Print systems are becoming critical cybersecurity endpoints. Experts discuss governance, compliance, and why document workflows need stronger security oversight.

For most enterprises, cybersecurity discussions begin with cloud infrastructure, endpoints, networks, and increasingly, AI-powered threat detection. Yet one category of enterprise technology often escapes the same level of scrutiny despite handling sensitive financial, legal, healthcare, and employee information every day: printers and document workflows.

The oversight is becoming harder to ignore. Modern multifunction printers are no longer standalone office devices. They are connected endpoints that interact with cloud environments, enterprise applications, email systems, mobile devices, and document management platforms. As organisations embrace hybrid work models and digital workflows, print infrastructure is becoming part of a broader conversation around data governance, compliance, and information security.

At the same time, enterprises are adopting zero-trust architectures, strengthening identity controls, and preparing for stricter data privacy regulations. This raises an important question: are organisations paying enough attention to the security risks that exist within their print ecosystems?

To understand how this conversation is evolving, CIOL spoke with Katsuhisa Asari, Managing Director, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India, about print security, compliance, AI-driven threats, and the changing role of document workflows in enterprise cybersecurity.

Interview excerpts:

Enterprises today spend heavily on cloud, endpoint, and network security, yet printers are often treated as low-risk hardware. Why does print infrastructure continue to remain outside mainstream cybersecurity conversations despite handling highly sensitive enterprise data?

Historically, print infrastructure has been viewed as a peripheral part of enterprise IT rather than a core cybersecurity asset. Many organisations still see printers primarily as output devices instead of connected endpoints that process, store, and transmit sensitive business information.

The reality is very different today. Modern enterprise printers are integrated with cloud platforms, document management systems, enterprise networks, mobile devices, and workflow applications. They often handle financial records, legal documents, healthcare information, employee data, customer information, and intellectual property.

Cybersecurity investments have traditionally focused on laptops, servers, cloud infrastructure, and mobile devices. Print environments have often received less strategic attention and, in many cases, are managed separately from broader security frameworks.

As hybrid work and cloud-based workflows expand, organisations are increasingly recognising that printers require the same governance, authentication controls, encryption, monitoring, and access management applied to other enterprise IT assets.

In hybrid workplaces, documents move across devices, homes, cloud systems, and office networks simultaneously. Has print security evolved from an IT issue into a broader data governance and compliance challenge?

Yes, increasingly so. In hybrid environments, information no longer remains within a single office network. Documents move across cloud platforms, remote workstations, mobile devices, enterprise applications, and print environments.

As a result, print security is becoming closely linked to data governance, compliance, and risk management. Sensitive information often moves through print and document workflows, creating potential exposure points if governance frameworks are weak.

Regulatory expectations are also becoming stricter. Organisations are expected to maintain greater visibility and control over how information is accessed, shared, stored, and printed. This is pushing print security closer to enterprise compliance strategies, identity management systems, and zero-trust frameworks. Today, the focus is no longer just securing devices. It is about securing information throughout its lifecycle.

Many organisations are adopting zero-trust architectures. How practical is zero trust in print environments where legacy devices and unmanaged endpoints are still widely used?

The concept is highly relevant, but implementation can be challenging. Many enterprises operate mixed environments where modern systems coexist with older devices that were not designed with today’s security requirements in mind. Some legacy printers may lack support for advanced encryption, secure boot processes, firmware integrity validation, or modern authentication methods.

However, organisations are gradually moving toward zero-trust-aligned print strategies through user authentication, pull printing, encrypted communication, firmware protection, network segmentation, and centralised device management.

The transition may take time, but printers are increasingly being treated as critical network-connected endpoints that must align with broader cybersecurity frameworks.

As AI-powered cyberattacks become more sophisticated, could connected printers and document workflows emerge as easier entry points for attackers?

Organisations are increasingly taking a holistic view of cybersecurity across all connected infrastructure, including print environments. Modern print systems are no longer isolated devices. They connect with enterprise applications, cloud platforms, mobile devices, and workflow systems. This makes security across the entire ecosystem important.

At the same time, enterprise print technology has evolved considerably. Security capabilities such as encryption, authentication, secure boot processes, firmware protection, access controls, and centralised management are now common in modern environments. The discussion today is less about identifying a single weak point and more about ensuring consistent security policies across all connected systems.

A properly managed print environment should be viewed as part of a broader enterprise cybersecurity strategy rather than as a separate technology category.

Many cybersecurity strategies focus on digital systems, while document workflows still involve human intervention. Does human behaviour remain the biggest vulnerability in document security?

Human behaviour continues to play a major role. Document workflows involve multiple touchpoints across digital and physical environments. Risks often arise from unauthorised access, insecure document handling, weak passwords, accidental sharing, or a lack of awareness about information governance policies.

Hybrid work environments have increased this complexity because employees now access and manage information across multiple devices, networks, and locations.

Technology remains important, but organisations are increasingly realising that document security also depends on employee awareness, governance policies, training, and secure information-handling practices. Effective security requires a combination of technology, process, and user accountability.

With increasing regulatory scrutiny around data privacy and compliance, especially in BFSI, healthcare, and government, are enterprises underestimating the risks linked to unsecured print ecosystems?

Organisations are becoming more aware of these risks, particularly in sectors that handle highly sensitive information. Regulators are placing greater emphasis on visibility, access controls, auditability, retention policies, and secure information handling throughout the document lifecycle.

This is encouraging enterprises to strengthen areas such as secure print release, user authentication, encryption, audit trails, centralised device management, and workflow governance.

Rather than viewing print security as a standalone issue, many organisations are integrating it into broader cybersecurity and compliance strategies. The objective is to create secure, accountable information environments that protect sensitive data across both digital and physical workflows.