At Copiers Plus, we work closely with organizations to make sure they have the right office technology to securely and efficiently transfer their data. Using our custom Discovery Process as a guide, our development team builds out entire network systems designed for optimal workflow management. A key aspect of keeping everything running smoothly is proper interpersonal communications.

Getting information from one place to the next in a proficient, dependable and cost-effective way is critical to any business. However, there’s another component of team success that is often overlooked as offices become more automated: Meaningful, “one-on-one” communications.

Since 2000, when the Gallup Organization began measuring and reporting on workplace engagement in the U.S., their studies have consistently shown less than one-third of Americans are engaged in their jobs in any given year. The antidote to this dismal picture isn’t all about flextime and perks. In fact, Gallup data proves consistent communication – whether it’s conducted in person, over the phone, or electronically – yields significantly higher engagement.

For example, employees whose managers hold regular meetings with them are almost three times as likely to be engaged as employees whose managers don’t. Even as companies increasingly rely on mobile messaging, e-mail, and enterprise social networking platforms such as Slack, Yammer, and NewsGator to engage employees and improve transparency, there’s still no substitute for in-person interaction.

Interpersonal Communications: Back to Basics

We communicate via facial expression, body language, and spoken language. Face-to-face meetings provide managers the opportunity to incorporate all three modes. Savvy managers know when it’s best to use electronic communications, when to pick up the phone, or when to schedule an in-person meeting. Knowing each employee’s individual communication style is a valuable commodity worth investing in.

Avoid Mumbling – Don’t be “Close Talker!”
Whether communicating with employees in a group or one-on-one, speak clearly and at an even pace. If you mumble your words or speak too quickly, misunderstandings are inevitable.

Keep it Simple
Avoid ambiguous words and phrasing; you’ll be less likely to be misunderstood and/or waste time explaining yourself.

Listen
Communication is intended to be a two-way dynamic. Encouraging team members to take part in the discussion will help to guide you in future communications with them.

Say “Thank you!”
After every communication session, via any means, always remember to thank your listeners for their time. This simple courtesy costs you nothing but will buy you a ton of good will.

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Remember those “good old days” at the office when the worst thing you had to worry about was breaking up a water cooler gossip-fest? Today’s managers are charged with the Herculean task of warding off cyber threats that seemingly morph and multiply faster than box office superheroes. Securing your office communications can quickly become a daunting task.

And while state-of-the-art office technology like Multi-Function Printers (MFPs) streamlines printing, copying, and scanning functions, a smooth interface to programs such as Dropbox, Google Drive and SharePoint, also makes them vulnerable to data storage and connectivity breaches.

For instance, hackers deploy Ransomware to infiltrate office communications through the commonly used protocol, SMB (Server Message Block). Your scanner uses this protocol whenever the standard scan-to-folder function is activated, you select an email address, and hit SEND.

Short of pulling out that old Rolodex or resorting to stone tablets and chisels, managers will need to stay diligent as office communications grow ever more sophisticated.

So what’s the work-around? In this case, the solution is as simple as making your employees aware of the threat and seeking out equipment that meets updated standards. Applications like AccuSender by Biscom eliminate the necessity of a fax modem (and phone line) from the device entirely. But if you’re still overwhelmed, you’re not alone.

Don’t Call Out Sick, Call Copiers Plus
With 30 years of industry experience, Copiers Plus recommends the new Kyocera MFP Series. Overwriting and encryption features are standard across the product line through a data security kit. These processes run automatically so there’s no need for special programming or extra training.

Let’s Drill Down:

With the Copiers Plus Proprietary Discovery Process, your organization’s managed print, document management, and networking systems will be efficient and secure. Five Important Steps:

Risk Review: The Copiers Plus team assesses network and systems compliance with your specific industry standards and catalogues any vulnerabilities.

Efficiency Assessment: We analyze your organization’s workflow and communications pipeline to flag inefficiencies and weaknesses.

The Big Reveal: We present a customized plan for improvement along with recommendations for the equipment to get you there.

Solutions Implementation: We execute installations, build-outs, and training.

Monitor & Review: We conduct regular remote monitoring and onsite reviews to ensure all systems are compliant and performing optimally.

If your next office communications involves anything other than carrier pigeon, check in with us again soon.

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We live in a highly connected society where information is available at the click of a button. With this accessibility comes vulnerability. Securing your data should be paramount in your business strategies to safeguard the future of your organization. Preparing now could be the difference in paying dearly later as the average total cost of a data breach according to IBM is $3.86 million. In this blog we will walk you through the benchmark practices organizations can take to ensure their office technology securely handles their data.

Every industry has its own standards and regulations for securing systems and equipment. Within healthcare for instance, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), compliance is the overarching standard while accounting and legal firms both have to adhere to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, there are a few areas organizations of all types should consider when analyzing their communications infrastructure: data security.

Integrated hardware technology

The type of equipment you use in your office will make an impact on how effective and secure your data handling processes are. Multi-Function Printers (MFPs) are valuable because they allow you to complete functions such as printing, copying, scanning and faxing from the same device. Most MFPs will also allow for applications and connectors to be added to their interface for seamless integration with programs often utilized in offices, such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Sharepoint to name a few. Though with these abilities come the necessity for storage and connectivity and the liabilities they can bring.

Securing your data: How to address stored data on MFPs

Stored data can come in forms of scans, print jobs or other data users may save to their device. Data of this variety is often located on the hard disk of the device or in FAX memory where it is accessed to complete the designated job. It is important to have procedures in place for encrypting and overwriting this stored data. With new Kyocera MFP models provided by Copiers Plus, overwriting and encryption are provided standard (optional on older models) through a data security kit and are automatically performed without need of special procedures.

Overwriting

We offer two options of overwriting if a hard disk is present, one is a once overwrite method and the other is a 3-time overwrite (DoD) method. With the once overwrite method, unneeded data is overwritten unless it is in the scenario of system initialization, in which case all areas are overwritten with zeroes to ensure data restoration is not easily accessible.

The 3-time overwrite (DoD) method differs from the once overwrite method in that it complies with the US Department of Defense (DoD) standard. The 3-time overwrite method overwrites areas where data is on the hard disk and fax memory through specific characters, their complements and random characters. Through this more intensive option, data restoration efforts are thwarted even when using high-level deciphering techniques.

Encryption

Unlike overwriting, encryption deals with the data before it gets stored on a hard disk. Since data is stored on the hard disk, it is possible for it to be leaked or tampered with in the case of the hard disk being stolen unless it is encrypted. Encryption takes plaintext and uses an algorithm and key to create ciphertext. Ciphertext is only viewable in full form if it is decrypted with the corresponding key which is communicated securely to the end destination of the data. Our MFPs utilize AES 256-bit encryption (Advanced Encryption Standard: FIPS PUB 197) to uphold strict adherence to government protocols.

How to address secure sending & retrieval of documents

Scanning

One of the major vulnerabilities for companies in regard to scanning documents is the lack of an audit trail of what documents are scanned, when and by whom. Implementing procedures for your employees to use a specialized code or proximity card to access your MFP is a great first step to combating threats to your document and data security. We often times are able to utilize the same HID or Proximity cards organizations use to access their buildings to grant access and permissions on their MFPs.

We advise avoiding SMB Protocol (Server Message Block) when configuring your organizations scan to folder functions. This method has been prone to ransomware attacks and Microsoft even recommended users to disable version one of the SMB Protocol. A more secure alternative to SMB Protocol are peer-to-peer applications that rely on an encrypted channel between the MFP and the PC/MAC destination in order to deliver scans.

One of the most secure techniques of sending documents digitally is through secure file transfer. We work with Biscom to provide this solution that is FIPS 140-2 certified and offers AES 256 encryption for data during delivery and at rest. The process is started by the user sending a document through SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and then the processing takes place where files are uploaded, scanned for viruses, encrypted and an email notification is sent. The file is then received through an SSL by the recipient and an email notification is sent to the send with confirmation. This mode not only offers a higher level of security, it also allows for unlimited file sizes when sending, although the sizes allowed can be managed through administrator settings.

Faxing

Often times organizations will use an analog phone line to conduct their faxing practices. Through this approach, these organizations are at risk of having their phone lines being compromised which could lead to a hacker illegally accessing their network. Kyocera devices are not susceptible to this kind of attack as outlined in this whitepaper produced by Kyocera Document Solutions. Another area of concern is the ability for any user within an organization to walk up to a device without any credentials or permissions and fax out information to any number. Organizations should safeguard their documents and enhance compliancy by having users authenticate at each device and consider limiting the fax numbers permitted to receive faxes.

Printing

How users print in an organization is often determined by officers in the company in regards to cost. While managing the cost of printing within your workplace is important and achievable, organizations need to understand the vulnerabilities of what is printed and how those print jobs are accessed. There are countless examples of employees printing documents to a shared MFP and other users picking it up by mistake. This scenario is harmless enough unless that document accidentally picked up contains sensitive material and could jeopardize organizational operations and compliance. With pull-printing, a user will send a print job to an MFP or printer on their network, then upon walking up to the device, the user will authenticate themselves through a code or proximity card that will release the print job. By utilizing pull-printing, an organization can ensure that documents don’t sit unaccounted for and gain an audit trail for all printed documents within the workplace.

Make a plan for data security

While there are many ways organizations can protect themselves from data mismanagement and attacks, the best remedy to data vulnerability is having a plan. If you would like to tighten your data and document security for your organization, we would love to assist you. Our team follows a five-step plan that begins with a risk evaluation followed by laying out what a path to increased security, efficiency and financial flexibility can look like.

To learn more and schedule your complimentary assessment, please reach out to us at 800-648-7081 or via the button below!

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