Managed.IT - issue 57

you have to enable it. It’s simple to do and just by doing it you are improving your security. The second one is to change the default password on your network printer. The majority come with either no password or a default one, and the bad people out there in the world know what those passwords are, so if you don’t change the default password, you are leaving your door wide open. The third one is to put in place user authentication as a simple way of protecting equipment from malicious activities, as well as unauthorised printing and unauthorised activity on machines. Three simple tips. In addition, try to engage with a partner that’s working with a reputable manufacturer with a full set of features and functions on their devices to make sure your business and your systems are secure. MIT : Is there anything unique or special about the security capabilities of Sharp devices? JH: Our latest CR4.5 series devices have a number of market-leading security features. These include whitelisting – the ability to create a guestlist of applications that are allowed to interact with the MFP. If an application is not on the list it won’t be able to interact with a device. We have introduced a new self-healing system on the firmware, which gives a device the ability to monitor malicious activity and revert to a safe version of the firmware should it be compromised. Uniquely, our devices will maintain activity while reverting to the original firmware. The business administrator or IT administrator would be notified of the activity that caused the firmware to revert to the safe copy, but from an end user’s point of view there is no loss of productivity or functionality on the device. There are some nice physical features on the new range as well, because data security is not just about electronic data but also about the physical data that can be lost. For example, if somebody leaves a hard copy document on the scanner after making a scan or copy, an LED light will indicate that the original document is still there and remind the user to take it away with them. MIT : Have you been working with security companies on these features or has Sharp developed them itself in-house? JH: All the features on the MFPs have been developed in-house by Sharp. We try to be at the leading edge of developments in print security and have a very strong heritage in this area. We were the first manufacturer to get the Common Criteria validation, back in 2001. More recently, we were the first to get the new Hard Copy Device Protection Profile (a new requirement for digital MFPs based on the security requirements specified by the US and Japanese governments - Ed) . We are an award-winning manufacturer for our security and like to feel we are at the leading edge in this area. MIT : How do you plan to build on this research and increase awareness around MFP security? JH: We’ve launched the ‘I am Secure’ campaign, which we are using as an education tool and a conversation piece for our resellers, our dealers and our customers; we’ve produced a report on the back of the research, which is available for people to use, as well as a number of white papers; and we have created a range of marketing collateral to promote the fact that print security is really important nowadays and that it is vital for customers and dealers to partner with an organisation that has the right technology and the right solutions to address this important matter. www.sharp.co.uk Readers can download Sharp’s free guide, Simple printer security for small businesses , at https://tinyurl.com/vktvydy SECURITY 20 MANAGED.IT 01732 759725 ...continued Brother partners with Kofax to boost security Brother International Europe is partnering with security software provider Kofax to embed the latter’s ControlSuite service on selected Brother laser printers, multifunction devices and inkjet models. The unified print management, capture and document security software provides central management and control of content flowing through mobile and desktop devices, as well as email and print streams. Chris Marshall, Director of SMB Printing & Solutions at Brother, said: “Businesses are more likely to suffer significant material losses due to a document-related breach than a data breach. The compatibility of Brother devices with ControlSuite addresses the core challenge of secure document management – making sure information lands in the right hands – with a single, streamlined solution that reduces mistakes and boosts productivity.” ControlSuite actively manages, secures and governs virtually every aspect of document distribution via printing, scanning, workflow and storage across any combination of hybrid systems, technologies and devices, whilst supporting compliance by automatically generating audit trails that track documents and how they‘re accessed and used. www.brother.co.uk