Security & compliance: Building secure print and document workflows from the ground up

While much attention is given to securing endpoints, applications, and cloud services, print and document workflows can easily become overlooked if they aren’t protected with the same level of care. The average cost of a print-related data breach is approximately £820,000, rising to over £1.3 million in some sectors.

Users want to understand how MyQ protects documents, how vulnerabilities are addressed, how SSL/TLS certificates should be managed, and what security best practices are followed be it deploying or maintaining their environment.

Security starts long before someone presses print

When people think about print security, they often picture secure print release at the multifunction device. While that’s an important layer of protection, it’s only one part of a much larger picture.

A secure document workflow begins the moment a user submits a print or scan job and continues through every stage of the document’s lifecycle. That includes authentication, encrypted communication, secure storage, access control, document release, auditing, and integration with external systems.

Rather than relying on a single security feature, modern print environments benefit from multiple layers of protection working together. This defense-in-depth approach helps reduce risk while supporting operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. 

Security is built into the MyQ X architecture 

Security is a foundational principle of MyQ X rather than an add-on feature.

The platform is designed to protect document workflows throughout their lifecycle by combining secure authentication, encrypted communication, data protection, administrative controls, and comprehensive auditing.

The MyQ X Security Whitepaper describes this approach as protecting the infrastructure, the document workflow, and the printed output as a connected security ecosystem.

This includes capabilities such as: 

• Secure print release through user authentication 

• Multiple authentication methods, including two-factor authentication 

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest 

• Configurable administrator permissions 

• Audit logs that track administrative changes 

• Privacy features for protecting document information 

• Integration with organizational certificate authorities 

• Watermarking and document traceability where required

Together, these measures help organizations secure both their infrastructure and their day-to-day document workflows. 

Independent certification strengthens MyQ’s security framework 

Security claims carry more weight when they are backed by independent certification. MyQ is certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022, confirming that it operates a structured Information Security Management System for identifying, managing, and reducing information security risks.

The certification covers key parts of MyQ’s operations, including the design and development of MyQ X and MyQ Roger, protection of customer information, customer support and ticket handling, hosting, access management, monitoring, incident response, and regular risk assessments and audits.

MyQ also holds ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management and ISO 14001:2015 for Environmental Management. Together, these certifications provide external confirmation that MyQ follows recognized standards across information security, quality, and environmental responsibility.

Why SSL/TLS certificates matter

Every secure connection within a print environment depends on trust. Without properly configured certificates, organizations risk communication failures, authentication problems, or weakened security. Breaches, for example, result in significant "lost IT time" spent on remediation (a top impact for 30% of those with mixed fleets) and negatively impact general business continuity. 

MyQ uses SSL/TLS certificates to secure communication between servers, multifunction devices, user workstations, directory services, mail servers, and other integrated systems. 

By default, MyQ X requires a minimum of TLS 1.2 for encrypted communication, with support for newer protocol versions where appropriate. Older encryption protocols remain available only for specific compatibility scenarios with legacy devices. 

Encryption protects documents throughout their lifecycle

Documents often pass through multiple systems before reaching their destination.

To protect sensitive information during this process, MyQ supports encryption across both data in transit and data at rest. 

According to the MyQ X Security documentation, encrypted communication is enforced across server communication, client connections, authentication services, and supported network protocols. Organizations can also enable encryption for stored databases and print job files, while scan jobs are encrypted by default. 

This layered approach helps reduce the risk of unauthorized access while supporting secure document handling across the environment. 

Compliance depends on more than encryption

Organizations also need visibility into user activity, administrative changes, authentication events, and document workflows.

MyQ supports these requirements through features such as authenticated print release, configurable administrator permissions, audit logging, privacy controls, and secure document handling. These capabilities help organizations strengthen governance while supporting internal security policies and regulatory obligations.

Exactly which controls are required will depend on an organization’s own regulatory environment, industry standards, and internal security policies.

Security best practices

Technology alone cannot secure an environment. Effective security also depends on configuration, maintenance, and operational processes.

When deploying or maintaining a print management environment, administrators should consider several widely accepted best practices: 

• Keep MyQ and supporting infrastructure updated with supported releases. 

• Use trusted SSL/TLS certificates and replace them before expiration. 

• Enable encrypted communication wherever supported. 

• Apply role-based administrative permissions and the principle of least privilege. 

• Review audit logs regularly for administrative and configuration changes. 

• Integrate authentication with centralized identity providers where appropriate. 

• Remove legacy protocols unless they are required for compatibility with older hardware.

These practices help reduce operational risk while strengthening the overall security posture of the print environment.

Security is an ongoing process

Security is achieved through a combination of secure architecture, strong authentication, encrypted communication, careful certificate management, timely vulnerability remediation, and operational best practices.

As organizations continue modernizing their IT infrastructure, print and document workflows must be held to the same security standards as every other business-critical system. 

By building security into every stage of the document lifecycle, organizations can better protect sensitive information, simplify compliance efforts, and provide users with secure, reliable document workflows that support the way they work today.