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Here’s why a compact printer is a great Work-from-home buddy.

While video conferencing software, webcams, and fast internet speeds have made working from home and staying productive a lot more accessible, there are still some compromises that you must make compared to working from a physical office. One of them is having ready access to a printing solution on hand. But with a new breed of compact, yet feature-rich printers available today, that’s all set to change.

Why print at all in a digital age?

Rather than an archaic and fading technology, printers are the ideal complement to today’s digital processes. For one, it is far easier and faster to make edits and add comments to a hardcopy document and scan it directly to your colleagues’ emails. Additionally, printing out your weekly or daily job schedule allows you to quickly take stock of your work-in-progress without having to sort through emails and chatgroups. For those in sales, marketing, or who own small businesses, you can even print professional-quality booklets, manuals, pamphlets, brochures and other promotional materials from the comfort of your home.

Choosing the best printer for home use

Now that we’ve explored the benefits of having a printer as a work-from-home buddy, what should you consider when choosing one? Obviously, it should be compact enough to fit on a desktop, but there are some other important qualities that you should be looking out for.

Print Performance –When it comes to print speeds, not all desktop printers were made equal. Many budget options take a painfully long time to start up, begin printing, and to complete a print, making it a hassle to print even a single page – not to mention multiple copies of a document! So, make sure you choose a solution with a decent print speed to help boost your productivity rather than hinder it. 

Running Costs – Due to their affordable prices and compact sizes, inkjet printers are often chosen for home use. However, once you start printing in greater volumes, your running costs could start to add up. To help keep that in check, consider ink tank printers like those from Brother which can be refilled via ultra high-yield ink bottles instead, as these can deliver an extremely low cost-per-page of just $0.0018 per page for black and white documents – all while producing impressively vibrant printouts.

Mobile & Wireless Connectivity – In this connected world, businesses have gone agile with smartphones, tablets and mobile-connected laptops. Taking full advantage of this new era of global connectivity, Brother printers with mobile and cloud solutions make it easier than ever before to scan, print, share your information wherever your business needs take you. You can even troubleshoot problems and manage your fleet remotely from the comfort of your desk.

User-friendly design –While we’ve established that having a compact printer in your home is great for productivity, it’s not all just about print speeds and connectivity. Brother’s printers are thoughtfully designed with the user in mind and come with in-built paper trays to help keep your printouts neat and tidy. And, unlike many other brands, Brother printers feature a user-friendly LCD screen, which makes performing various printing functions a breeze.

So, if you’re thinking of purchasing a printer for working-from-home, just remember; even though there’s no shortage of options around, there are only a few that can truly deliver great value, design, and productivity in a compact, affordable package – and you can find some of them right here

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Copiers VS Printers: Debunking the myths.

When it comes to printing solutions, is bigger truly better? In the recent years, we have seen a shift from large copiers to compact laser printers and multifunction centres as businesses embrace smaller decentralised departments and home offices. But aren’t copiers supposed to be more durable, cost-efficient, and offer greater functionality over desktop printers? Let’s explore these myths and discover how you can find the best printer for your evolving business needs.

Myth #1: Copiers are more cost-effective than desktop laser printers

While it used to be common knowledge that traditional copiers were more cost-effective due to their high-volume and low cost-per-page nature, the latest laser printers from Brother is set to change all that. This new breed of desktop laser printers is not only much more affordable than copiers to purchase or lease, but with higher yield toner replacements options available, they can also deliver significantly lower running costs in the long run.

Myth #2: Copiers offer more functionality for greater productivity

Many businesses are still using copiers for their functionality. This includes copying, printing, faxing and network connectivity. However, a broad range of Brother laser printers and Multifunction Centres come with advanced features such as wireless printing and scanning, NFC tap-to-print, mobile printing and scanning apps, Cloud printing capabilities, and many more to easily match or exceed the functions of a traditional copier.  All packed in a sleek, compact device that fits easily on your desktop.

Myth #3: Copiers are more durable & can print higher volumes

When compared to many desktop printers, copiers are considered to be more reliable and capable of handling higher print volumes. But this is a myth that’s readily busted by Brother’s laser printers. Backed by industry-leading reliability and award-winning support, these productivity workhorses can be equipped with a variety of accessories such as additional paper trays, a sorter, a tower tray, or even a finisher. This allows businesses to enjoy high-volume printing that rivals those of copiers with support up to 600,000 prints over 5 years!

Fact: Brother Laser Printing Solutions deliver

Businesses are constantly evolving, and Brother has been at the forefront of print innovation for over a hundred years. Backed by its dedication to world-class reliability and customer service, our range of laser printers and multifunction centres are trusted by large enterprises, SMBs, and home office owners globally to take their business to the next level.

Perhaps it’s time to ditch that old copier and find your next productivity workhorse? Find yours here.

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Cyber security while working from home

Working from home, while already on the rise among businesses of all kinds, has found an essential role as an everyday policy for companies weathering the COVID crisis. If you’re an employee of an office that has gone remote for the time being, or even permanently, you need to think about what this means for your technology use. In a traditional workplace, your devices are protected by company resources and the efforts of the IT department. At home, more of this responsibility falls upon you – what can you do to defend your connected devices and prevent intrusions by cyber attackers?

What are the fundamentals of WFH cyber security?

The general concepts behind cyber security have not changed in the era of pervasive remote work. Unfortunately for companies of all types and sizes, cyber criminals have not halted their activities in the face of the pandemic. In fact, there have been a wave of new phishing schemes in which cyber attackers pose as health authorities sending out news bulletins.

The World Economic Forum indicated that since workers are “distracted and vulnerable,” the chances of a social engineering attack slipping in under a company’s defences are greater than ever. Furthermore, the WEF stated that “heightened dependency on personal devices and home networks” has weakened organisations’ ability to fight off hacking. This raises the question of how best to safeguard your data when using everyday devices for work purposes.

What can you do to protect your devices?

While the devices you have access to in your home office may not always be purpose-built for business use, that doesn’t mean they are wholly lacking in security features. Making sure your PC, smart devices, printers, scanners and network access points are well protected is a relatively straightforward process. The following action items can guide you through and assist you as you turn your home into a suitable workplace.

 Identify IoT hardware in your home and access the settings

The internet of things is a tech-world term for an increasingly common subset of technology: Items that are not PCs or smart devices, but can send and receive data. These range from smart thermostats and doorbells to internet-connected printers, scanners and copiers. In your home, you likely have plenty of these devices connected to your WiFi network. To be sure attackers aren’t slipping in through weak protection on these devices, you should actively check their security settings rather than settling for the defaults.

Password-protect all your devices

One specific device setting that deserves your attention is the password. When a printer, multifunction device or other technology tool leaves the factory, it is protected by a default password. These passwords are not as easy to crack as strong ones you select yourself, so you should log into your device by typing its IP address into your web browser on a PC, then log into the administrator control panel and pick a new password. Rather than simply typing in an easy-to-remember phrase or reusing a password from other devices or accounts, it’s important to select a novel, hard-to-crack choice. A password manager app can help with this process.

Update firmware on all your connected devices

IoT devices contain protective features designed to keep criminals from using common exploits to take them over. If you don’t keep these machines’ firmware up to date, however, they may not be safeguarded against the latest threats. You should determine how your device of choice updates its firmware, for example through an automatic downloader tool, then ensure the process is going smoothly. Having the latest firmware is an understated but effective way to keep many threats out of your network.

Secure confidential documents with passwords

Working from home can mean dealing with secure company documents on a daily basis. If you have sensitive information stored in a format such as a PDF document, you should ask yourself what would happen if the file was compromised. Secure document management can mean adding extra layers of protection, such as setting up passwords for your most sensitive content. As with your devices, you should not reuse passwords – a password manager app can help you here, as well.

Implement firewalls and use a static IP address

When you work from an office, there is typically a firewall in place to prevent unauthorized access to the network and its devices. You should extend this good practice to your home office, to ensure remote working does not significantly weaken the protection around your company’s files and programs. You can contact your internet service provider to learn about firewall features and the process of using a static (rather than a dynamic) IP address, which will help you log into secure corporate networks from afar. Treating your home router with the same kind of cautious security features as corporate networks is a valuable anti-intrusion safeguard.

How should you set up your home office?

If it looks like remote work is a medium- or long-term solution for your company, or if there will be more permanent opportunities to work from home in the future, you should consider your current hardware and software setup. Do you have professional-quality technology in your home which will allow you to uphold professional standards? Remember that your customers’ expectations will remain elevated, and your ability to meet those requirements hinges on your IT configuration.

Seeking out a new, professional-grade printer, scanner or multi-function device is an essential part of equipping your home office. You need to balance high-quality printing and scanning features with networking that supports high-quality security. Sacrificing either the quality of your work or the integrity of your network is unacceptable, which means your device of choice must suit both objectives equally well. You also need to pick hardware that fits other requirements, such as the amount of free space: While a stand-up device might be ideal for the company headquarters, an efficient desktop model could be perfect for you to use at home.

Every work-from-home environment is unique. Maybe you have kids at home, perhaps you’re dealing with limited space or restrictions on your internet service. Picking a perfect printer is the process of matching your needs with a high-quality device.

This article has been republished from Brother Australia with minor changes.

The original article can be seen here:

https://empowers.brother.com.au/2020/06/05/look-after-cyber-security-while-working-from-home/