Most organizations, regardless of their industry, manage sensitive information daily—whether it's patient medical records, legal contracts, financial data, or employee files.
Each of these documents contains confidential data that, if mishandled, can lead to severe consequences, such as data breaches, legal penalties, and reputational damage. This is why having robust security policies in place when printing these documents is essential.
Without the right protocols, confidential information can be left exposed on print trays or intercepted during transmission, putting your organization at risk.
How can organizations ensure that this information is always protected? One solution that many companies are adopting is secure print.
What is Secure Printing?
Also known as secure print release secure printing encompasses various technologies, policies, and procedures to protect confidential information in a shared print environment. Secure print allows organizations to ensure that documents get to the right people at the right time and location.
Risks of Unsecure Printing Protocols
Unsecured printing practices are dangerous in today’s workplace, where confidential information is being handled all the time. Common printing environment vulnerabilities include unrestricted remote access, lack of administrative security, unencrypted data transmission, and poor document storage protocols, to name a few.
Essential Steps for Secure Printing
At its core, secure printing includes the following three steps:
- Send Print: The user initiates a print job via their device (phone, computer, tablet).
- Encryption: Once the user initiates the print job, the document data is encrypted through different protocols to keep the information secure. Two of the common protocols are Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS).
- User Authentication and Secure Document Release: The final step requires users to verify their identity at the printer before the document is printed, ensuring that confidential information is not left unattended at a shared print station. This authentication process can be accomplished by entering a PIN, password, or even through electronic badge scanning.
The components of secure printing allow companies to rest assured that confidential information is always protected.
Compliance and Regulatory Benefits of Secure Printing
Certain industries have specific compliance requirements related to document security and printing. For example, in the healthcare field, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance is crucial, and in the legal sector, meeting regulatory requirements and ethical standards is paramount.
In addition, PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) needs to be considered when it comes to financial data. Across the board, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) must be enforced and closely tied to secure print.
Consider these specific requirements associated with the principal regulations mentioned:
HIPAA
The HIPAA privacy rule requires safeguards to secure protected health information (PHI) while allowing the necessary flow of information to treat patients. The HIPAA security rule applies specifically to electronic protected health information (e-PHI). It mandates that organizations have multiple protocols to promote the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of e-PHI. Secure print is one way to prevent HIPAA violations for covered entities and business associates in healthcare.
PCI DSS
Organizations that handle payment card transactions should comply with PCI DSS. When customers use debit or credit cards, companies store, process, and transmit the information. PCI DSS includes requirements for software developers and manufacturers associated with the technology used for processing card transactions. Two critical requirements related to secure print are protecting all systems against malware and maintaining safe systems and applications.
GDPR
GDPR is a privacy law that applies to electronic and print data. Regarding printed documents, the significant violations deal with improper data storage and leakage. For example, if data is unencrypted when being sent to a printer or the print tray is left unattended, GDPR is violated. To comply with GDPR, organizations should employ Zero-trust architecture and print security measures.
FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It applies to all educational agencies and institutions that receive funds under any program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The law requires that schools obtain written permission from the parent or eligible student before releasing any information from a student's education record, with certain exceptions.
To comply with FERPA, educational institutions should implement secure print solutions to protect sensitive student information, ensure proper disposal of printed documents containing education records, and maintain strict access controls to prevent unauthorized disclosure of student data.
The Hidden Risks of Unsecured Printing: A Real-World Example
People often hear about cybersecurity attacks and data breaches, but it’s essential to recognize the role of unsecured printing practices in some of these cases.
A prime example is Affinity Health Plan’s HIPAA violation related to photocopiers containing PHI. During the incident, the company returned photocopiers to leasing agents without erasing the confidential data. This affected 300,000 people, and Affinity Health Plan faced a $1.2 million fine.
The investigation also uncovered that Affinity did not include ePHI stored on the copier’s hard drives in its risk and vulnerability analysis, as required by the Security Rule. If Affinity had been incorporating secure printing protocols, this issue could have been avoided. The information should have been encrypted, cleared after use, and only accessible with proper authorization.
Additionally, new research from Xerox found that 27% of IT security problems could be traced back to paper documents, making additional security at the printer essential.
Benefits of Implementing Secure Print Services
Implementing secure print services provides companies with several benefits. Beyond reducing the risk of data breaches, its services allow for enhanced data protection and improved compliance. SymQuest’s secure print services incorporate various technologies and approaches, including multi-function printers (MFPs) and print monitoring.
SymQuest advises users on how to ensure the security of their MFPs. Organizations can keep their printers secure by keeping the firmware updated, utilizing access controls, encrypting the hard drives, and implementing virus scanning. Preparing the technology and hardware is the first step in creating a secure environment.
Protect Confidential Information With Secure Printing
While companies frequently deal with electronic data, print security remains a key player in keeping confidential information safe. By understanding how secure print works and why it is beneficial across industries, organizations can take the necessary steps to develop a secure printing environment.
Is your business looking to improve print security? Consult a print expert today to learn more about secure print solutions tailored to your needs.
