businesses Lose Data Through Printer Security Breaches

How Businesses Lose Data Through Printer Security Breaches

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It’s hard to imagine a world without the technology we take for granted every day, smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and of course, printers. But are we forgetting that these devices also pose a threat to personal and professional security, as they often contain vital information about us and our clients. In this article, we explore the dangers of data breaches in innocuous devices we use for work every day and how we can stop this with a Managed Service Provider. 

Printer Hard Drive Breaches 

Like laptop and desktop computers, printers also have hard drives. A hard-driving printer stores data and information relevant to the company and its clients. This stored hard drive data can be deployed quickly and effortlessly to accomplish tasks within a company. Unfortunately, there is a downside. 

The price a company pays for this efficiency is a weak link in its data security. Cyber criminals may not only be targeting mainframe hard drives, they will probably go for printer hard drives as well. These store copious amounts of data that can be used by cyber criminals. 

An Invisible Computer 

Cybersecurity companies sometimes scratch their heads and wonder how a security breach transpired. All of the devices and PCs were covered by encryption and firewalls, but the cybercriminals were still able to steal valuable data. It’s possible the breach occurred because of the vulnerable printer. 

Cybersecurity firms should know better. The fact is a printer today is just as much a computer as a laptop, even if it doesn’t have the same look and functionality. If printers are not treated like computers and locked down to the same effect, companies will continue to be hacked and data stolen. 

Older Technology 

Today we can speak of printers as computers because they often contain a hard drive and AI intelligence that upgrades them from the basic devices we imagine from days gone by. The trouble is, these landmark devices put the old ones to shame, especially in data security. 

A modern printer not only has encryption and firewalls set up, but it can also identify and shut down if they detect a breach. This is not something older tech printers are capable of, so if you’re still running one in your business it may be time to upgrade your devices or your data security with managed IT in Warr Acres, OK

Inadequate Training 

Training your staff seems like one of the simplest measures to take to avoid data security breaches in your company, but many companies either don’t train their staff on data breaches, or don’t train them well enough.

By not training their staff well enough a company could lose vital company or client data that impacts revenue and reputation. Although training alone will not be enough to secure the company data, it is part of the supporting infrastructure that must be built to combat cybercrime. 

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