Cloud security – protect your data in the digital age

In recent years, the technology landscape has shifted over to cloud solutions; there are no signs this trend will slow down. Consequently, cloud services' security is paramount in today's digital landscape, especially regarding print and scan management. Organizations increasingly rely on cloud solutions to optimize their business processes to improve efficiency. However, the convenience of the cloud has raised security concerns in some sectors.

Does on-premise infrastructure mean staying in control?

On-premise software solutions are still perceived as offering organizations a high level of control over their systems and data. The physical presence of servers and databases within the corporate infrastructure allows IT teams to implement and monitor security protocols directly.

However, set up and maintenance of an on-premise infrastructure requires significant financial investment. Organizations must budget for hardware, software licenses, network equipment, and qualified personnel to manage the infrastructure effectively. They also need to anticipate future growth to counteract unexpected scaling accurately. To ensure security, on-premise solutions require long-term maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting, such as frequent software patches, hardware upgrades, and security updates.

Cloud security: scalability and cost efficiency

Cloud technology answers many challenges organizations face when addressing infrastructure and security requirements. Printers are often neglected in a cloud-only strategy but they can be an easy gateway for attacks. Cloud providers are at the forefront of technology innovation and security. New features and services are frequently introduced to ensure users have access to the latest advances without incurring large capital outlay. Security updates and patches can also be applied quickly and efficiently across a broad base of systems, reducing the burden on in-house IT teams. In addition, cloud providers can often offer higher security standards than a single organization could achieve independently e.g. Microsoft invests heavily in cloud security, spending approximately $1 billion per annum on cloud security measures to ensure robust security across their services, including Azure, Office 365, and other cloud platforms.

Real security with uniFLOW Online

uniFLOW Online improves business security with its print and scan infrastructure. It helps to close security gaps and already follows a secure approach as standard. It offers organizations a wide range of security-relevant options including:

• Data protection through tenant isolation, while the public cloud ensures the latest version is always available.

• No passwords are stored in uniFLOW Online. Instead, a claims-based approach is used to identify users.

• MFA is implemented for uniFLOW Online accounts to safeguard access to uniFLOW Online and prevent unauthorized access.

• Device access control and access restrictions are in place to reduce the risk of human error and possible fraud.

• Secure Printing can be configured in two ways: all print traffic must stay within the company network and/ or secure printing in Zero Trust environments with micro-segmentation.

• Minimum data storage; only accounting data and configuration information are sent to the uniFLOW Online tenant outside the company network.

• Customer data is stored in uniFLOW Online according to statutory requirements. It is not shared with third parties. A separate tenant structure keeps all data isolated.

• uniFLOW Online is hosted in Microsoft Azure data centers distributed globally so that customer data respects data sovereignty i.e. customer data remains within the local region.

• uniFLOW Online helps to ensure GDPR compliance by supporting administrators in fulfilling user rights related to GDPR.

• NT-ware, as the development company of uniFLOW Online, is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27017:2015 certified.

Cloud security for print and scan management software is a complex issue that requires careful planning and implementation. Organizations can manage their print and scan tasks securely and efficiently in the cloud by choosing suitable cloud deployment models, implementing robust security measures and adhering to data protection standards. Professional security measures mean data is often more secure in the cloud. Cloud providers close doors to possible attacks as they minimize potential vulnerabilities and increase the ability to respond to threats.

References

1. The Top 28 Cloud Computing Trends in 2024
2. Cloud vs. On-Premise: Vorteile und Nachteile (elevatex.de)
3. Cloud vs On-premise Security: 6 Critical Differences - SentinelOne
4. Securing the cloud | Microsoft Story Labs

Source: NT-ware Systemprogrammierungs-GmbH