Ten ways cloud print management helps shore up printer security

In our last blog we spoke about how K-12 schools and districts are under pressure to protect against cybersecurity threats and stressed the importance of not overlooking the fact that printers are a viable attack vector for hackers.

Network-connected printing devices pose a security risk not only in terms of printed documents being accessed by unauthorised users, but they also provide an easy entry point to a school’s network, if left unprotected.

directprint.io is packed full of features that offer greater control, compliance, traceability and transparency, enabling smart and secure serverless printing.

Here we’ve highlighted ten ways directprint.io can help schools effectively manage printer security and reduce the attack surface.

1. Secure serverless printing.

A cloud-based print infrastructure offers many printer security benefits over traditional print environments. By managing the print infrastructure in the cloud, you’ll benefit from automated patching and monitoring, safe in the knowledge it’s always up to date and always secure. Put simply, you’ll always have the latest, safest version, with no painful server upgrades required.

2. Designed for Google environments.

Our unique and seamless integration with Google Workspace and Chrome OS provides admins with frictionless deployment and robust, secure local printing with an option to add cloud print capabilities.

3. Zero-touch deployment.

Our universal print driver enables zero-touch deployment at scale, simplifies end-user provisioning and ongoing management. There’s no need to download or update individual print drivers – it’s all taken care of.

Plus, Device Radar turbo-charges the printing device on-boarding process by using multicast DNS (mDNS) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) protocols to search for and identify all printers on your network.

4. Google Workspace integration.

Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication methods help schools better protect their print infrastructure and wider network from cyber threats while providing Google Workspace users with seamless access to the printers they need. Customers can assign specific users to specific printers, easily deploy and remove new printers to end-users, and adopt a Group Policy to manage printers from a single console for improved security and control.

5. Secure documents and data.

With directprint.io, you can enable secure pin release on printers to protect confidential information. Choose from on-printer secure print release, which uses the device’s internal secure print capability – (we support all the leading print manufacturers) – or terminal-based print release, which enables any device to be secure print-enabled by placing a print release terminal next to the printer.

6. Autonomous directory synchronization.

Full directory integration with Google Workspace allows IT admins to deploy, secure, control, and track all print activity. Directory sync capabilities ensures simple printer deployment. Users are allocated printers based on their log in, so as soon as they turn their machine on, they automatically get the correct list of available printers. Plus, Google Workspace and directprint.io integration mean that if end-users are created, moved or deleted, the platform automatically reconfigures their printer access.

7. Enable secure local and edge printing.

Our secure print wizard makes security easy for school administrators and end-users alike. With direct-IP printing, print jobs never leave your network and Edge Print keeps remote print jobs within your already approved Google Workspace infrastructure keeping your data safe and secure.

8. Balance availability with security.

Edge Print is integrated with Google Drive and Google Workspace, leveraging our Chrome Enterprise Recommended Status. Printers remain on a secure network and cannot be exposed to vulnerabilities that are common with personal devices and home networks. Plus, Edge Print gives IT admins fine-grained control over which printers are available for remote printing, they can control which users can print remotely and even grant granular privileges that determine which groups or individual users can use which devices.

9. QuickCodes.

School and district IT admins can also deploy printers to users with directprint.io QuickCodes. There are four types of QuickCodes that make allocating printers for unmanaged users and BYODs frictionless. Static QuickCodes provide access to a printer until the user decides to remove the printer from their app; a fixed expiry QuickCode is only valid for a specified time; a duration access QuickCode grants access to one or more printers for a specific duration; and a single-use QuickCode as the  name suggests is valid for one-time only.

10. Insight.

Our intuitive cloud platform also provides instant access to real-time data and highly-detailed reports which allow you to track print activity across your school or district. The result is a harmonious balance between flexibility and strict security standards. Staff and students can access the printing devices they need, while IT admins can rest assured that the print infrastructure is safe and secure and that bad actors don’t find a convenient back door into the network.

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Printer security – how to start securing your print environment?

Why not explore everything directprint.io has to offer for printer security and make the most of our free 30-day trial today?

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