With the advent of AI, cyber threats today are more sophisticated and relentless than ever, and for every business safeguarding any area vulnerable to attack is vital.
Even major financial institutions and high street retailers have found themselves outdone and every organisation should consider, not the cost of providing security, but the considerably greater price that could potentially be paid if security issues are not addressed.
Team Valley-based office technology company, SOS Group, is well-placed to provide IT security advice and support and highlights two specific areas that are often overlooked.
SOS Group Director, John Behan, says: “It’s vital to consider every area vulnerable to attack, including technology like multifunction printers that can go unnoticed in IT security planning.
“For us, as a company that specialises in copy, print, scan, it’s second nature to think about this element of cyber security but it’s amazing how many organisations fail to consider it. It’s like a back door that cyber threats can enter if it’s not properly secured.
“Multifunction printers are often connected to networks, process sensitive data, and interact with devices such as USB drives and email systems. These functions make them a prime target for hackers.
“It’s vital to consider every possible weak point and to provide a strong defence, and we can provide the seamless setup and support to ensure a smooth transition to a secure print environment.”
Established in 2002, SOS Group specialises in providing copy, print, scan solutions for clients from local start-ups to multi nationals and holds both ISO 9001, the internationally recognised Quality Management System standard, and ISO 27001, the highly prized IT security accreditation.
John adds: “Achieving ISO 27001 shows we have the policies, procedures and risk controls needed for really robust IT security management.
“It also demonstrates how securely we treat client data and information, and our expertise to support clients to do the same.
“Cyber security is one of the biggest threats to every business in today’s world and the move to remote working and change in practice by most businesses has heightened risks still further.
“It’s never been more important to integrate effective cybersecurity throughout your business and that must now include print systems.”
But technology is only half the battle in creating robust cyber security and the other half is far more complex, as John explains.
“The second major and often overlooked weakness in any organisation is the human element. For your business to be truly resilient, your training needs to sit alongside your IT support, your comms, and your mobile security.
“Cybercriminals are now using AI to write the kind of emails that can bypass traditional filters and this makes the ability to ‘gut-check’ a request more important than ever.
“We’ve moved way beyond phishing emails from ‘princes,’ in 2026, they look like realistic invoices, HR updates, or even urgent messages from your own senior management.
“Training your team to spot subtle red flags that AI can’t hide, like unusual requests for data or strange links, should be a key element of any security planning.
“It’s the one security gap software can’t fix. You can have the best firewall in the world, but it only takes one accidental click from a busy employee to allow a threat in and we can help address this.
“It’s not something any organisation should vacillate on. The potential cost of a security breach could bring a business down.
“The answer needs to be a full wrapround solution and the best tech is potentially useless without educated and savvy users. A holistic view is the only way to undertake your technology security and that’s something our team can help with.”
SOS Group offers network security processes, software, training and support to give customers the tools to prevent and protect against unauthorised intrusion.
For more information on how SOS Group can support the security needs of any organisation, please visit: www.sosgroup-ltd.co.uk.