During this period of rapid technological advances, the cyber-hackers have never been behind. Therefore it is very important to secure not only the personal wireless networks but also secure the wireless printer in use.
The recent cases of data breaches in several high-profile and well-renowned organisations has brought to light the importance of data protection in all major and minor networks.
In our everyday lives, we depend on several technological aids, including multi-function printers (MFPs). Even though these have become vital office essentials, many printer repair centres in Andheri East area of Mumbai agree that they could be the reason for putting some valuable information at security risk.
MFPs have advanced into highly sophisticated equipment. To run smoothly, they need a ton of valuable data which gets stored instantaneously. And this is one of the major challenges that as the technology becomes more intelligent, the machinery becomes more advanced, and the more risk we face. Having pointed out the vulnerability, maintaining the required security levels and preventing data breach is not that difficult.
To help increase security, many HP printers are designed with pin code authorisation, smart cards and even fingerprint recognition. These security features ensure access by authorised personnel only. Moreover, some printers also come with data encryption features. Meaning, they contain hard drives which cache all the scanned document images and also the printed document information that helps in protecting sensitive information.
A HP printer on rent shop owner pointed out that another great way to safeguard from printer security breach is to make use of the cloud print options available. Many HP printers now come with Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint and many more.
It is also advisable to ensure that the wireless printer is also secured with password protection. Setting up the password procedure is mostly dependent on the printer model, so it is always helpful to look at the user guide and check all the security steps.
Dealing with Wireless Printing Security Threats
Increase your home printer security by following the basic safety procedures like–
*Password protection – this is the first and foremost way of protecting the information.
*Latest software and driver installation – be up to date with the latest software and driver updates to combat the latest security threats.
*A guest network – If there are frequent users like guests, clients or anyone else with access to your wireless network apart from yourself, then it is suggested to set up a guest network solely for this increasing security. Hence, this measure will increase security because the guest users would be able to access the web but not the main network. Moreover, they would not be able to access the devices connected on the main network also. A guest network can be set up with the help of the instruction manual, website tutorials or HP customer care.
*Avoid a public hotspot connection – it is the safest if your printer is connected to your personal router. Furthermore, some printer models from HP also come with the feature to restrict access to only the users who are solely connected to the personal network. To summarise, when connected to a public Wi-Fi or a public hotspot, anyone gets a potential to openly connect with the printer and breach the security of your personal information.