Printers do more than put documents on paper. In today’s connected workplace, they can also handle sensitive information and communicate with corporate networks. That makes securing them an important part of protecting a business against cyber threats.
Canon South Africa has announced a new development aimed at addressing this challenge: Printer EDR, a technology designed to bring Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) capabilities to office printers.
Announced on 21 October 2026, the technology extends a cybersecurity approach already widely used for computers, servers and other devices into the printing environment.
Canon plans to make Printer EDR available from December 2026 as a firmware update for selected devices in its imageFORCE, imageRUNNER and imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX ranges.
Bringing cybersecurity deeper into the office
As printers become increasingly connected to cloud services and corporate networks, they can process sensitive information and potentially provide a route into wider business systems if left unsecured.
Canon’s Printer EDR technology is designed to address this risk by continuously monitoring printer behaviour. It aims to identify suspicious activity and detect both printer-specific and general cybersecurity threats at an early stage.
The technology uses proprietary behavioural detection capabilities alongside detection scenarios informed by MITRE ATT&CK, a framework that organises known cyberattack techniques and behavioural patterns.
This approach helps identify activity that may appear harmless when viewed in isolation but could become suspicious when considered as part of a broader sequence of actions.
Canon also plans to update its detection scenarios continuously to strengthen its ability to respond to emerging attack techniques.
Detecting threats that might otherwise go unnoticed
One of Printer EDR’s key features is its ability to help identify insider threats and indicators of advanced cyberattacks that have traditionally been difficult to detect.
Rather than looking at individual actions alone, the technology analyses sequences of activity and their usage context to help identify suspicious behaviour.
This can support earlier threat detection, including situations where individual actions may appear legitimate on their own.
For organisations handling confidential documents and sensitive business information, this adds another layer of security to their print infrastructure.
Automatic responses and administrator alerts
Detecting a potential threat is only part of the process. Canon’s Printer EDR technology is also designed to help compatible multifunction printers respond automatically.
When a threat is detected, the technology can support appropriate actions, such as blocking suspicious communications or restoring settings that have been tampered with.
Users can review detection details on the printer’s control panel. Administrators can also receive notifications by email or through a log management system.
By helping contain potential threats before users need to intervene, the technology aims to reduce risks such as information leaks and business disruption.
Part of Canon’s wider security ecosystem
Printer EDR forms part of Canon Business Security, a connected security ecosystem built around secure-by-design technologies, identity-led access controls and Zero Trust principles.
Through a layered approach combining secure devices, intelligent software and lifecycle services, Canon aims to help organisations protect information, manage access and improve cyber resilience across devices, documents, workflows and data.
The addition of Printer EDR strengthens the threat detection and response capabilities within this ecosystem while helping integrate print infrastructure into wider organisational security operations.
Quentyn Taylor, Senior Director of Product Information Security at Canon Europe, said printers’ growing connections to cloud services and corporate networks make security increasingly important.
“Our new Printer EDR technology reflects our deep understanding of print security and has been developed to help our customers proactively monitor, rapidly detect, respond to, and mitigate potential threats,” Taylor said.
What businesses need to know
Canon’s announcement signals a broader focus on protecting printers as part of an organisation’s cybersecurity strategy, rather than treating print devices as separate from the wider IT environment.
Printer EDR is scheduled to become available from December 2026 through a firmware update. Compatibility is limited to selected devices in Canon’s imageFORCE, imageRUNNER and imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX ranges.
Businesses using these product families should confirm whether their specific devices are supported before planning an update.
As workplaces become more connected, strengthening security across every part of the technology environment is increasingly important. With Printer EDR, Canon is extending threat detection and response capabilities into the office printing space, adding another layer to the protection of business information and operations.
