Louella Fernandes has spoken on the security risk printers can pose to SMBs, noting that they are in many respects more susceptible than large corporations.
Quocirca’s Louella 
Fernandes has written on the security issues brought about by printer use and functionality, noting that SMBs can not only face the same security risks including security threats and stolen data as their larger counterparts, but can also be susceptible to weaknesses that develop from belonging to a “value chain” of suppliers, customers and partners.
The Brother-sponsored study Effective print security for SMBs highlights a number of security issues that require addressing, including the notion that SMBs are “often at greater risk of their employees mishandling data than larger enterprises, and these threats are becoming more prevalent because of the mobility of the workforce and consumerisation of IT”.
Quocirca has recommended a number of steps including usage limitations, allowing “administrators to control and track output at the device [and] limit the number of copies or prints available”; audit logs and reporting based around information including “user, date, time, number of pages, type of paper and type of job [enabling] administrators to monitor activity and control print usage and associated costs”; among others.
Fernandes commented: “SMBs often fall prey to the same security threats as enterprises, but the repercussions are typically far worse and include decreased productivity, compliance issues, lost sales and even loss of reputation. As SMBs remain reliant on printing, they must take steps to safeguard the valuable data that is printed, copied, scanned, faxed and emailed on a daily basis.”