Printing might not seem like a security risk—but in today’s connected workplaces, it absolutely can be. That’s why more organizations are turning to secure Follow Me printing to protect sensitive information and give employees the flexibility to print from anywhere. Whether you're managing a hybrid team or just want tighter control over your print environment, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
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Ready to dive in? Let’s start with the basics—what secure printing actually is, why it matters, and how it fits into a modern, flexible print environment.
Let’s face it—printers aren’t always top of mind when we think about cybersecurity. But they should be. In many organizations, networked printers can be a surprisingly easy target for hackers. If a printer isn’t properly secured, it can act like an open door into your network. And once someone’s in, they could potentially access sensitive data, disrupt operations, or even hold your information for ransom. Yikes.
That’s where secure printing comes in.
Secure printing software helps protect your organization’s printer fleet by making sure only authorized users can access and release print jobs. Think of it as a digital bouncer for your printers. Employees are given access only to the printers they need, and if their role changes—say they start traveling to other offices—an administrator can easily update their permissions.
This approach is part of a broader strategy known as zero trust printing, which is all about verifying every user, every time. With secure printing, users typically authenticate themselves at the printer using a badge, ID card or a personal PIN before their documents are printed. That way, sensitive information doesn’t sit unattended in the output tray.
And here’s another bonus, secure printing software keeps a detailed log of all print activity. That means your IT team can monitor usage, detect potential threats and continuously improve your print security strategy.
RELATED: The Expert’s Guide to End-to-End Print Security
If your organization is looking to make printing more secure and flexible, Follow Me printing is a great solution. It allows users to send a print job from any device and pick it up at any printer—after verifying their identity. But to make this work securely, you’ll need the right software.
There are several trusted platforms out there, and at the Gordon Flesch Company (GFC), we recommend two that have consistently delivered great results for our customers: PaperCut and uniFLOW. Both are reliable, secure and packed with features that make managing your print environment a whole lot easier.
With mobile-enabled secure printing software, you can do more than just print from your phone. These tools give your administrators control over your entire print fleet. You can track print jobs, route them efficiently, hold them in a secure queue until the user is ready to release them and even analyze usage to help manage costs. Plus, they support user authentication, which is key to enabling Follow Me printing securely.
If your workplace supports a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) culture, it’s especially important to choose software that works across a wide range of personal devices—laptops, tablets, smartphones—you name it. And don’t forget to check for compatibility with different operating systems like iOS and Android to make sure everyone can print securely, no matter what device they’re using.
MANAGED PRINT CASE STUDY: Marquette University
Even though we’re one of the top independent Canon dealers in the nation, GFC is a provider of both uniFLOW and PaperCut software solutions. You have options to select what best fits the needs of your print fleet.
Learn more about how to keep your print fleet secure by controlling who’s printing, when they’re printing and knowing how much it’s costing you. Download your complimentary copy of our Top 10 Benefits of Print Output Management for a better understanding of how to secure and streamline all of your data.
