The rise in hybrid working means many employees scan documents outside of the office – and that can present security risks. This means that confidential scanning is a big opportunity for resellers to provide value for customers.
As digitalisation has increased across the spectrum of business in recent years, so too has hybrid working. Employees can now often work just as effectively at home as in the office thanks to the growth in digital and cloud-based technologies, including scanning confidential documents.
But with this growth also comes risk. With the rapid advancement of AI, it is easier than ever for criminals to try and gain access to business networks, which means security has never been more crucial for all devices – including scanners.
“In today’s landscape, the office isn’t a location anymore – it’s wherever a laptop screen opens,” says Andrew Cowling, channel marketing manager at PFU (EMEA) Ltd. “However, for resellers, this flexibility brings a challenge: how to secure a non-office environment. As hybrid workers handle everything from patient records to legal contracts at home, the document scanner has gone from a simple peripheral device into a critical security gateway.
“The risk isn’t just theoretical: cybercriminals are now leveraging AI to quickly filter and search for high value information, which has dramatically increased the speed of data theft over the last year. While businesses may already recognise the danger of a phishing email, many may still fail to realise that an unsecured scanner on a home Wi-Fi network is a potential information back door.”
Martyn Williams, sales enablement manager EMEA at Xerox, agrees that the shift to hybrid working has fundamentally changed where document risk sits. “Sensitive information is no longer handled exclusively within secure office environments, it’s now routinely scanned and shared from home offices, shared workspaces and mobile devices.”
The biggest risk is not the act of scanning itself, but what happens immediately afterwards, Martyn adds. “Unsecured uploads to personal cloud accounts, email attachments sent without protection, or documents shared before sensitive data is removed all create opportunities for data exposure,” he explains. “Cybercriminals increasingly target these gaps in everyday workflows rather than core infrastructure.
“While most organisations understand the importance of data protection at a policy level, many underestimate how easily risk can be introduced through simple, well-intentioned actions by employees. As a result, there is growing recognition that security needs to be embedded directly into document capture and processing, not added as a separate step after the fact.”
Growing demand
Understandably, with the risks to business security growing, demand for confidential scanning solutions is too. “Demand for confidential scanning solutions is growing steadily, driven by hybrid work becoming a permanent operating model rather than a temporary adjustment,” says Martyn. “Organisations are re-evaluating how documents are captured, processed and shared when employees are no longer tied to a central office.
“Sectors that handle high volumes of personal or regulated information are leading this shift. Legal, financial services, healthcare and the public sector all place strong emphasis on protecting sensitive data at the earliest possible stage in the document journey. For these organisations, the ability to automatically redact personal information, apply document protection and control access before a file is shared has moved from a ‘nice to have’ to a core requirement.”
Andrew notes that confidential scanning is required for security compliance, which is helping to drive growth. “We are seeing rapid growth in sectors such as healthcare, legal, and financial, and with GDPR and the recent EU AI Act, organisations need hardware that doesn’t just capture images and/or content but also offers digital document integrity,” he says.
Trends
While demand is growing for confidential scanning solutions, customer expectations for what a solution includes are also evolving. “Customer expectations have changed significantly over the last few years,” says Martyn. “Today’s organisations are looking for solutions that combine strong security with simplicity and flexibility. Users expect to scan and share documents from wherever they are working, without complex processes or specialist training, while IT teams expect security, compliance and control to be built in by design.
“A key trend is the move away from fragmented tools towards unified platforms. Rather than relying on separate applications for scanning, redaction, file protection and sharing, customers increasingly want a single, trusted environment that manages the entire document workflow securely. Automation also plays a growing role, with customers favouring solutions that automatically remove sensitive data or apply protection without relying on manual user intervention.”
Andrew agrees that automation is increasingly required. “Customers aren’t just looking for fast scanning speeds; they also want intelligent document processing, where scanned data can be identified, classified, validated and routed automatically,” he says. “The trend is moving toward ‘zero touch’ security – scanners that automatically encrypt data at the point of capture and send it directly into the appropriate secure cloud environment using software such as PFU EMEA’s PaperStream Capture Pro,” he adds.
Reseller conversations
With evolving customer expectations, resellers need to focus on certain key aspects in their conversations with customers about confidential scanning solutions. Andrew says that it’s important to highlight document scanners that offer end-to-end encryption; protecting digital data from the moment it gets scanned. “User authentication is also highly desirable – support for MFA and card-swipe logins ensure only authorised personnel see sensitive data,” he says.
“Finally, remote management allows IT to push security patches to home-based devices instantly.”
Martyn adds that resellers should focus on the full document journey rather than individual features. “Confidential scanning is no longer just about the device, it’s about how documents are captured, secured, processed and shared in a hybrid environment,” he says.
“Key points to highlight include secure capture from any location, automatic redaction of sensitive information, encryption and password protection, and controlled access to shared documents. It is also important to emphasise platforms that reduce reliance on personal cloud storage and unmanaged tools, helping customers maintain compliance without increasing complexity.
“Solutions built on trusted, secure cloud infrastructure and aligned with regulatory requirements give customers confidence that document security is being handled consistently, regardless of where employees are working.”
Continuing evolution
It is anticipated that demand for confidential scanning will continue to grow and evolve in the short- to medium-term. “Over the next 12-18 months, confidential scanning will continue to evolve as part of a broader shift towards secure, cloud-based document workflows,” says Martyn. “Hybrid working is here to stay, and organisations will increasingly prioritise solutions that protect information at the point of capture rather than relying solely on downstream controls.
“We expect to see continued growth in automated security capabilities, including intelligent redaction, document rights management and seamless integration between capture applications and secure processing platforms. At the same time, organisations will look to simplify their technology landscape, favouring solutions that deliver security, productivity and compliance through a single, scalable platform. For businesses and resellers alike, the focus will move from simply enabling hybrid work to ensuring it is secure, compliant and sustainable long-term.”
Andrew agrees that by 2027, the market is expected to shift toward predictive workflows. “Scanners will use AI to proactively flag compliance risks before a document even hits the server,” he says.
“For resellers, the message is clear: selling a scanner is no longer just about quality and speed – it’s about provenance and protection.”
