Kyocera Document Solutions UK has launched PrintGuardian, a new security solution designed to protect MFPs and printers from cyber intrusion. Combining port locking, vulnerability scanning, syslog monitoring and 24/7 SOC oversight, the offering brings Kyocera’s print and cyber divisions together for the first time in a channel-ready package
Any network-connected device can be a gateway for cyber-attacks, yet printers and MFPs often remain the least protected endpoints in an organisation.
As cyberthreats grow more sophisticated, the risk of unsecured printing continues to intensify. While Kyocera has long been strong in device security, with many models featuring
K-level security, its highest firmware level of security, data encryption and user authentication, the company has now introduced PrintGuardian, a new solution designed to secure the device itself, not just the data flowing through it.
Grant Howard, Group Head of Professional Services for Print and ICT, says IT security has historically focused on servers, endpoints and firewalls, while leaving MFPs exposed.
“MFPs have evolved and they have ultimately become PCs/servers, they run different operating systems, they run applications, they’re always on the network and always switched on, but they’re not protected to the same degree. ”While some manufacturers offer endpoint detection and response (EDR) on their devices, Howard says this alerts IT teams after an intruder has entered.
“Most OEMs detect intrusion, but you’ve got to prevent intrusion,” he said. “It’s like putting a new burglar alarm in but leaving all your doors and windows open.”
Device-level intrusion prevention PrintGuardian focuses on device-level intrusion prevention. “So, you’ve got two elements here, and this is separate to the print side,” Howard explained.
“You’ve got secure print release, where you can lock the device down and users have to swipe their cards, use their fingerprint, or whatever, to access the device. That’s one level of security, but that’s more of a data security feature.
“What we’re doing here is intrusion protection from hackers and things like that. It’s a different approach. This is device security, locking the hardware security down rather than user security and user experience.”
PrintGuardian brings together four key elements: EDR alerts feeding into Kyocera’s SOC, Kyocera Fleet Services for remote updates, the Syslog/SIEM component which is a Kyocera built solution, and the port security product, which is developed by a Kyocera company.
Port locking and configuration at scale The first step is identifying and closing unnecessary open ports on the device.
Howard said: “We’ve developed a package solution that will look at the ports that are open, the vulnerabilities, all the holes that are open on the MFP.
These open ports are switched on by default, so they’ll just keep running, and they present a pathway to access the network.”
Kyocera works closely with customer IT teams to ensure operational needs are met and that essential ports for scanning or email remain open. “We can then close all the ones that aren’t required and once a secure configuration is created, it can be seamlessly deployed to all of the other devices within the client’s environment,” he continued.
Vulnerability scanning and SOC monitoring
PrintGuardian also performs continuous vulnerability scanning, at both firmware and application levels, and even down into the development side, like Java versions and certificates. “If anything is out of date, or if there’s a vulnerability that’s known, it will flag up to our SOC team who are based in Reading and operate 24/7,” Howard said. The team can then remotely update firmware or dispatch an engineer if needed.
The process mirrors laptop intrusion response. “The same way as if an intruder came into my laptop now, it would alert our SOC team and they would lock my device down. They’ll do it in exactly the same way with an MFP,” he added.
Syslog collection feeds into Kyocera’s SIEM platform, providing real-time visibility. “If anyone goes into the device, logs into the admin console or makes changes to the device, this all feeds back to our SOC as well,” Howard explained. “If an intruder does go in, we know straight away.
“The vulnerability scanning, the port locking down, and the syslog management is all preventative intrusion protection, and it’s all automatic. We configure it once, and then it just feeds into our SOC 24 hours a day.”
Kyocera Fleet Services (KFS) adds another layer, enabling remote deployment of firmware and software updates. “As soon as we get a vulnerability, we can push that down via KFS, without needing to send out an engineer,” he added.
Channel-ready
Steve Pearce, Group Head of Marketing said the launch marks a pivotal moment for the business. “This is the first time we’ve brought together our core print business and our cyber operation
into a product, and importantly, it’s channel‑ready.” Development has taken around 18 months and although the launch is UK‑focused, Kyocera can support customers globally, subject to licensing.
Partner response has been positive. Pearce said the launch aligns with a surge in cyber awareness. “I think everyone’s hyper conscious about cyber-attacks at the moment, and actually some of the feedback we got from partners was that customers are demanding cyber secure solutions.”
Howard added: “A lot of IT managers don’t really think about cyber security on the MFPs, and this will raise awareness of the risks. As you show them the stats and the things that can happen, they will think, I need to be getting onto this.”
Pearce says that traditional copier dealers will hesitate to build their own cyber operations due to cost and complexity. “Anyone that’s got cyber in their title cost a fortune, so the investment in setting up your own cyber operation is unattainable for many and also it moves really, really quickly, the cyber world is changing daily. Partners like the idea of coming to a trusted source in Kyocera and utilising our operation, our expensive resource and our knowledge, and a lot of them were quite blown away by the scale of the cyber operation in Reading.”
A subscription model with recurring revenue He continued: “Commercially it’s good for partners, it’s a subscription model. Partners can sell this as-a-service so it’s a recurring revenue stream.”
Howard adds that once customers experience the proactive monitoring and reporting, they will want to extend the service beyond print. “It then gives them the option to just spread this out and widen it across their other endpoints,” he said. “Once it’s set up, all we need to do is just start adding more devices and agents, and they’ve got the service expanded across the whole infrastructure. This will give partners upsell and cross sell opportunities, without them having to invest in infrastructure or people.”
Easy deployment and full support PrintGuardian is designed to be simple to deploy. “It’s pretty much a packaged solution,” Howard explained. “We’re installing software, so all a partner needs to do is give us a virtual machine for it to run on within a customer environment. Or we provide what we call a black box, which is a mini PC with it all packaged on.”
The solution is available to partners as a SKU, and Kyocera’s professional services team can support complex environments. “Normally it will be one agent that collects and monitors all MFPs, but if it needs ten agents on different networks, we can do that as well,” he added.
With proactive monitoring, automated protection and 24/7 SOC oversight, Kyocera aims to ensure that the once-overlooked MFP is no longer the weakest link in the security chain.
Pearce said: “It’s a real call to action. We want partners to speak to us, we’re already engaging with partners, they’re coming to us in Reading, we’re providing education and training on PrintGuardian, transferring knowledge and helping them to fully understand it. It’s giving them the confidence to go out and sell.”
To learn more visit: www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk
