Wednesday 16 August 2017

GDPR: Don’t let print provide a weak spot

KYOCERA Guest Post














A hot topic over the coming months is GDPR – General Data Protection Regulations.

GDPR is the result of four years of work by the EU to bring data protection legislation into line with the previously unforeseen ways that data is used.

The UK relies on the Data Protection Act 1998, introduced following the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive, long before digital technology became the norm. As well as addressing a need for clear rules in line with today’s workplace, GDPR introduces tougher penalties including fines of up to €20 million, or 4% of businesses global annual turnover (whichever is greater) for any breaches or non-compliance.
 GDPR will apply in all EU member states from 25 May 2018. The important thing is to not assume the UK will be exempt due to Brexit – it won’t be. In fact, the rules actually came into force on 24 May 2016, after all parts of the EU agreed to the final text, with businesses and organisations having until 25 May 2018 before the law actually applies to them.

Time for action

With the May 2018 deadline drawing increasingly closer – and with the threat of fines looming – now is the time for organisations of all sizes to get their houses in order. This includes the print and document management infrastructure – a confirmed weak spot when it comes to security and protecting data. Take a moment to think of how much information, potentially containing personal data, is either printed off or scanned using Multi-Function Printers (MFPs). This data needs to be tracked and adequately protected.

Of the millions of business printers in the world, only 2% are secure (Quocirca). In its most recent research on the topic, it found that 63% of businesses surveyed experienced one or more print-related data breaches. Yet, it is often unclear whose remit and responsibility it is. As a result, many companies are guilty of not protecting print features or ensuring their print devices are safeguarded from threats.

Cyber-attacks can easily gain access to MFPs and the data on them via malware – one of the fastest growing forms of cyber-attack and one of the most dangerous. From the MFP attackers can then gain access to unencrypted data available across entire IT networks and bypass firewalls in the process.

Print protection

The good news for those looking to ensure print security is that KYOCERA MFPs are GDPR ready, thanks to many innovative in-built security measures.

Biometric identification and user authentication such KYOCERA Net Manager that only releases print jobs once a user has identified themselves at an MFP, data encryption, data overwriting processes and automatic deletion processes are examples of the measures available to ensure security.

Print management tools also have a role to play in security. Only when you have full visibility of your print and document infrastructure – and what’s going on with it – can you confidently put in place the right controls to protect your business, employees and customer data.

Printing and data go hand-in-hand – so cyber-security protection is absolutely vital. As the new GDPR regulations and punishments draw closer to reality, there has never been a better time to look at print security than right now.




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