The Datamax Thinking Blog

Superintendents, campus IT, and administrative teams must work together to maximize budgets while managing printing proactively to deliver a secure, accessible print environment for everyone on campus. This is where a Print Management solution becomes a valuable asset.

Mark Twain has this funny quote about a teacher’s first day back in the classroom.

“Describing her first day back in grade school after a long absence, a teacher said, ‘It was like trying to hold 35 corks underwater at the same time.’” IT administrators on campus might often feel the same.

There likely won’t be an obvious indicator that it’s time to replace your trusted copier or printer. However, there will be signs.

If your office had one essential worker, it would be your Multifunction Printer/copier.

It works diligently and consistently, without much of a break. It also multi-tasks in unique ways, printing, copying, scanning, faxing, and finishing to help you complete workflows and custom print jobs every single day. Of course, from its initial unboxing to its final resting place in the boneyard (the area of a copier dealer's warehouse where it is eventually stripped for parts), your copier has a  certain life span.

What happens when Zero Trust encounters your print environment?  How do you avoid compromising an otherwise locked-down IT environment? How do you retain the ability to print as needed? 

For a rising number of organizations today, when it comes to security, trust simply cannot be earned without proper approval. No exceptions. Seventy-two percent of organizations are either in the process of adopting Zero Trust Security or have already adopted it, according to Statista.

Let's face it. Applying the right security settings and ensuring best practices can get complicated fast, but Canon’s Unified Firmware Platform (UFP) simplifies that for you.

Firewalls, VPNs, anti-virus protection... these are all commonplace in today's tumultuous cyber security landscape. It goes without saying that cybersecurity is a top initiative for organizations aiming to protect sensitive information and their reputation.  What about your copiers and printers, and their inherent need for protection? Perhaps less commonplace. 

Good IT security practices require more than just a bundle of technology tossed at a potential problem.

Author and Poet Rumi once wrote: “I’ve said before that every craftsman searches for what’s not there to practice his craft.”

McAfee Embedded Control blocks the execution of unauthorized applications like malware through intelligent whitelisting.

In an attempt to fully secure your home, imagine creating a list of every potential intruder that exists in your neighborhood, in your city, and beyond. Now – imagine creating a list of every APPROVED individual into your home.

When it comes to security, MFPs should be treated just like any other endpoint on the network.

So, it's time to finally upgrade your copier(s) or MFP(s). How seriously have you considered security?

Although speeds, feeds, and cost of ownership are still relevant elements of pre-sale discovery and dialog, a heads-up sales consultant will also proactively introduce MFP Control and Security to the conversation. They know, when it comes to security, MFPs should be treated just like any other endpoint on the network.

Canon’s Unified Firmware Platform (UFP) allows Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE models to be updated with cutting-edge features, new functionality, and enhanced security measures on an ongoing basis.

Steady moving streams are critical to the quality and supply of drinking water, ensuring a continuous flow of clean water and recharging of underground aquifers.

Many SMBs fail to recognize the copier for what it is today — just another device on the network, as susceptible to cyber attack as an email inbox or web browser.

"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."

I see this old, tired adage at play frequently when I visit offices and learn more about their printing environment. Whether it’s due to low volumes, reluctance to incur new costs, or just flat-out comfort factor, many businesses run their decade-plus-old copiers into the ground, much like one would an older vehicle that’s been paid for.

Nearly a third of all respondents (32%) said that they had never received cybersecurity training from their workplace but should have.

Healthcare today has its share of gaps: Gaps in healthcare access, gaps in the treatment of chronic diseases, and gaps in communication between patient and provider.

But what about the existing gaps in a medical facility's IT security plan?