When organisations review their cybersecurity posture, print rarely receives the same level of attention as the rest of the technology environment.
Konica Minolta Australia’s The Security Mandate: Protecting modern print in Australia and New Zealand report, developed in partnership with Omdia, found that 56 per cent of Australian organisations and 52 per cent of New Zealand organisations experienced a print-related security incident during the past 12 months.
Print security risks often emerge through everyday workflows. Documents are left uncollected, remote printing takes place outside established safeguards, or authentication is applied inconsistently across locations. Individually, these moments may appear minor. Collectively, they can increase the likelihood of sensitive information being exposed.
Technology provides the foundation for secure printing; however, its effectiveness depends on how people interact with it. Security outcomes are shaped by the combination of technology, process, and everyday behaviour.
People are part of the control environment
A Human in the Loop approach recognises that print security works best when people and technology support each other. Technical controls are less effective when policies are unclear, or processes do not reflect how employees work. Organisations should review how print is used in practice then align policies, training, and controls with those day-to-day behaviours.
This means looking beyond whether a security capability exists. Organisations should also consider whether it is understood, applied consistently and simple to use. A control that disrupts the way people work may be bypassed, while a policy that is not clearly communicated may have little influence on day-to-day decisions.
The practical question is whether the print environment makes secure behaviour straightforward. When the right action is clear and convenient, employees are more likely to support the organisation’s security posture rather than unintentionally weaken it.
Where human oversight matters most
Hybrid work has expanded the print environment beyond the office, often reducing visibility over how sensitive information is handled. Employees need clear guidance on when remote printing is appropriate and how to protect printed information outside a managed workplace.
Human oversight also matters at the point of collection. Almost one-third of organisations identified unsecured print jobs left on shared devices as a leading vulnerability. A document can move securely through the network and still be exposed if it remains on an output tray. Authentication and secure release controls can reduce this risk when they are enabled, understood, and used consistently.
The devices themselves also require the same routine attention as other connected endpoints. Responsibility for updates and access settings should be clear. Print security should form part of broader security awareness rather than sit outside it.
Strengthening these controls does not always require a major technology investment. In many organisations, the necessary capabilities already exist. The immediate opportunity is to make sure these capabilities work as intended across the environments and workflows employees use every day.
A five-minute print security review
1. Do remote printing practices follow the same security standards as office-based printing?
Review where sensitive information may be printed outside managed environments and whether employees have clear guidance for handling it.
2. Are confidential documents protected until the authorised user collects them?
Check whether authentication and secure release controls are available and applied consistently wherever sensitive information is printed.
3. Are print devices managed as connected endpoints?
Confirm who is responsible for maintaining updates, reviewing access settings, and responding when a device or process creates risk.
4. Do employees understand their role in handling printed information securely?
Assess whether print is covered in security awareness, workplace policies, and guidance for remote or hybrid work.
5. Are existing controls working in practice?
Look beyond whether a capability is available and consider whether it is understood, easy to use, and consistently followed.
Any response marked Partly or No should be assigned an owner, a clear next step, and a review date. This turns the assessment into an immediate action plan rather than a one-off compliance exercise.
Human oversight completes the picture
Every day, employees make decisions that influence how effectively print security controls work. When secure behaviour is straightforward, well understood and supported by practical processes, those decisions reinforce the organisation’s overall security posture. Print is still not consistently embedded in broader governance frameworks. Only 10 per cent of Australian organisations and nine per cent of New Zealand organisations reported compliance alignment as a print security control already in place. Closing that gap requires organisations to govern print with the same care as the wider technology environment.
Reviewing how people, policies, and technology work together is a practical place to start. From there, organisations can prioritise the improvements that will have the greatest impact. The Security and Risk report 2026, The Security Mandate: Protecting modern print, examines current print security trends across Australia and New Zealand and explores practical considerations for strengthening print security as part of a broader information governance strategy.
