In conjunction with this month’s State of the Industry focus on security solutions, we asked a number of leading manufacturers to provide an overview of the products, software, compliance measures and third-party solutions they provide the dealer community to help ensure end-users are operating in an optimal and safe environment.
Brother
Our security offering has always been top of mind and a key pillar of our messaging to not only the channel, but also to the end-user community. We’ve always stressed the importance of having a strong security plan. Just having a machine hidden behind a firewall is not enough. That security plan not only includes all of the robust feature sets of the machine, it should dictate access and rights, address file formats, and scanning security. All of these feature sets have to be considered in a given workflow.
It goes beyond controlling and managing the devices, hardware and workflow. It also entails training your employees on best practices. It’s a total package, and the focus should be on continuing to keep the technical security capabilities of the machine up to date. Firmware updates are always critical. We have programs in place to address security incidents if our machine is impacted in any way, and we issue a firmware update that is easily deployable to the fleet to remediate that risk.
Looking to the future, our addition of Kofax brings a whole new layer of security into the workflow that we currently offer. We also constantly look at what we can do to our current product line and what will happen in the future, so that users have even more robust security. No two customers are the same; they have slightly different requirements, so there is no one cookie-cutter approach to security. It’s having the flexibility in your offering to tailor to the security needs that customers want. Brother acts as an “at your side” consultant to say, “This is what you really should be doing to help secure your devices and data on your network.”
Canon
Earlier this year, many businesses had to quickly accommodate dispersed employees, as well as navigate remote access and security concerns. Today, most businesses are operating as a blended work environment in which some portion of their employees are working remotely, while others are in the physical office space. Businesses are challenged with implementing solutions that can help employees stay connected and maintain access to critical business infrastructure, regardless of where they are – all while considering security and control of information.
With IT leaders listing cloud security as a 2020 top investment priority in a 2019 Canon survey, one step they can take to help with continuity of their businesses is to invest in cloud-based solutions. Canon’s cloud-based, uniFLOW Online can help bridge the divide between home office users with a compatible desktop imageCLASS device, and in-office workers leveraging the advanced functionality of imageRUNNER ADVANCE systems. By using this flexible solution, organizations and administrators benefit from a variety of security features and detailed reporting that can help users identify potential areas for cost savings with extensive tracking and management across both in-office and at-home workers. The result is a print-and-scan infrastructure that’s flexible, has security features and is built for a blended work environment.
Organizations may want to add another layer of security when scanning from an MFP either at home or in the corporate office. Canon has collaborated with mxHero to offer a unique email security solution that contains security features—mxHero Secure Scan-to-Email. When scanning from an imageRUNNER ADVANCE or compatible imageCLASS device, mxHero Secure Scan-to-Email will place the scanned attachment in a specified cloud storage location and send the cloud storage link to the intended recipient. Not only does this solution provide encrypted delivery of scanned documents, but it also allows for the ability to control access to those documents after initial delivery.
Furthering the company’s commitment to its channel partners, Canon is conducting interactive, virtual training sessions for its authorized dealers. These sessions focus on cloud solutions, security features, how leveraging Canon’s technology and solutions can help customers with their goals of maximizing collaboration and efficiency, and implementing security measures in a blended work environment.
HP
As the volume, velocity and variety of attacks increase, detection and defense has become an overwhelming task. That’s why we strive to build the most secure and resilient devices in the world, raise the standards for security by design, and invest in solutions that help businesses of every size access advanced security analysis, expert advice and training.
Our dedicated Security Lab has helped set standards in print and PC security for the last two decades. HP printers and MFPs come with uniquely layered security features that can detect malware, defend against attack and self-heal without IT intervention. Today, many organizations are choosing managed print services to ensure print security is handled by experts such as ours in print device and network assessments, risk governance, compliance, threat detection and remediation.
We’ve been leading the way in empowering our channel partners with print-security-focused training through HP University and certifications. HP provides security certified channel partners with a customizable security sales action plan and powerful, easy-to-use assessment tools that simplify the security conversation for end-customers. These free-to-use tools provide partners with a comprehensive blueprint proven to drive double-digit, incremental hardware unit, solutions and services revenues.
Konica Minolta
Recognizing the ever-changing ways in which its customers and end users work, Konica Minolta’s bizhub i-Series multifunctional printers (MFPs) offer tailored needs for every type of business, ensuring minimal disruption to productivity and efficiency as well as the latest security technology to provide a safe, reliable user environment.
Not only does the i-Series come with the highest built-in security standards, it provides additional layers of protection through bizhub SECURE services and optional BitDefender antivirus software. Bitdefender’s leading-edge antivirus solution monitors all scanned files and documents transferred in real time. It also enables automatic virus scanning on hard drives as well as manual scans. With bizhub SECURE, different security levels and access licenses can be set to ensure the security of office devices and protect device memory and network settings.
The solid-state drive (SSD) offers greater security than a traditional hard disk drive, using flash memory instead of magnetic storage (that may not completely erase deleted data). In addition, all SSL communications are encrypted through a highly-secure encryption algorithm based on the U.S. NSA (National Security Agency) standard. All i-Series models are compliant with GDPR and ISO 15408 certified HCD-PP, so data privacy standards and endpoint security requirements are met.
Lexmark
Unsecured print equals unsecured IT. Many customers don’t spend time thinking about print security, yet it should be a vital part of the IT planning process. As a provider of Lexmark devices, we can help you help your customers address this critical and often overlooked need.
Lexmark doesn’t treat security as an afterthought or as an optional feature. Security is an integral design and engineering component embedded into our products, and it has been for well over a decade. Lexmark devices provide full-spectrum security from the desktop to the largest departmental MFP. You don’t have to think about it, and neither does your customer—Lexmark devices are engineered to be secure by design.
Beyond the device/box, Lexmark provides tools and services that make it easy for you to elevate your clients’ print security posture. Lexmark does this through cloud-based fleet management for keeping firmware updated, security policies applied and devices configured as well as cloud-based print management solutions to help clients eliminate unsecured printed pages as well as unpatched print servers.
Ricoh USA
Security is a part of our DNA and is a priority with every solution we design, every technician we train and every strategy we devise. And today, it is more important than ever.
Since stay-at-home mandates began, trends toward digital transformation and remote workplaces have accelerated at an unprecedented rate. To succeed, businesses need secured processes that maintain productivity and flexibility for various workplaces and diverse workstyles, without sacrificing information security.
Luckily for us and our Ricoh Family Group dealer partners, many of the solutions to these new challenges we’re facing were discussed at ConvergX in November 2019. It was at our partner leadership forum where we unveiled unique methodologies that empower dealers to drive longer-lasting, stronger customer relationships that leverage and manage secured, efficient, effective workflows.
Fast forward to today, our dealer partners have hit the ground running, because they were already equipped with the tools to deliver for today’s challenges. Additionally, our new, robust Business Continuity Playbook highlights ways to leverage the portfolio to help businesses adapt. Offerings included DocuWare and the newly enhanced RICOH Smart Integration suite, both of which help users access information and collaborate on tasks in a streamlined, secured fashion in any workplace.
Sharp
Sharp has always aimed to achieve a secure and productive office environment through the development of our digital multifunction printers (MFPs). All Sharp MFPs go through rigorous vulnerability and penetration testing to become Common Criteria certified. In addition, Sharp Electronics Corporation employs strong corporate security standards and meets ISO 27001 certification.
Sharp’s latest multifunction printers are armed with leading-edge, multi-layered security features designed to meet various security requirements needed at each organization. These include standard security features to protect devices, such as policy-based access via active directory, TLS encryptions, IP and MAC address filtering, 10-times data overwrite with DoD5220.22-M compliance, and more.
Sharp helps dealers and resellers incorporate integrated MFP security management into their managed service portfolio. Most Sharp MFPs can be integrated with SIEM or the Syslog system and trigger immediate actions to mitigate threats. Sharp Remote Device Manager (SRDM) enables centralized security policy management. When the security settings are compromised, SRDM automatically pushes the security settings back to the ones defined in the policy. In addition, SRDM offers centralized password management, remote firmware update, power management and more. Dealers and resellers can utilize such tools to deliver customized security offerings to ensure security is optimized and tailored for each organization.
Toshiba
Toshiba understands protecting organizations’ sensitive information is essential. Toshiba’s extensive history of developing innovative, world-class and secure products helps accomplish this objective. The company’s award-winning e-STUDIO multifunction printers (MFPs) are a prime example of such innovation.
Coupling Toshiba MFPs with leading software solutions, stringent security assessments and best-in-class training enables organizations to comply with government regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Family Educational Rights and Protection Act (FERPA).
With unique features such as BIOS protection, digitally signed firmware and self-encrypting hard drives with proprietary wipe technology, Toshiba shields the confidentiality of personally identifiable information (PII) and protected healthcare information (PHI). Toshiba MFPs are HCD-PP certified with optional FIPS 140-2 validated hard drives to further safeguard customer information.
Another critical element of device security is ensuring device access is limited to authorized parties. By employing multi-factor authentication, password policy and role-based access control, Toshiba ensures that only authorized users can access the company’s MFPs. With document security stamps, hard-copy protection and audit trail features, organizations will be better enabled to meet compliance policies.
Toshiba’s e-BRIDGE CloudConnect also equips organizations with a robust cloud application for centralized remote monitoring and management of security policies on all Toshiba MFPs. By taking a holistic approach to security across the device, access, document and fleet, Toshiba ensures a defense-in-depth security strategy for its MFPs.
