If your organisation has ever been a victim of hackers, you know how a security breach can impact your operations. Even though most business leaders think of their printers and copiers as secure because they're behind a firewall, that's not necessarily the case, and hackers now look at imaging devices as an easy way to penetrate networks.

Hackers are counting on you to underestimate the threat, and many small-to-medium business owners still believe their organisation is too small to be a target. 

According to recent threat assessments, 40% of small organisations who manage their own IT infrastructure will fall victim to hackers in the coming year. With small budgets and inadequate IT staffing, even basic security functions can sometimes fall by the wayside, and it only takes one mistake. 

For many victims, the warning comes too late, and they don't realise something's amiss until suspicious charges show up on customer credit cards or a ransomware warning pops up on computer screens. While some organisations can survive the resulting financial and reputational devastation, most do not. 

If your print environment is peppered with aging imaging devices from a variety of manufacturers, you need to evaluate your risk immediately. A thorough evaluation should include professional assistance from a technology partner well-versed in document security and print management. 

In the meantime, reduce your risk by evaluating the vulnerabilities on your printers and copiers by taking these simple steps: 

1. Strengthen your passwords: If your staff is still depending on the default password that came with your copiers, change them all, starting today.
2. Wipe hard drives: Do you have copiers waiting in storage areas? Are any of your copiers nearing the end of a finance contract? Be certain that the hard drive is removed or wiped before these devices leave your premises.
3. Encrypt your data: Encryption is essential; hackers can intercept transmissions as data travels to your copiers.

To learn more about security best practices for your organisation’s copiers, office printers and documents, contact us at Inland Technology today!