For many businesses, the office printer or scanner is something you only notice when it stops working.
Scan-to-email is a good example. It’s quietly built into day-to-day routines, sending invoices, signed documents and paperwork with a couple of taps.
From next month, that routine is likely to be disrupted for a lot of organisations.
Microsoft has confirmed it will fully switch off Basic Authentication for Exchange Online, including the method many printers and multi-function devices use to send scanned documents by email.
While this is a security improvement, it has a practical knock-on effect that many businesses are not yet aware of.
In simple terms, scanners that rely on stored email usernames and passwords will stop being able to send emails unless changes are made.
This isn’t a fault with the printer itself. It’s an authentication change from Microsoft happening in the background.
Why this matters to Cumbria businesses
Most scanners in offices are set up once and then forgotten about. If scan-to-email works, no one touches it or needs to worry about it.
The challenge is that when Microsoft blocks this older method, scanning won’t fail gradually. It will simply stop working, often without warning.
Documents won’t arrive. Error messages appear. Staff assume the printer is broken.
For businesses that rely on scanned paperwork, finance teams, solicitors, accountants, healthcare providers, manufacturers and schools, this can cause real disruption.
February and March are already busy periods for many organisations. Discovering that scanning has failed at that point is not ideal!
This is not just a large IT department issue
There is a misconception that this only affects larger organisations with complex IT set-ups.
In reality, this change impacts almost every business that uses Microsoft 365 or Exchange Online and has a scanner configured to email documents.
Small and medium-sized businesses are often more exposed because their devices are older, still perfectly functional, and set up using methods that were standard at the time.
From a sustainability and cost point of view, replacing hardware that still works makes little sense. The answer is usually configuration, not replacement.
What is changing behind the scenes
Microsoft is retiring Basic Authentication in favour of modern authentication methods such as OAuth.
These are more secure and better suited to today’s cybersecurity risks.
The problem is that printers and scanners are not laptops or phones.
Updating how they authenticate can involve firmware checks, compatibility testing and changes to how devices are configured across the business.
For organisations with multiple devices, this can take time. It is not something most businesses want to deal with reactively.
What businesses should be doing now
The most important step is awareness. If you use scan-to-email, this change affects you.
Practical next steps include:
- Checking how your scanners currently send emails
- Confirming whether your devices support modern authentication
- Planning updates or configuration changes well before March 2026
- Avoiding last-minute fixes when scanning suddenly stops
This is especially important for organisations with multiple sites or older devices that have never been updated.
Planning avoids disruption
At Tech4, we see this as a classic example of something that sounds technical but has a very practical impact.
Handled early, this transition is manageable, but leave it until April, and it will become frustrating, disruptive and unnecessary stressful for staff.
For a limited time, to help businesses prepare for upcoming Microsoft authentication changes, Tech4 is offering a free audit of existing print and scan-to-email setups, giving organisations a clear picture of what’s affected and what needs attention ahead of the 2026 deadline.
About Tech4
Paul Thorburn is managing director of Tech4 Office Equipment, a family-run business based in Carlisle, working with organisations across Cumbria and the Borders.
The team supports businesses with printers, scanners, managed print, digital signage and visitor management, helping day-to-day office technology run as it should.
