When it comes to security, don’t settle for less than excellence

During times of international turmoil, businesses are more at risk from cyberattacks. New working practices put increasing pressure on businesses to shift to cloud-enabled services that empower productivity from anywhere. However, cloud assets are the biggest targets for cyberattacks. The increase in cloud exploitation and attacks is directly due to the increase in work moving to the cloud, as more sensitive data is then stored on remote servers.

In fact, with remote working in many countries expected to become part of working practices, cybercriminals are finding new ways to manipulate the vulnerabilities of distributed staff. Human error and misconfiguration can easily lead to data breaches.

In this climate, a proactive, comprehensive approach to security is rapidly becoming an important competitive differentiator. This approach requires a more holistic view of both how data is used and stored through the document lifecycle, and how security of this data functions throughout wider business operations.

Security operational excellence is about more than just securing digital endpoints. Rather, it requires full alignment between security and business operations throughout the business, from infrastructure to staff training. Information security is a key component of this objective; this applies wherever that information resides within an organisation, and however it is managed. The ultimate goal here, as IDC outlines it, is to build lasting ‘digital trust’ in practices throughout the organisation, with every business process informed by strong security measures.

Many companies think cybersecurity only concerns digital operations. But external threats are not limited to the digital world, and to protect information through its entire lifecycle, it’s vital to think holistically. Businesses must consider all aspects of how and where data is used, processed and shared. This means not just internal digital systems, but in print and hard copies as well, which can all too often represent the weak link – 59% of organisations have experienced at least one data loss related to printed documents.

Even before the massively decentralised workforces we’re experiencing today, the document lifecycle was long and often complex, meaning multiple points of vulnerability. The nature of modern, increasingly automated workflows means that data created or captured digitally is often stored in multiple locations or processed multiple times. Insecure transfer of data between user machines, cloud storage and endpoint devices, like printers, can create multiple vulnerabilities, alongside the risk of physically printed documents falling into the wrong hands either through accident or malice.

Potential weak points like these are exactly what security operational excellence is designed to pre-empt and avoid. As global developments lead more people to work from home, it’s more vital than ever for staff to be able to securely share information between edge devices and the cloud. To contribute to security operational excellence initiatives throughout the business, deeper security by design in document management processes is a vital strategy. Businesses must ensure consistent security of data throughout the information lifecycle:

• PRINT MANAGEMENT: Secure the process of sending documents to print, up to the release of printed output at the device in both office and remote working locations. Prevent data breaches by protecting print devices connected to a network and securing all user activities related to print.
• CAPTURE MANAGEMENT: Secure the digitisation of paper documents and distribution to the desired destination. Improve document security by controlling access to scan functions and protecting digitised documents with encryption or digital signatures.
• DOCUMENT & CONTENT MANAGEMENT: Secure the storing and processing of documents, whether across on-premise applications or in the cloud. Ensure compliance with data protection regulations and strengthen document and content security measures.

To ensure consistent security across these stages of the information lifecycle, businesses must build security into the everyday structure, processes and practices of work. This is a fundamental part of digital transformation.

Aligning security and business operations effectively often requires the help of a partner with both historic and global expertise. A good partner will make sure your systems and processes for document management are supporting digital transformation with security at its core, rather than exposing your organisation to security risks – even as businesses seek to shift towards cloud-based working practices. This is completed by providing Digital Transformation Services that are secure by design and reviewed on a regular basis to meet the ever-changing technology, regulatory and cyber security landscape. They can empower organisations to ensure documents are handled securely throughout their entire lifecycle, across the business.

Canon has been recognised as a leader by both Quocirca* and in the IDC Marketscape: Worldwide Security Solutions and Services Hardcopy 2022-2023 Vendor Assessment for adopting exactly this approach to information management.

IDC Marketscape has recognised our comprehensive and holistic approach to print and document security, and our focus on document workflow and information management. IDC also praised our drive to help customers establish a secure environment that not only includes document output, but also managing and moving information.

The organisation went on to highlight four specific areas of strength that we demonstrate in the information security space:

• Secure by design: Our "secure by design" philosophy informs everything we do. Security is at the heart of product design and manufacturing, as well as our entire solutions and services portfolio. Meanwhile, our devices enable device hardening and can remain agile to tackle evolving cybersecurity threats.
• 360-degree view: Our "360 Degree, Latest, Easiest" security policy is designed to help customers defend against increasingly sophisticated and regular cyberattacks. This approach takes in devices, software, networks, and cloud-based services. We also continuously monitor hardware and solutions with features such as automatic software and firmware updates, configuration and bulk configuration, security monitoring, and auto-recovery.
• Secure information management: At the core of our security offering is safeguarding your critical information wherever it’s at rest or in transit. We also help you control how that information is being accessed.
• Solutions and services portfolio: IDC highlighted how the breadth of our solutions and services helps us protect customer information throughout the entire document life cycle. In particular, IDC singled out our uniFLOW print and scan management platform, including its role as an information security software solution for document tracking and data leak prevention.

If you’d like to learn more about reducing risk in today's evolving workplace processes and how to dramatically improve information and document security as part of a wider security operations excellence strategy, explore our information security solutions.

*The Print Security Landscape, 2023.