Most Manhattan offices don’t think much about their copier. It hums. It jams occasionally. Someone calls for service. Life goes on.

But here’s what I’ve noticed walking through offices from Midtown to Wall Street: the printer in the corner has quietly become part of your network. It stores documents. It connects to your servers. It scans contracts straight into email inboxes. It holds data.

In 2006, we’re all talking about spam filters, firewalls, and antivirus software. Meanwhile, the multifunction device down the hall is often installed, configured once, and never thought about again.

That’s a mistake.

If your office handles legal documents, financial statements, medical records, or even basic HR paperwork, you’re moving sensitive information through that machine every day. Who has access to it? Is it password protected? Does it retain data on an internal hard drive? Most office managers I speak with aren’t sure. Most vendors don’t volunteer the answer.

There’s also the cost side of the equation. I’m seeing leases signed three or four years ago that no longer match how the business operates today. Print volumes change. Departments grow. Technology improves. Yet the agreement stays frozen in time, quietly billing every month.

The lesson is simple: infrastructure deserves attention.

Your copier isn’t glamorous. It won’t win you a new client. But it can protect your margins, safeguard your information, and prevent unnecessary headaches if it’s managed with intention.

In a city where rent is high and competition is higher, the small operational decisions matter.