CLOUD PRINTING
Security is key Cloud printing is becoming more popular, with half of businesses expecting to fully or mostly manage printing via the cloud by 2025. Security has been a concern for customers, but cloud printing is secure and resellers need to emphasise this to customers.
Quocirca’s recent Cloud Print Services 2023 Study revealed that while cloud print adoption is increasing, organisations have concerns about making the move. The research, conducted among 507 IT decision-makers in the UK, USA, France and Germany, found that 21% expect their IT infrastructure to be fully in the cloud by 2025, with further 36% expecting to be mostly cloud-based. But the research also revealed some of the barriers to uptake of cloud print services, with 36% of IT decision-makers saying security was the top reason for not adopting it. Security concerns But while there are concerns, print companies have worked hard to ensure solutions are secure. Richard Stewart, workspace portfolio marketing manager at Canon UK & Ireland, notes that a key benefit of using cloud- based printing is that businesses can print to remote shared devices – while ensuring that all data remains secure and that all print jobs are traceable. “Users from outside of the organisation can be restricted from the device, through preventing access to the universal queue, while access can be granted to clients and third parties where necessary,” he says. “By moving print management to the cloud, this ensures consistent control and quality across a varied and distributed workforce. Additionally, businesses are starting to recognise that by reducing print servers, they can lower costs, as well as environmental impact.
“For instance, Canon’s uniFLOW ONLINE cloud output management solution is designed to comply with the principles of a zero-trust infrastructure. This allows every end point to be isolated from the rest of your network, thereby allowing the multifunction printer to just have connection to the cloud. This, however, cannot be replicated with on- premises print servers. “While there has been a lot of speculation around the security of cloud printing off the back of hybrid working, it is important to keep in mind that even the most robust systems will have lapses. Investing in training programmes and workshops can empower employees to make the right decisions – whether that’s in the office or at home. It is also crucial that resellers make sure that systems and software are regularly monitored and always up to date.” Security benefits Arjan Paulussen, managing director, Western Europe & English-Speaking Africa at Lexmark, adds that while much focus is placed on digital security, print security is still a key part of the security matrix. “In the past 12 months, 27% of IT security incidents were related to paper documents and 61% of organisations experienced data losses due to unsecure printing practices,” he says. “Here, businesses must understand the full security benefits that cloud printing offers, from the flexibility of allowing users to print from any location, reducing the reliance on unsecured shadow devices, to ‘print authentication’, which reduces the risk of
Richard Stewart workspace portfolio marketing manager
canon.co.uk
Arjan Paulussen, managing director,
UK, Western Europe & English-Speaking Africa
lexmark.com
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