New MFP features and software help boost security in the office
By Nancy Hitchcock -- Purchasing, 10/15/2009 2:00:00 AM
No company wants to put any of its detailed enterprise information at risk of a security breach from inside or outside intruders. As companies pursue security initiatives for their information workflow, they're increasingly analyzing their office equipment, including MFPs (multifunction products that offer print, copy, e-mail, and fax capabilities). Because MFPs are frequently connected to the network and are an integral part of the IT (information technology) infrastructure, MFP suppliers continue to introduce products that enhance productivity yet don't pose a potential risk of an information breach.
"The bottom line is that there's not a single customer that wants its name at the top of a national newspaper with a security violation," says Mike Howard, Hewlett-Packard's worldwide business development manager for security solutions around printing and imaging. "Any enterprise customer is in need of security solutions today for a couple of different reasons: Not only for security breaches, which are occurring more rapidly than we've ever seen, but also for compliance issues."
Businesses frequently need to create workflows that are compliant with different government regulations, such as HIPPA, for example, a privacy rule from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that helps keep people's personal health information private.
Manufacturers are introducing office products with advanced security features for MFPs, including user authentication that prevents unauthorized users from using the devices by having them log in or use smart cards, for instance. Other popular security methods include hard drive overwriting and encryption. To inform customers that their MFPs meet an international security standard, manufacturers have many of their devices independently validated to receive a Common Criteria Certification, also known as ISO 15408 Certification.
NEW PRODUCTS MEET STANDARDS. Numerous Xerox products have received the Common Criteria Certification, including most recently, the WorkCentre 4150 and the WorkCentre 5600 series multifunction printers. In May 2009, Xerox launched a high-speed solid ink multifunction printer, the ColorQube 9201/9202, which offers numerous security features including hard disk encryption, image overwrite security, network authentication and user authentication. At www.xerox.com/security, Xerox provides customers with guidance on security issues.
Konica Minolta has been building security into its office products for years and now offers numerous bizhub secure MFPs in black-and-white and color units. Each system comes with an ISO 15408 Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 3 Security Certification. Customers can add authentication devices to their bizhub MFPs as well. For select bizhub MFP models, the biometric finger vein reader (AU-101) has the user place a finger on the device to authenticate the user. Another option is an HID proximity card authentication device (AU-201H) that is available for select bizhub models.
To heighten security even more on the bizhub MFPs, Konica Minolta worked with ActivIdentity to produce a Personal Identification Verification (PIV)-Compliant Card System for government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The smart cards, which were announced at GSA Expo in June, are authentication tools that enable employees to access MFPs connected to the DoD network.
Within the last year, Toshiba has also introduced monochrome and color series MFP models with security as a standard feature. In June, Toshiba announced nine new monochrome e-Studio models. "We have two new monochrome series—from 20 ppm to 85 ppm—that feature standard encryption, so anything that is stored on the hard drive is stored in an encrypted manner," says Joe Contreras, director, product and solutions marketing. "We also have high-level network authentication capabilities so the user would have to enter this or her user name and password at the device before gaining access. We also have smart card authentication capabilities."
In addition, a Data Overwrite Kit erases the hard disk clean so no data is stored on the drive during the copying and scanning process. "That's basically the highest level of security we can put in place," says Contreras. "No confidential data will be left behind. That also comes into play specifically at the end of a lease. We're putting best practices in place to inform and educate our dealer community on how to delete those assets once they come off of lease. With our disk overwrite option there's a feature that when the device is being removed from the customer's site you can invoke a complete overwrite of everything, giving the customer peace of mind that none of the residual data is remaining on the device."
HP announced its latest product for securing information at the 2009 FOSE Conference and Exhibition—an Access Control Smartcard Solution for U.S. Government. The card verifies government employees at the door of a building and then authenticates them at network-connected devices, such as MFPs. Features include e-mail signing and encryption. "The government is one area that drives some of the most sophisticated levels of security; however, any enterprise customer is in need of security solutions today," says Howard.
Ricoh along with its partner Print Audit, a provider of print tracking and copy auditing solutions, recently released Print Copy Scan (PCS) Director 6, a software solution that manages printing and copying activity, reports chargebacks, and identifies printing costs across an entire enterprise. The new upgrade offers features that address security initiatives. Users can apply rules that track jobs in different ways, such as notifying a security administrator about a specific job or rejecting a job.
As enterprises keep the security of their company information a priority, suppliers of office equipment will proactively educate customers on their latest products that will help them stay ahead of potential problems.
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