Over the course of 2025, one of the biggest trends in the print channel has been for increasing security – including for devices operated by SMBs, which can be just as susceptible to an attack as a bigger company.
The past 12 months have seen a succession of headlines concerning large businesses hit by cyberattacks. But at the small- to medium-sized end of the market there have been just as many attacks, which can be just as impactful but haven’t garnered journalists’ attention.
“Given that the threat landscape in 2025 has been defined by the cyberattacks on Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, Co-operative Group and Harrods, it’s clear that bad actors are as ruthless as they are relentless in their mission to cause maximum disruption to companies, their supply chains and the customers and communities they serve,” says Stuart Brookes, PaperCut’s EMEA regional lead and head of sales and channel.
Stuart points to the government’s cyber security breaches survey 2025, which reports that 43% of businesses and 30% of charities reported having experienced any kind of cybersecurity breach or attack in the past 12 months. “This equates to about 612,000 UK businesses and 61,000 UK charities; that’s a sobering reminder of the prevalence of this sort of crime,” he says. “Therefore, SMBs mustn’t be complacent and mistaken in thinking they’re unlikely to be a target, not least when their security defences are usually less robust than larger organisations.”
Matúš Szépe, lead developer at MyQ, adds that the threats SMBs face are growing in volume and sophistication. “The rise of generative AI has completely changed the cyberthreat landscape,” he adds. “It’s no longer just the stereotypical ‘Nigerian prince’ email, we now see highly convincing phishing attempts, deepfake content and automated attacks tailored to local languages and cultural contexts.
“This means even small businesses, which once felt ‘under the radar’ are now directly targeted with advanced tools that previously belonged only to large-scale operations.”
Leigh Jolly, change and information security lead at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd, agrees that the rise in sophisticated ransomware and phishing attacks presents a direct threat to SMBs. “As does their position in supply chains, where they may be seen as a weak entry point for a much larger prize,” she adds. “They can be particularly susceptible to increasingly sophisticated attacks that can compromise day-to-day business operations, such as having data encrypted, and the threat of sensitive information being leaked, leading them to pay ransoms.”
Ian Fox, channel solutions and services specialist at Xerox, adds that cybercriminals are highly resourceful and constantly searching for the weakest link in a company’s network. “For many SMBs, that link can be an overlooked endpoint such as a multifunctional device (MFD),” he notes. “Default passwords, outdated firmware, or unpatched print management software can all become easy targets.
“As the print and IT environments become more interconnected, SMBs must treat every device on the network as a potential access point.”
Trends
With the growing acceptance of how SMBs are a target for cybercriminals, it means customer demands are evolving. For instance, Stuart notes that the acceptance of cloud as an alternative to on-premises servers means SMBs are now looking seriously at print management as a solution. “We’re seeing massive opportunities that simply weren’t there three years ago,” he adds.
“At the same time, price is always a factor, but in times of economic pressure, it often becomes the only factor. With a sluggish economy, lacklustre productivity and many SMBs facing rising costs – from increases in the minimum wage and national insurance contributions to the commercial threats posed by AI – they’re increasingly laser-focused on price.
“Vendors and resellers can provide real value here, by making customers aware of the solutions available that help them to better manage costs, like print quotas and detailed reporting that provides granular detail into print activity, informing how it can be better managed to control costs.”
Leigh says customers are focused on ensuring security and privacy, and this extends to MFDs. “Where this had been less of a consideration in the past, there is now recognition that MFDs are networked computing devices that need to be secured,” she explains. “SMB customers understand their own risks but rely on the expertise and consultative service of their suppliers to ensure the secure design of solutions, to protect their organisation’s data. It is helpful for SMBs if suppliers can demonstrate compliance with industry standards for information security, such as ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.”
SMBs are also looking for simplicity, automation and reassurance, says Ian. “They want secure, compliant, cloud-ready solutions that don’t increase the burden on their IT teams,” he adds. “Price still matters, but reliability, resilience and ongoing service support increasingly define value in this space.”
Get the basics right
There are various facets that should go into a print security solution for SMBs, but it is imperative that the basics are covered. “Ideally, security should be inherent to the print device, so that it offers at least some resistance to any attempted infiltration, and firmware should always be kept up to date – that’s really important,” says Chris Bates, director, print & supplies, UK&I at TD SYNNEX.
“Password protection is the simplest feature that many printers have, and this can be very effective, providing strong passwords are given to devices and they are not just left on the default setting. User authentication will help to reduce any possibility that the printer could be tampered with, and it’s a good idea to disable unused ports.”
Leigh adds that encrypting discs and making sure that they are wiped at end of life, should be practiced. “Also, disabling obsolete and unwanted protocols, applying encryption and enabling secure follow-me printing to ensure privacy and avoid data leakage,” she notes.
Stuart says the basic principles are the same for organisations of all sizes. “The user, the device and the document has to be secure,” he says. “That means only authorised users can release their document from a device. The connected device must be secure and not offer any on-ramps to the network or confidential data, while the document – whether it’s digital or physical – should be protected to prevent it being a source of data leaks.”
Effective print security starts with solid housekeeping: regular patching and firmware updates, strong password policies, disabling unused ports and consistent auditing, Ian adds. “For SMBs without large IT teams, solutions such as Xerox’s Cloud Fleet Management make this easier by automating updates, enforcing compliance, and providing a central dashboard to manage device security across the fleet,” he adds. “This improves protection and frees partners and customers from time-consuming maintenance.”
Matúš notes that for SMBs, print infrastructure is often overlooked when thinking about cybersecurity. “Yet, every document sent to a printer can contain sensitive data – and every device connected to a network can become an entry point for an attack,” he adds. “A good print security solution therefore needs to protect not just the device, but the entire workflow: from document submission and user authentication, through spooling and transmission, all the way to the physical release of the document at the printer.”
Matúš says MyQ helps SMBs by securing their print environments through strong, modern authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication, single sign-on integrations, and support for zero-trust architectures. “Our platform ensures end-to-end encryption and strict access control, so that only the right person can retrieve the right document, at the right time,” he adds.
Staying on top of threats
But with the threat landscape growing and evolving at an unprecedented rate, resellers need to ensure that a print security solution keeps on top of it.
“Resellers need to ensure that they work with print vendor brands that they trust to keep on top of cybersecurity,” says Chris. “The main role for the reseller is to make sure customers are aware of the potential threats and to ensure their customers’ devices are kept up to date.
“Customers will want to purchase the most secure print devices that they can afford. Highlighting the security features of a print device is a good way for a partner to add value.”
Matúš says SMBs are becoming more aware of compliance, data protection and sustainability. “While cost is always a factor, security and reliability are increasingly seen as value drivers, not expenses,” he says. “Resellers can stand out by offering solutions that evolve with the threat landscape – that means regular updates, continuous monitoring and integration with modern identity providers.”
It is important to support customers in determining the appropriate level of security for the level of risk and having options available to strengthen defences against current and future threats, Leigh adds. “At a base level devices should be hardened and accompanied by software that is secure by design,” she says.
Stuart says that resellers play an excellent role as conduit between manufacturers and end users. “They must keep the dialogue open; sharing customers’ security concerns and challenges with manufacturers, while ensuring customers are informed about any manufacturer updates – like patches – that need to be implemented, as well as guiding end users through the security features on a device to ensure that they’ve been activated,” he says.
Proactivity is also key, Ian notes. “Resellers should initiate security conversations early, offer audits and highlight the risks of ageing devices or unsupported software,” he adds. “Revisiting long-standing hardware contracts is important too, as older MFPs may not meet modern standards for encryption or patch management.”
Future
Chris notes that as cybersecurity is now inherent to every IT solution, and as the protection on the core network and on client devices like laptops and smartphones gets more advanced, printers will become targeted more often. “All resellers should make their customers aware of the need to secure their print devices,” he adds.
Leigh says that there are now expectations that devices are hardened and come with ‘the basics’ such as disc encryption. “At the same time, high profile cyberattacks have focused attention on the need for greater resilience in the face of a cyberattack,” she adds. “For example, having the ability to print offline printing to support business continuity processes.”
AI is likely to have a big impact on SMB print security going forward. Matúš expects AI to play a dual role as a threat amplifier and defence enabler. “The future of print security will rely on intelligent threat detection, adaptive authentication, and tighter integration into organisations’ overall cybersecurity posture,” he adds.
Stuart agrees that AI is a double-edge sword. “Against that backdrop, we’re pushing for a 2026 that’s saturated with advice, guidance and best practice on staying safe in a rapidly evolving and deepening threat landscape,” he adds.
Ian says the next phase of print security will be defined by AI-driven threat detection, tighter cloud integration, and growing demand for managed security services. “As awareness increases around data privacy, compliance, and emerging risks such as AI-assisted cyberattacks, partners that offer proactive, cloud-based print security will be best placed to support their SMB customers,” he says.
