Driven by an increasing number of cyberattacks on major institutions, organizations are actively taking steps to ensure that their IT environments are secure. However, recent research from International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that print security often goes unaddressed in comparison to other IT technologies, leaving organizations vulnerable to malicious attacks via printing devices. To help organizations mitigate their risk for security breaches via printers and multi-function peripherals (MFPs), IDC has published a new MaturityScape report that offers senior leaders a framework to assess their level of print security and to prepare a print security strategy that is in line with their overall IT security goals.

"An unsecured print environment equals an unsecured IT environment," said Keith Kmetz, Program Vice President, Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions at IDC. "As a result, print must be included in an organization's overall IT security risk assessment process. It is important to care about not only about print security but also the consequences of not protecting these devices from malicious or careless use."

"Print security risk needs to be assessed in the context of an organization's security goals and the controls deployed," said Arianna Valentini, Senior Research Analyst, Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions. "A print environment that has addressed its security vulnerabilities ensures improved security for the overall IT infrastructure of an organization."

Deploying proper print security requires most organizations to change their current organizational practices to meet new print security requirements. To help organizations successfully make this transition, IDC's MaturityScape framework identifies the stages, critical measures, outcomes, and actions required to develop a print security strategy that ensures a more secure overall IT environment.

The five stages of IDC's Print Security MaturityScape framework are Ad Hoc, Opportunistic, Repeatable, Managed, and Optimized. The report provides a description of each stage's defining characteristics and business outcomes. IDC has also identified the critical capabilities and practices that are common within each stage of print security maturity. When properly addressed, these dimensions – people, technology, vision, and process – enable an organization to understand and evaluate itself in order to move from one stage of maturity to the next.

The IDC study, IDC MaturityScape: Print Security (IDC #US40729515), describes IDC's print security MaturityScape framework, which identifies the stages, critical measures, business outcomes, and actions required for organizations to effectively develop print security competency. The study also provides guidance for organizations of all sizes interested in advancing along the five maturity stages of the framework to maximize benefits derived from a secured print environment.

About IDC MaturityScape
IDC MaturityScape reports are used by IT executives and their enterprise partners to have a structured way to identify their current level of maturity, and the gap between where they are and where they want to be to maintain competitive balance or achieve industry superiority. Using IDC MaturityScapes is a way to reduce the friction of change, to make more precise investments, and to identify the details of governance, process, technology, organization, and other factors that can derail the best-laid technology initiative.

About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC.