SME PRINTER SECURITY
are now adding support for this standard. “In addition, we support office and home working by using a highly secure message encryption protocol, which gives partners and users a high degree of protection. “Partners also have the ability, on some manufacturer’s products, to review and change the security settings from OpenMPS – this enables them to identify and close any security loopholes.” Infrastructure attacks But while SMEs are aware of the need for security when it comes to the requirement to authenticate at a print device before the job is released, there seems to be less awareness of the risk of cyberattack on the machine infrastructure itself, says Phillip John, category manager office at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd. “With a squeeze on costs in general, unfortunately the price associated with security can be an issue and this is especially the case in the SME sector,” he says. That said, demands for further protection of MFP infrastructure are growing and Konica Minolta is seeing an increase in the numbers and types of security solutions in this area, Phillip adds. “At Konica Minolta for instance, we offer the bizhub SECURE portfolio, which includes secure protection of the bizhub multifunctional device including its hard drive (HDD, SDD, or Micro-SD) and the option of embedded Bit Defender protection. This trend towards ensuring all endpoints are secure will continue to grow in 2023 and beyond. “Konica Minolta is championing improved security through our Bit Defender and bizhub Secure
offerings, but also with our Shield Guard solution, a new cloud service for remote security monitoring and management for MFPs that will be launched in the UK in 2023. This is an intelligent solution that provides automatic notifications and remediation, allowing businesses to control the security status of multiple MFPs from anywhere.” But Konica Minolta’s role – and that of all manufacturers – is not just to provide the security options but helping to ensure the partner channel is aware of the potential pitfalls when it comes to cybersecurity, helping them to mitigate the risks for end users. “An important part of this process is education and raising awareness of the threats to businesses of all sizes and types,” says Phillip. Increasing priority As we move into 2023, printer security for SMEs is set to become even more of a priority as all the signs are showing that threats will continue to grow, according to Philip. “It is inevitable that the market will also expand in 2023 to respond to these threats,” he says. “Data from a UK Government report earlier this year showed that nearly a third of firms are suffering a cyberattack hit every week and all the signs are that this will continue to grow. Businesses of all sizes need to be vigilant and to take sensible precautions, but small businesses can be particularly vulnerable. “Effectively there is always an arms race between those looking to steal data and those looking to protect it. It is vital that we providers continue to understand the risks and deliver solutions which mitigate them wherever possible.”
Chris Bates business unit manager, – print, UK and Ireland TD SYNNEX
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Many of the
latest remote printing solutions do have security features, but they need to be configured and maintained properly.
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printinthechannel.co.uk
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