PRINTITRESELLER.UK 29 print solutions as a long-term strategy. These platforms can automate policy enforcement, support secure device configuration, monitor for threats and enable protections such as secure release printing and audit trails. Smart printing 87% of SMB business leaders and 88% of IT leaders say smart printing has made their organisations more secure and 89% of ITDMs who have adopted smart printing say it has provided clearer insight into printing and scanning activity across users and locations. Aurelio Maruggi, Division President, HP Office Print Solutions said: “Printers are the security blind spot many SMBs overlook, and that’s a real risk to the Future of Work. If you can’t see who printed what, where and when, it’s hard to protect sensitive data. “A single misdirected scan or uncollected print job can leak payroll data, customer records, or contract details, all without any obvious sign that something is wrong. Smart printing fixes this by building visibility, policy enforcement and audit trails into print and scan workflows.” www.hp.com or restrictions, while 60% worry that gaps in document processes could lead to a data or privacy issue. A further 50% lack visibility into who prints what and where. Security concerns SMB IT teams often operate with lean budgets and long hardware update cycles. As a result, many businesses still rely on older printers that may not have received a firmware update in years. Despite low prioritisation, 69% of SMBs acknowledge print security needs improvement, and 65% frequently worry about the security risks outdated systems pose. Asked about protecting company information SMB IT decision-makers cited five printer security concerns including cybersecurity risks linked to connected printers, confidential documents being left at the printer, cloud vulnerabilities related to scanned documents, unauthorised access to print files or queues, and misprinting, misfiling or mishandling materials. The data also suggests these risks are addressable when organisations put the right controls in place. Many SMBs are turning to intelligent, connected Despite growing concern among enterprise IT leaders, print security remains one of the most overlooked weaknesses in SMB cyber defenses. The global study of 800 IT decisionmakers (ITDMs) and 2,400 knowledge workers revealed that over half (57%) of ITDMs say print security is a low priority in their cybersecurity strategies, while 45% are unsure whether print security meets industry compliance standards. The reality is that print security frequently takes a back seat to broader transformation efforts. While 69% of SMB IT leaders agree print security needs improvement, many admit it falls behind priorities like cloud migration and enterprise cybersecurity programs. The overlooked security threat A surprising number of SMBs still treat printers simply as output devices – machines parked in a corner, quietly churning out invoices, contracts or patient records. But modern printers are intelligent, connected endpoints, fully integrated into an organisation’s network and embedded in the everyday flow of work. Printers store, process and transmit sensitive data, often with default credentials or outdated firmware that create easy entry points for attackers. And yet, The Workflow Wakeup found that 66% of SMB knowledge workers assume printers are secure simply because they’re on the office network or behind an internal firewall and half (50%) don’t even think of printers as a security threat. However, 37% do worry about printing confidential information and the wrong person finding it. Policies don’t work or are bypassed The shift to hybrid and remote work has further complicated the picture. Work documents printed at home may contain confidential business or personal information. Unmanaged printers could be logging data or connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi. Many SMBs lack clear governance around how and where employees print remotely. Over half (55%) of SMBs see users trying to bypass print rules HP’s latest research report, The Workflow Wakeup takes a comprehensive look at how SMB business leaders, IT professionals and employees, are rethinking the role of document workflows in today’s connected workplace Print security a low priority for SMBs RESEARCH
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