Modern Endpoint Security Risks: Remaining Secure in the IoT World

Many IT professionals know that the endpoints in their networks pose real security risks. The problem is not all do. And not every business has a dedicated IT security professional on staff to securely configure and monitor every endpoint.

Worse yet, “endpoint” no longer refers simply to employees’ computers and mobile phones. With IoT devices migrating into enterprise environments, IT teams have to contend with protecting everything from thermostats to printers, all while ensuring that mission-critical systems run smoothly and disaster recovery solutions are in place.

The Growing IoT Risk

Gartner projects that 20.4 billion IoT devices will be deployed by 2020. Smart devices like TVs, security cameras and printers are proliferating at rapid rates, and a lack of security protocol today could lead to serious breaches or hacks in the future.

For hackers looking to get inside a corporate network, unsecured IoT devices like printers provide ideal points of entry. These endpoints have already been used to create large-scale botnets to perpetuate crippling distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, as reported by the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

Indeed, multifunction printers (MFPs) have been a weak link in IT infrastructure. Only a quarter of Quocirca survey respondents were confident that their print environments were protected from security threats. With roughly 75 percent of print environments unsecure, it’s obvious that businesses can’t continue to be complacent about such a prevalent security risk.

Close the door on hackers

To close the security gap, organizations should implement information security strategies that take all devices, data, and documents into account. An assessment of your specific security needs should involve both security professionals and the IT decision makers who manage printers and similar devices.

This is where HP Managed Print Services (MPS) from Zones can play a key role. Leveraging MPS helps reduce the threat of IoT endpoints by ensuring that print environments are equipped with the latest security technologies and strategies.

Together, Zones and HP managed print solutions can help you lower costs and improve productivity while reducing security risks, delivering services such as malware and virus protection, as well as secure printer configuration and access protocols. Contact your Zones account executive or call 800.408.ZONES to learn how HP Managed Print Solutions can help you close the door on hackers targeting your your network.

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