Data drives business. It’s more available today to aid decision making than ever before. This makes it more valuable than ever. As we’ve learned from the seeming multitude of data breaches, it’s also vulnerable.
The risk of data breaches continues to rise, especially with more employees working remotely. And a single data breach can cost millions.
While the threats are escalating, the technologies for neutralizing them are getting smarter and easier. For example, digital document security is now a core capability of multifunction printers. Along with delivering exceptional printing output, they ensure protected network access, managed content security, and control access to information to make the print and document infrastructure more secured.
Scanning once meant converting a document to an image. Now, advanced capture solutions enable a multifunction printer to understand and process the document’s content. It can use this data to improve document security, making sure documents are stored in the right places, routed to the right people, and made accessible from any authorized devices.

Document security best practices begin at the multifunction printer

Secured document management with a multifunction printer begins at the device level: A user logs in via a user-friendly smart operation panel, similar to a tablet, and the system authenticates their credentials.
The multifunction printer then uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to interpret the content of the user’s document, classify it, and extract key data such as customer names and addresses, invoice numbers and amounts, etc. The device knows which user scanned the document, how to name the digital file properly, where to store it, and who needs to access it.
The underpinning of device-level protection is a secured operating system and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that monitors for and removes malicious code, ensuring that only approved components can be used. This is critical since malicious attacks are the most common cause of data breaches.

Leveraging seamless connections for secured data

A multifunction printer is powered by best-in-class hardware and integrated cloud-enabled software. All software applications are tested, compatibility certified and digitally signed. They enable security functions like authentication, secured print and encryption, among other things.
DocuWare Cloud software, for example, supports secured document management and workflow automation. It helps protect data through encryption, a sophisticated rights concept, access restrictions and security audits. Encryption is automatic, and extracted data is secured via a VPN (virtual private network) within a data center.
You can create seamless connections to your existing content management system and convert digital documents into business intelligence. This means more data properly encrypted, more consistent data classification, and less reliance on physical storage. Mistyped email addresses, clumsy forwarding chains, lost papers, and sensitive information sitting out in the open on shared drives can all be avoided.

The best solutions: scalable, secured, and simple

As your business evolves, so should the technologies it relies on. An intelligent, multifunction printer is updated on demand, directly on the device, so you always have the latest printer technology. Its capabilities are customizable and grow along with your business, providing new software solutions, applications, and cloud services as you need them to optimize your document management workflows, stay agile – and repel new security threats as they arise.
Radically different from a ‘traditional’ printer, a multifunction printer serves as the hub of your document management workflow. This means change, which can be a challenge. However, easy-to-use functionality and a familiar interface, along with seamless integration and support, help your employees adapt quickly and keep disruption to a minimum. This kind of simplicity also helps to ensure that your business gets everything out of the device that it has to offer.

The additional benefits of secured document processes

Human error is the culprit in 24% of all data breaches. With a multifunction printer, smoothly integrated into your IT and network infrastructure, handling sensitive information is easier, faster, and infinitely more securely. Automating manual, paper-based processes ensures that they are done, and done correctly, every time.
In addition to greatly reducing the risk of data breaches, automatic activity auditing and document classification make it much easier to keep up with security compliance and meet key standards. And as the automated system speeds up slow processes, your team gets more time to be productive and invest in providing a better customer experience.
Evaluate your print and document infrastructure, particularly with regard to everyday document handling processes. You will probably find security gaps. These can be addressed by integrating printer security into your overall IT security strategy with an MFP acting as a sentry to monitor and manage your print and document security.
Check out some of our other helpful resources:
Article: Rethinking office print – A key consideration for your digitization strategy
Ricoh OneSolution: Subscription-based print, scan, and document workflow bundles

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