Why printing security plays a vital part in keeping Aotearoa safe

While Kiwis continue to follow the world when it comes to working online, there’s still one manual business need that is often still crucial to a successful enterprise. Whether you’re an educational institute, a law or accounting firm or even a government agency, printed documents often play a vital role in working operations.

Much has changed since the simpler days of plug-in, pressed and mechanical printing. Printers and print mechanisms are now heavily integrated, with cloud technologies and the internet being significant parts of the process. What could be done via dial-up 12 years ago can now be completed within seconds by clicking a button.

While internet printing, mobile printing and other similar technologies have no doubt made things easier to manage, it has also brought a whole new set of problems to the table. As with all cloud, mobile and internet-based technologies, cybersecurity can be a significant challenge to address, and because of the complexities involved in the printing process it can become even more disruptive.

And history has proven that there are ongoing issues. In 2017, Y Soft conducted a survey which found that while 35% of New Zealand workers were using a mobile device at work for printing, only 50% had adequate security protection or antivirus installed on their mobile devices. A global report from Quocirca in 2016 also found that 61% of respondents had experienced at least one print-related data breach during this period. 

The subsequent 2020 report reflected that 83% of IT decision-makers were very concerned about home printing security, proving that there was still a significant concern in both the workplace and at home. The rise in hybrid work situations has also meant that, in a similar fashion to general cybersecurity, printing security has become more complex and involves more risk.

Part of this risk comes from things like inadequate firewall protection, lack of WiFi security and additional problems with file sharing and data protection. Transferring data in any sense can be dangerous, and often printing devices (mobile and computer) and printers themselves don’t have the correct security. As the data reflects, often Kiwis are…