AI IN PRINT
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changer in the print sector, revealing insights into customer behaviour and preferences,” she says. “With AI, MPS tools gather data on printer usage, costs and environmental impacts, empowering businesses to make informed decisions. Machine learning algorithms delve into print usage trends and offer predictive analytics, empowering customers to make strategic decisions regarding their printing requirements.” Rowan adds that the collection and analysis of data, as with any industry, holds significant opportunities for efficiency gains. “The superpower that AI has is to take this analysis from days to hours and minutes,” he says. “This potential for rapid process optimisation can help analyse data from various stages of the printing process to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. AI automatically gathers data from workflow solutions, printing and finishing devices, to formulate insights to maximise return on investment, aid data driven investment decision making and improve overall business outcomes.” Stuart adds that while some print management solutions already provide granular insights into print, from who is printing what and when, AI can delve deeper into the data to uncover other insights and trends around user profiles, time trends, document types and titles, data loss prevention and content awareness. “This may later inform print policy and, ultimately, promote good print behaviour and increase security,” he says. Security Security is another area where AI can provide benefits to the print sector – something needed as Quocirca reported that more than six in 10 companies experienced a print- related data loss in the past 12 months. “AI can be configured to monitor print requests and intervene early on if it detects that a breach may be about to occur,” says Stuart. “An early intervention could prevent a print-based issue from escalating into a more serious and reputationally damaging security breach. “AI can be used to understand the contents of documents – printed or digital – adding valuable productivity and security benefits in the form of data loss prevention and data protection.” Faki agrees, noting that it goes together with having better visibility over the devices and printers within a network. “Without this, any information sent to be scanned or printed could be at risk,” he says.
Mandy Watson director
“With better visibility and by drawing on AI and real-time intelligence, IT and security teams can detect and diffuse a printer threat before it becomes a wider problem.” But Faki warns that AI isn’t a magic wand when it comes to security. “AI is only as good as the training data it receives, therefore the more an enterprise knows about their devices including printers, from usage to breakage and vulnerabilities, the better their AI-based workflows can be,” he says. “This should also go hand in hand with employee awareness and training, which continue to be imperative cogs in a robust security strategy wheel.” Helen adds that AI can help the print sector by analysing network traffic to detect and prevent cyberthreats. “AI enhances security measures, monitoring print jobs and flagging suspicious activity swiftly,” she says. “While AI contributes to a rise in cyberattacks, it also aids teams in maintaining compliance with data security regulations, bolstering overall security measures.” Rowan agrees that while AI can be viewed as a threat to security, there is a hugely beneficial upside for the print sector in terms of anomaly and threat identification. “AI can be trained to analyse network traffic, user behaviour and system logs to detect anomalies that could indicate potential cyber threats, such as unusual access attempts, data exfiltration, or malware infections,” he says. “AI’s capabilities can identify these cyber threats in real-time and alert security teams promptly, reducing the time-sensitive data is exposed in cyber breaches. “Through continuously monitoring print environments for new threats and attack patterns, AI can help the print sector keep pace with the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.”
ambitionspersonnel.com
AI technology is proving to be a real game changer for the industry and an invaluable sales tool when pitching for business, offering a staggering return on investment for those willing to take the plunge. “
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