With the rise of digital transformation in offices and hybrid workforces, many organizations are looking for secure cloud printing solutions to eliminate onsite print servers.
Unfortunately, most cloud print services have some fundamental limitations. For example, they can’t promise universal compatibility with different printer drivers and operating systems.
End-to-End Encryption
End-to-End Encryption is a security feature that protects sensitive information as it’s sent from device to device or server to server. It prevents hackers, application service providers and other third parties from reading or tampering with the data as it’s transferred.
This type of security focuses on a unique form of encryption called public key encryption. This enables users to send encrypted messages without having to share their keys with each other. In this way, end-to-end encryption protects your privacy from Big Tech companies.
When you use an E2EE messaging app, your messages are encrypted using the key that is saved on your device. Then, the message is encrypted again before it is transmitted to another user.
As a result, it’s impossible for any third party to decrypt the message. This is a major step in protecting the privacy of users.
Even if a user’s messages are completely end-to-end encrypted, there is still a risk that a hacker can steal a user’s cryptographic key or read the recipients’ decrypted messages. However, if the end-to-end encryption is strong enough, the risks are reduced significantly.
The key to maintaining an effective and secure Cloud Print Management setup is ensuring that all of the software and drivers that make up your printer ecosystem are updated on a regular basis. This allows your IT team to spend far less time on mismatched drivers, rollbacks and troubleshooting while also enabling a more secure printing experience for your employees.
Moreover, this means that it’s easier for you to monitor printing activity and identify trends in your print usage. This information can help you improve your business’s workflows and decision-making.
In addition, Secure Cloud Print Management is a great way to increase connectivity to colleagues working from home or on the go. It eliminates the need for on-premise print servers and multiple printer drivers, while allowing your users to print from any enabled printer in your network with ease.
In addition, implementing a comprehensive set of cloud-based security measures is essential for businesses looking to ensure that confidential company data remains safe from hacks and breaches. This includes basic cybersecurity hygiene such as a comprehensive firewall and identity and access management, along with more advanced security features such as real-time security monitoring and role-based access control.
Real-Time Security Monitoring
Real-time security monitoring is a process that allows businesses to monitor their networks in real time. This helps to improve data security, network performance, employee productivity and customer satisfaction. It can also save companies money by preventing costly overspending on unnecessary software or services.
Real-Time security monitoring can be a good option for large organizations that use multiple cloud platforms and want to keep their printing environments safe from hackers. It combines security technologies such as firewalls, virus scanners and encoding software with real-time alerts.
Secure cloud print management focuses on securing printers and networked devices by using a variety of tools to protect confidential information. These include user authentication, access control, encryption and activity logs.
With cloud print management, IT staff can easily manage and monitor all printers on a network from one location. This enables IT staff to centralize printing and reduce costs, while improving security and reducing the number of errors that occur.
In addition to providing security and centralized management, cloud print management solutions can help to reduce the workload of IT staff by enabling automatic updates and maintenance. This can free up their time and allow them to focus on more important tasks.
Besides offering user authentication and access control, cloud print management providers often offer encryption of data in transit and at rest to ensure that sensitive documents cannot be intercepted by unauthorized parties. They may also provide activity logs to help administrators identify unusual user behavior and troubleshoot issues.
The ability to monitor your network in real-time is a must for any business, especially those that work in e-commerce. This allows you to catch any issues before they become critical, so you can fix them quickly and prevent downtime.
A key component of the monitoring process is scripting, which allows a system to automatically generate alerts and record them for real-time logging. This ensures that security and management staff are made aware of any incidents in a timely manner.
In addition to securing your network, real-time security monitoring can improve employee productivity by removing any delays or disruptions that could affect workflow. It can also help to reduce downtime by enabling faster service response times.
Zero-Trust Networks
Zero-Trust Networks are a security approach that involves ensuring that all requests that enter an organization’s network are fully authenticated and authorized before allowing them to access resources. By implementing this security method, organizations can avoid many common security threats and improve defenses against future breaches.
A Zero Trust network can help an organization gain visibility into their environment and activities, enabling them to detect threats that might otherwise go unnoticed. This information can then be used to improve defenses and protect sensitive data.
In addition, Zero Trust solutions can also provide real-time detection of anomalous activity and unauthorized use of privileges. This can help organizations respond to threats quickly and effectively, preventing them from impacting business operations.
As part of a Zero Trust network, print infrastructure can be implemented in a manner that ensures all printing-related activity is controlled and tracked. This includes end-to-end encryption, strong user authentication and print rules to ensure that only authorized users can access printers and MFPs.
Using Zero Trust principles in this way can reduce the risk of malicious users attempting to breach a network and take control of printers and other devices that are plugged into the corporate network. It can also help prevent printers from becoming the target of malicious attackers, reducing their exposure to malware and other attacks.
Another important aspect of a Zero Trust network is securing programmatic credentials such as service accounts. These accounts are often a default for many applications and can be easily taken over by an attacker, especially with a software supply chain attack like the 2021 Sunburst.
This is why it’s critical to secure programmatic credentials, and limit their connection privileges to only those that are necessary for the application or system they’re accessing. This is what the principle of least privilege refers to, and it’s a key part of a Zero Trust network.
By ensuring that all access to network resources is fully authorized, authenticated and encrypted, Zero Trust networks can help to mitigate many of the most common security threats. By limiting lateral movement and mitigating access to specific devices, these networks can improve the productivity of employees, while also lowering overall costs.
Role-Based Access Control
Role-based access control is an important security tool for organizations with multiple employees and many resources. It provides stronger security by ensuring that users only have access to resources that they need to do their job, but it also reduces the amount of time and effort security administrators have to spend on administration.
RBAC is also a useful way to comply with data protection regulations and minimize compliance risks. For example, the GDPR and other European privacy laws require organizations to protect personal data in accordance with specific criteria.
The role-based approach to access control helps organizations develop strong policies that are easy to manage and enforce. It is especially helpful in businesses with large numbers of employees, where it can be difficult and costly to set permissions for each employee individually.
Rule-based access control is a more advanced model that uses high-level rules to determine how, where, and when employees can access spaces or resources. This allows security administrators to apply granular access controls at a higher level, as well as to protect areas that may not be suitable for role-based access control.
It is important to understand the differences between these models and make the right choice for your organization. For example, a local government agency will have different needs from a healthcare or educational institution.
Whether you choose role-based or rule-based access control, it’s essential to implement the appropriate model for your organization. In particular, consider the size of your organization, your industry, and the specific regulations you need to meet.
For instance, a hospital will need to secure sensitive documents and records in a different manner from an educational institution. Similarly, a bank will need to limit its employees’ network access differently from a community college.
The key to successful implementation of these security tools is a methodical, systematic approach that includes detailed documentation. This will help you avoid potential issues and keep your RBAC project on track as your business grows or conflicts between departments arise.
As with any security project, the role-based approach is a major investment. It requires a lot of planning and research, but it can deliver strong benefits when used correctly.