As threat actors target enterprise printers, security is overtaking cost and features as the top consideration for organisations looking into new devices.
So says Yenayena Ngidi, Workspace Product Manager at Canon EMEA, who says local organisations are increasingly concerned about vulnerabilities in their print environments.
“Our research finds that the print environment is an entry point for cyber attackers, with risks such as data interception and firmware tampering,” he says. “Modern printers have become sophisticated pieces of technology and they are also connected to the networks, so when cyber threats occur, they often go through a printer.”
“Local customers are deeply concerned about security and compliance, so security is often their first prerequisite when they are looking at printers. It has overtaken considerations like quality, cost, features and integration as a top priority,” he says.
Ngidi notes that Canon invests heavily in its ‘secure-by-design’ philosophy and continually enhances the security of its product portfolio, helping organisations protect sensitive data throughout the document lifecycle.
“Canon is constantly improving security, and we have various solutions built into our devices,” he says. “For example, we've got access control and authentication on our devices, so users must authenticate themselves via pin code, a password, or a proximity card before printing. We also have secure pull printing - Canon's UniFLOW Online, a secure, public cloud print and scan solution in which print jobs stay in the user’s personal, secure print queue until they identify themselves at a device and release them. This also prevents sensitive documents from being left unattended at printers.”
Canon continues to build strong partnerships with industry leaders such as Trellix, Microsoft and IOActive to enhance printer security, he notes.
“Canon partnered with Trellix to incorporate Trellix Embedded Control software into the imageRUNNER ADVANCE devices, which prevents unauthorised software execution and firmware tampering. And our new imageFORCe devices use Canon’s Security Environment Estimation Technology with machine learning and AI to recommend and apply optimal security settings,” Ngidi says.
He adds: “The new ImageFORCE devices that we are currently launching have capabilities to continuously feed information from the network environment they are plugged into, and raise alerts or take countermeasures if the environment is compromised. This both enhances security and supports predictive maintenance.”
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