The Cybersecurity Risks Most Businesses Aren’t Even Looking At

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Most organizations today have strong firewalls, antivirus tools, and employee security training. But what if the biggest risk isn’t on your network — it’s sitting in plain sight, right in your office?

Multifunction printers (MFPs), scan-to-email workflows, cloud storage, and untracked paper output remain some of the most exploited — and least protected — access points in modern businesses. And they’re often completely ignored once the firewall is in place.

In regulated industries like healthcare, education, finance, and legal, or any environment that handles sensitive customer or operational data, that’s an expensive oversight. Let’s explore the security blind spots most organizations underestimate — and how to close them before cybercriminals find them first.

The Most Commonly Overlooked Print & Document Security Gaps

These are the entry points that IT teams often forget to secure — but cybercriminals never overlook:

Overlooked Gap	Why It's Risky
Unsecured or outdated printers	Many printers run outdated firmware and store data locally — often unmonitored by IT.
Unencrypted scan-to-email workflows	Sensitive data travels over unsecured SMTP channels — perfect for interception.
Abandoned or misrouted print jobs	Printed healthcare forms, contracts, invoices left sitting out — data exposure without a “hack.”
Shared logins or no user authentication	Anyone can access printed or scanned files — no tracking, no accountability.
Cloud storage without governance	Documents automatically sync to unmanaged cloud folders — unknown exposure points.

These vulnerabilities don’t just exist in legacy environments. They exist today — in modern organizations that believe they are secure because “IT has it handled.”

Why Firewalls Alone Aren't Enough

Firewalls protect the network perimeter — but business today is document-driven, mobile, and hybrid. Data moves constantly across the physical and digital world:

Print output that never gets shredded
Secure files scanned — then emailed securely
Remote workers bypassing standard workflows
Vendor or plant production environments added to internal networks

If you don't have visibility and control past your firewall, your data isn't protected.

How SumnerOne Helps Businesses Close Gaps

SumnerOne brings a 360° document security approach that goes far beyond IT software:

Secure print authentication (badges, PIN codes, user tracking)
Data encryption in transit & at rest, including scan-to-email
Print release workflows; nothing prints until the user is at the device
Automated compliance workflows (HIPAA, CJIS, FERPA, SOC2, etc.)
Ongoing device monitoring and firmware patching — NOT “set and forget”
Security-aware document lifecycle management, from print to archive to destruction

This isn’t just about preventing “a breach.” It’s about closing a category of risks that most businesses mistakenly believe are already covered.

Final Thought: Your Risk Isn't Always Where You Think It Is

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting physical-to-digital workflows — not because they’re high-tech, but because they’re low-effort and unmonitored.

If your firewall is secure — great. But what about your printers? Your paper trail? Your scan workflows?

That’s where SumnerOne goes further than most technology providers.

Want to see what’s hiding in your unmanaged print and document workflows SumnerOne can perform a no-risk security assessment and show you exactly where data exposure is hiding.