A multifunction device is a network-connected device that handles company documents, some of them confidential. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security lists printers among peripheral devices and among the devices to sanitize before getting rid of them (ITSAP.40.006). Product names are mentioned only to describe the need.
Short answer
You describe your print volumes, scanning needs and work locations: your request is reviewed by the Courtier TI team, then entrusted to the IT services company that will prepare your quote and supply the devices. The acquisition model, maintenance and installation are set with you.
What the quote should cover
- The number of devices, their location and the functions required
- Expected print and copy volumes, black and white and colour
- Scanning: destinations, formats and software concerned
- The acquisition model: purchase or lease, and what each includes
- Maintenance, parts and supplies
- Security configuration and firmware updates
- Removal and wiping of old devices
Describe the use
Describe what the company prints and scans: everyday documents, large-format plans, labels, cheques, client files. Give an estimate of monthly volumes in black and white and in colour, the number of users per device and the floors or sites to serve. Meter readings from your current devices are a good basis for these estimates.
Also specify the useful functions: double-sided printing, stapling, special formats, fax, printing from mobile devices, secure printing that releases the document only when the employee is at the device.
Scanning
State where scanned documents should go: email, network folder, SharePoint or OneDrive, document management or accounting software. These destinations require configuration that touches your accounts and access. Questions to ask in the quote: how is scan-to-email configured, and with which account? Who can scan to which destinations? Are the passwords stored in the device protected?
Device security
In its security tips for peripheral devices (ITSAP.70.015), the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends changing default passwords, including administrator passwords, and regularly updating, debugging and patching firmware. It also suggests connecting peripheral devices to a guest network rather than your main internal network, and confirming whether a peripheral is still supported by the vendor or has reached its end of life.
Questions to ask in the quote: does the device keep documents or print jobs on an internal drive or memory? If so, is that data encrypted, and how is it erased during the device's life and when it is removed? Who applies firmware updates, and until when does the manufacturer plan to provide them?
Purchase or lease
A quote can propose buying or leasing the devices. Ask what each option includes: length of the agreement, maintenance and parts, supplies, included volumes, replacement and end-of-agreement terms, and what happens to the device and its data at the end. To make the options easy to assess, ask that they cover the same items and be broken down line by line.
Maintenance and supplies
Specify who orders supplies, how ink or toner levels are tracked, who responds to a breakdown and during which hours. Also state whether the devices should be monitored remotely by the IT services company.
Removing old devices
The Centre's publication ITSAP.40.006 lists printers among the devices to sanitize before disposal, and points out that a factory reset makes data inaccessible through the device's interface but does not truly erase it. Ask the quote to state how old devices are removed and wiped, including at the end of a lease, and what document you receive. If these devices kept personal information, Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector provides for its destruction or anonymization once the purposes for which it was collected are achieved (s. 23).
What to specify in your request
- The number of devices and their location
- Estimated monthly volumes, black and white and colour
- The functions required and paper formats
- Scanning destinations
- Your preference between purchase and lease, or a request to quote both
- Old devices to remove and the end of current agreements
You can then describe your project: the team will contact you to clarify your needs and provide a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Purchase or lease: what should we ask?
Ask what each option includes: length, maintenance, parts, supplies, included volumes and end-of-agreement terms. The quote can detail both options so you can decide.
Can a printer keep documents?
It is a question to ask for each proposed model: does the device keep documents or jobs on an internal drive or memory, and how is that data encrypted and erased? The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security lists printers among the devices to sanitize before disposal (ITSAP.40.006).
Does a printer need updates?
Yes. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends regularly updating and patching peripheral firmware, and changing default passwords (ITSAP.70.015).
How do we secure scan-to-email?
Ask the quote to state the account used to send documents, how its credentials are protected in the device and which destinations are allowed.
What happens to a printer at the end of a lease?
Ask the agreement to state how the device is wiped before it is taken back, and what document you receive. A factory reset does not truly erase data, according to the Centre's publication ITSAP.40.006.