Printers play a critical role in daily business operations, which is why downtime disrupts workflows and hurts revenue. In fact, businesses lose an average of $9,000 per minute of IT downtime, and printers are often overlooked culprits.
Even the smallest printer problems can snowball into bigger issues because of their impact on the business overall. For example:
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A compromised label printer in a warehouse halts operations and delays package shipments.
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Point of Sale (POS) printer failures lead to checkout delays, frustrated customers and abandoned carts.
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A healthcare thermal printer is interrupted due to malware, delaying admittance or time-sensitive lab work.
Since printer downtime can stem from many sources, security has become a top concern, especially as they become more networked and integrated into IT environments. An unsecured printer isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a potential entry point for attackers, putting sensitive data, compliance efforts and brand reputation at risk.
Network certificates for printers help by enabling encrypted data transmission, authenticating device access and supporting regulatory compliance. Learn how SOTI Connect simplifies certificate deployment, management and renewal across diverse printer fleets.
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Network Certificates: What They Are & Why They Are Important
Network certificates are a form of digital credentialing that verifies a printer’s identity on a network. They enable secure, encrypted communication between a printer and other devices or systems. Simply put, the data that is sent to and from the printer – such as patient data, payment details or sensitive documents – is protected from spoofing, interception or tampering.
Certificates also prevent unauthorized access by ensuring only trusted devices can communicate with the printer. Managing these certificates is critical for maintaining data privacy, meeting compliance requirements and protecting the broader network from cyber threats.
Four Best Practices for Managing Printer Certificates
1. Use Trusted Certificates
Relying on certificates from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) helps ensure that devices on your network recognize and trust your printers. Self-signed certificates may be easier to deploy at first, but they are a greater risk and more difficult to manage at scale. Certificates from a reputable CA add an extra layer of security and streamline your integration with security tools and modern network infrastructure.
2. Automate Renewals
Expired certificates can cause a disconnect between printers and backend systems, leading to service disruptions and operational delays. Keeping certificates updated manually is difficult and costly, especially if printers are located remotely. By automating the renewal process, you can ensure all certificates are updated before they expire, which reduces downtime and last-minute fixes.
3. Enforce Certificate-Based Authentication
Printers should be treated like any other endpoint in your network security strategy. Enforcing certificate-based authentication ensures only verified and trusted printers can connect to internal systems. This prevents rogue devices or cyber threats from gaining access to sensitive data.
4. Schedule Regular Audits
Routine audits help you identify if there are expired or soon-to-expire certificates, so you can take the right steps to proactively address them. They also verify if your printers meet all security policies and external compliance requirements. With a centralized view of your printers’ certificate health, you can detect gaps in compliance or upgrades before they turn into vulnerabilities.
Simplify Your Certificate Management with SOTI Connect
Looking for a centralized platform to manage, monitor and protect your printers and their security settings? SOTI Connect is the solution!
SOTI Connect enables administrators to remotely oversee business-critical printers, ensuring network certificates are updated and security settings are properly configured. This enhances network security and enables secure printer communication between other devices your business may use.
By supporting a wide range of printer manufacturers and models, this solution simplifies the management of a diverse printer fleet.
Admins can manage network certificates for printers through SOTI Connect in several ways, including:
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Trusted Certificates: Use CAs to ensure secure and consistent updates across all printers.
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Generation & Deployment: Generate certificates based on templates and deploy them to printers easily.
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Certificate Templates: Create templates to define settings, such as the renewal behavior and validity period.
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Certificate Updates: Avoid invalid certificates with automatic renewals or notifications when their expiry is soon.
SOTI Connect is a trusted, enterprise-grade solution that makes securing printers through automated and centralized certificate deployment and renewal a breeze. With device authentication and encrypted data, you can protect against risks and ensure compliance with minimal effort.
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