NEWS
Confidence in print security falls as cost of print-related data losses rises
IT decision makers are less confident in the security of their print network than they were a year ago, according to Quocirca’s Global Print Security Landscape Report 2023 . Only 19% are completely confident that their print infrastructure is protected from security breaches and data losses today, a drop from 23% in 2022. This is despite organisations becoming more mature in their approach to print security, with a greater proportion having implemented key protection and policy measures. “It is encouraging that organisations are adopting more print security measures and growing in maturity, although this is not fully translating to confidence,” said Louella Fernandes, research director, Quocirca. “With 70% of organisations remaining dependent on print and 68% expecting growth in office print volumes as employees return to the office, work is still needed to ensure that print security gets the right degree of attention. Print-related breach and data loss risk remains high, so businesses must continue working to address gaps. However, our research shows that progress may be impeded by differing perceptions of print security risk between CIOs and CISOs.” Quocirca’s report is based on the views of 507 IT decision makers in the US and Europe. Other findings include: l 42% of organisations report suffering a cybersecurity incident in the past year, rising to 55% in mid-market companies and 51% in the finance sector l 61% say they experienced a data loss related to unsecured printing, rising to 63% in the UK and 67% among retail businesses. Although some breaches involve malicious device compromise, many are attributed to human errors such as printouts left in output trays
l 39% say it is becoming harder to keep up with print security demands l The average cost of print-related data breaches has risen to £743,000 from £631,915 in 2022 l 79% expect to increase print security spending over the coming year, rising to 86% in the US, and 85% in professional services and retail organisations. But CIOs and CISOs have differing views on the level of challenge and risk associated with staying ahead of print security issues. CISOs are more positive – only 28% say it has become harder to keep up with print security challenges, compared to 50% of CIOs. Similarly, only 45% of CISOs are concerned about the risk of unsecured printers, compared to 72% of CIOs. These figures indicate that the two key influencers over security and data protection in the enterprise are not aligned in their perception of the risk residing in the print infrastructure. “Our research identified a significant disconnection between the views of CIOs and CISOs on print security, which may be preventing companies from determining the true level of risk,” added Louella. “Independent, in-depth risk assessments are a vital tool to give senior leaders objective evidence of print security gaps across devices and document workflows and enable consensus on the actions needed to protect the enterprise. “There is a clear opportunity here for MPS vendors to reduce breach risk by moving clients to a managed, single-vendor fleet. Interestingly, however, users of MPS were more likely to report security breaches than those with no MPS. This may be because MPS is more likely to uncover a data breach.” In fact, MPS users are generally happier with the security capabilities of their supplier than those not using MPS: 39% are very satisfied, compared with 23% of non-MPS users. “As more employees return to the office and the long-term shape of hybrid working unfolds, businesses need to work to improve confidence in print security,” Louella adds. “Now is an ideal time to draw on the expertise of suppliers and conduct comprehensive print security assessments, allowing organisations can gain the insight they need to address security gaps and move forward with greater certainty.”
Louella Fernandes director
quocirca.com
Our research identified a significant disconnection between the views of CIOs and CISOs on print security... “ ”
Quocirca Print Security Landscape 2023
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