Single Point of Failure

Let me start by stating that I used to work at Cisco and am currently a Sales Manager at XEROX the views expressed are my own.

That being said most of my professional life has been in IT and part of big corps and small startups I have gained a special interest in Security and how little or no interest and investment is awarded to it in small companies and how things get past in the security mesh of big corporations.

I have gained a special interest in Security and how little or no interest and investment is awarded to it in small companies and how things get past in the security mesh of big corporations.

Security issues have now become infamous and every other night they are opening news regularly on tv. All of the corporations seem to have fallen prey to it, John Chambers is know to have famously said that "there are two types of companies those that have been hacked and those that don't yet know they have been hacked".

All organizations are vulnerable to exploits and having their security being compromised. Big budgets and dedicated teams help to mitigate but add to the complexity of running a business. I believe it's really a matter of when you get attacked and how much damage can be inflicted before you contain and defend the attack. Now if you are an SMB with no Security department you need to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect your business and your client's information while at the same time adapting to the market you are competing, tall order to fulfill...

One area I have found is regularly overlooked by security is your companies Multifunction Printing (MFPs), you just take it for granted yet it has evolved from being a simple photocopier to today's highly complex tech gadgets that can become critical part of the workflow of a company; with access to User Directories, File Servers and be present on the Network. Today's MFPs are de-facto Servers with network access and need to be managed as a potential attack point and defended accordingly as any endpoint on the network.

What steps should be taken to ensure security?

1. Change default credentials and assign specific VLANs to the MFP fleet;
2. Create defined security policies Cisco ISE for example now comes with pre-configured XEROX printers to streamline this setup on the network otherwise do it manually;
3. Keep device updated as you would your servers or any other asset connected to the network;
4. Turn off any local services you don't need;
5. Make sure you have an information policy in place segmenting confidential documents and restricting its usage. Security starts with your processes and your team's awareness of the threats.

This is a serious issue that you need to address as it can have serious lasting damage to your brand, your business, and your reputation.