With the office technology industry and end users concentrating more on document and information security at the device, it’s only natural that this is a major emphasis within Xerox. Despite the company having a reputation as an industry leader in this area, the cost of implementing those features may sometimes deter enterprises from choosing a manufacturer from further implementing security into their managed print services. Quocirca has written on this subject at http://www.quocirca.com/reports/624/closing-the-print-security-gap
Larry Kovnat, senior manager, Product Security, Global Business and Services Group, explains how costs may be a factor, but the quality and comprehensiveness of Xerox security solutions should far outweigh those concerns.
Larry Kovnat
Larry Kovnat, senior manager, Product Security, Global Business and Services Group, explains how costs may be a factor, but the quality and comprehensiveness of Xerox security solutions far outweigh those concerns.
“Cost is always a challenge, but at the same time you get you what you pay for,” says Kovnat. “The important thing is that the vendor is providing a complete solution around security. Security involves three key elements, people, process, and technology.”
Kovnat explains how it’s the people and the process that ensure security features are administered properly and that they fit into the client’s specific industry consistent with their strategies. Xerox takes a close look at all necessary factors when setting up devices in a particular environment to provide a solution that is flexible and tailored for that customer.
Paying particular attention to specific industry security threats makes Xerox a serious contender as a secure managed print service provider, but being in the leader’s quadrant requires the right kind of content in both Xerox’s equipment and solutions.
“It’s not just a matter of closing one gap, it’s a matter of keeping a good balance between security content of the devices, maintaining basic robustness against attacks, and integrating with larger solutions and network manageability,” says Kovnat. “Xerox has something in the works for each of those areas. It’s a matter of getting better all the time.”
ACS and Xerox Synergy
With the acquisition of Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS), the synergy between ACS’ IT outsourcing and Xerox’s managed services tools gives Xerox an advantage in the hardcopy device management market and helps position the corporation as a major resource for security expertise, Kovnat explains.
This partnership is driving a number of new tool developments that Xerox has been working on for its dealer partners as well as new content in the devices.
“There’s a great amount of knowledge and thinking behind the offerings that we have,” notes Kovnat. “Dealers know through their network that they can always come back to get support in any kind of selling situation or any operational situation. If there is an issue, there are always resources for them. [Xerox has] a great amount of strength in how to administer a hard copy environment for large enterprises.”
Security Threats
One of the biggest issues around information security is data retention, according to Kovnat. Many companies are concerned with data being retained in the device beyond its useful life. Features such as image overwrite and encryption protect data that flow through the device and get written to a hard drive, if the device has one. Many companies want to make sure that if data is written to the hard drive that it is overwritten when the job is complete, “so there is no vestige of it.”
“This comes into play when machines are decommissioned,” explains Kovnat. “You want to make sure there’s nothing sitting on that disc that may escape the environment when the machine is taken out of service.”
Another concern is manageability of devices within large enterprises. Enterprises need to be able to collect and manage data through a single tool. Print queues need to be configured, managed, monitored and reported on for both networked and locally connected devices across the enterprise.
“Our certified reseller partners can provide this capability to their clients with Xerox Partner Print Services,” states Kovnat. “There is a lot of capability and thought around managing the devices in a large enterprise and all of the support it takes to manage those devices securely.”
Authentication and authorization are the next biggies in printing security, making sure every task or job is attributable to the appropriate person. Knowing what the user did and whether they were authorized to do it via access controls on a centrally administered device is a Xerox priority. With auditing, any user activity can be tracked, which closes the loop between granting access and monitoring for proper usage,
In the meantime, security for Cloud computing is a growing concern. Xerox is looking at different ways to print and scan through the Cloud so that all the data transferred is secure. Destroying the data after it’s no longer useful and making sure it’s not still lingering somewhere is a key issue.
And, as with all manufacturers, Xerox continues to improve its security features. Although he cannot elaborate on what’s in the pipeline now, he does assure that “it’s pretty cool stuff.”
“Security is not stagnant,” says Kovnat. “It’s got the nature of move and counter move. Trends get more sophisticated. Exploits get more sophisticated. That’s just part of the environment in which we all live. So, we have to continually strengthen, improve and add security capabilities to not just our devices but also to our solutions to deal with those threats. Expect to see more emphasis on security over the next few months and the next year.”
