How secure is your print solution?

In environments where data security is a top priority, what happens in the printing setting could present significant risks. But too many enterprises overlook this, says Nosipho Simelane, HP South Africa category manager for printing.

"Traditionally, scanned and printed documents are stored in the onboard hard drives of print devices. This leaves them open to exploitation should the device be sent in for repairs, or be tampered with. HP print device hard drives are encrypted, to ensure they can be accessed only by those authorised to do so."

Simelane notes that, in large offices, the confidentiality and security of data can be compromised in the time it takes for a user to press print on their keyboard and walk across to collect a printed document. "This is why our new printing devices easily allow the inclusion of various authentication methods, so that the document only prints when the authorised user is physically at the printer and ready to print the document." The authentication tools could be as simple as a Windows log on, or, if the enterprises have third-party software included, they can incorporate smart card, biometric or even NFC authentication tools in future.

Scanning documents also traditionally presented a security risk, she says. Older scanners only allowed for the document to be scanned, after which it had to be e-mailed or uploaded to where it was needed. With HP's content management solutions - for both HP and third-party devices - enterprises can scan documents directly to a secure private or public cloud environment. This not only improves security, but also increases efficiency. In companies where large numbers of paper documents must be scanned and processed, the time taken to make the documents available to the next level of processing can be significantly reduced. In the cloud environment, it becomes possible to track exactly who accesses a document, from what device, when, and what amendments they have made.

HP offers organisations a suite of MFPs that, when coupled with HP document and device manageability and security solutions, deliver unmatched value through one trusted technology partner. HP Managed Print Services (MPS) and HP Partner MPS agreements provide customers guidance to optimise, manage and improve their printing assets.