An Overview of the Issues, Concepts, and Solutions to Secure Today’s Digital Document Workflow
The purpose of this white paper is to provide guidance on the fundamental issues and concepts of information security, as well as present solutions designed to protect information assets. While this paper is general in nature, those tasked with management of Information Technology (IT) security will gain a better understanding of how to identify and address vulnerabilities that threaten information security. While the type of information that is at risk,
and the document workflow itself, are unique to every organization, there is one constant, the need to secure each layer – from document creation through distribution and output.
Central to the document workflow is the network infrastructure and the connected digital office systems – copiers, printers, scanners, facsimile systems, and multifunctional products (MFPs) – that facilitate the generation and sharing of both digital files and paper documents. Today’s sophisticated digital office systems play a vital role in that process.
Having transformed the office landscape, digital technology brings with it new challenges. Specifically, how do you address inherent vulnerabilities that network-connected devices pose? First, assess the vulnerabilities and threats, establish security objectives, and then take appropriate countermeasures. Doing so will mitigate the risk of potentially serious security breaches, and at the same time assist you in meeting strict security compliance requirements.
Whether your organization is comprised of 10 or 10,000 employees, information security should be a top priority. Once that commitment is made, steps can be taken to prevent your business interests from being undermined by inside or outside forces. This is called “risk management,” the principle that assets should be protected through the adoption of appropriate safeguards.
Ricoh Named as Leader in Analyst Firm’s Magic Quadrant for Multifunction Products and Printers
West Caldwell, NJ, August 23, 2010 — Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced that Gartner placed Ricoh as a Leader in its Magic Quadrant for multifunction products (MFPs) and printers worldwide.(1) Gartner's Magic Quadrant serves as a guide for midsize to large organizations to identify and evaluate technology providers that can match their global footprint, become their partners in helping them reduce costs and gain control of their printer fleets and help them reduce the environmental impact of the organization's print environment.
According to Gartner, “Leaders are the most capable in providing MFPs (including SMFPs), printers and the associated printing solutions and services, regardless of customer location. Providers in the Leaders quadrant offer the most extensive product portfolio relative to their peers, and they have the broad channel capability to deliver the products to customers where they want to procure them. Thus, Leaders hold consistently high market share worldwide and are capable of delivering consistent service levels in the regions where Gartner customers are located. Leaders tend to have the deepest global capability and the inventiveness and resources, skills and vision to deliver superior levels of support to existing and future customers globally. Leaders have a proven track record of channeling R&D initiatives into products and solutions that customers need.”
“We believe Ricoh’s recognition by Gartner as a Leader in the 2010 MFP Magic Quadrant further demonstrates the strength of our hardware, software and services offerings, along with our ability to work to meet our customers’ needs no matter where they are located throughout the globe,” said Shun Sato, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “A key component of Gartner’s evaluation includes direct feedback from interviews with customers, making this acknowledgment even more meaningful.”
Ricoh Removes Roadblock to Help Insurance Provider Go Digital
Document Management Challenges
• High-cost, low-speed analog copier fleet
• 400 printers sitting dormant in warehouse
• Aging fleet of analog equipment and poor service
from current hardware provider
This insurance company employs more than 18,000 people and works with a nationwide network of agents to serve more than 15 million customers. As the largest subsidiary of a multinational insurance powerhouse, it was encouraged to join a global procurement initiative that would consolidate sourcing and share providers to achieve better cost savings. Ricoh was chosen as the single provider.
The insurance company, however, was not eager to upgrade its existing fleet of analog copiers, and wanted instead to extend the current agreement one year. They believed an upgrade would increase their copying costs.Ricoh also discovered that the company had a backlog of printers originally purchased for resale to agents. These AS/400 “designed” laser printers weren’t selling because agents anticipated a move to Webbased printing applications. Plus, the printers had been sitting in the warehouse for almost a year, and they were quickly becoming outdated. To make matters worse, the company’s former document equipment supplier had no interest in relieving it of the backlog.
Accountants assumed the printers would be a significant loss. But they didn’t anticipate the creativity of Ricoh’s commitment to customer satisfaction. When Ricoh sales representatives visited the insurance company to discuss the new procurement strategy, they offered to buy the backlogged printers at cost, so the company would lose no money and be free to work with a new vendor. Next, Ricoh guided the company through a digital transition that ushered in higher productivity and lower document management costs.
Ricoh Commits to MPS Industry Development with Platinum Sponsorship of Asia Pacific MPS Conference
Lexington, KY – August 17, 2010 – Photizo Group announces that industry leader Ricoh has signed on as a Platinum Sponsor of the Asia Pacific MPS Conference. Through its Managed Document Services, Ricoh helps customers increase productivity and profitability through continuous improvement of process optimization and document management. As a Platinum Sponsor, Ricoh acknowledges its deep commitment to the international scope of the managed print services market and to the needs of customers and providers in Asia Pacific.
“The Conferences and Ricoh are on common ground on terms of providing a personal approach, ensuring reliable global execution and focus on the end user. Ricoh continuously seeks efficient ways to generate customer value and serve customers to the highest quality standards. We believe the Conference reflects these guidelines, and our sponsorship is a logical step in our commitment to the MPS market,” said Nobuaki Majima, Managing Director of Ricoh Asia Pacific.
“I am excited to have Ricoh -- a leader in the managed print services market -- as a Platinum Sponsor. Their high-level participation is a valuable endorsement for this conference,” said Ed Crowley, Photizo Group Founder and CEO.
Ricoh Helps Global Energy Company Reach a Higher Standard of Document Management
Document Management Challenges
• No global standardization
• Single-function devices
• No enterprise-wide scanning
As a member of the Fortune Global 500, this international, integrated energy company serves customers in nearly 50 countries around the world. When executives took a close at its global document management network, however, they discovered output inefficiencies that compromised productivity and cost the company millions of dollars.
The company’s fleet had grown to 5,500 printers and 1,700 copiers deployed at offices throughout the world. Its multifunction devices offered scanning with no enterprise-wide delivery capabilities. Plus, it required many time-consuming steps for the user.
As the company grew, especially internationally, fleet management became more difficult. Device management was centralized, but multiple geographic contracts complicated the procurement, service, and maintenance processes. As a result, the company decided to standardize its output device fleet and streamline document workflow for its employees.
The company sought a document management vendor that offered international distribution, superior service, and the latest technology advances. Ricoh was one of two finalists. After multiple visits with top executives at the Atlanta Technology Center to solidify IT relationships, the company chose Ricoh to implement a document management strategy for its offices worldwide.
Ricoh Introduces Hotspot Multifunction Printers
West Caldwell, NJ, August 12, 2010 — Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced the launch of Ricoh HotSpot technology for Ricoh Multifunction Printers (MFPs). Ricoh HotSpot MFPs offer mobile users the added convenience of printing remotely, making HotSpot a viable solution for business travelers, sales reps, educational facilities, medical offices and others who require access to important files while on the go. Providing a hard-copy output solution for laptops, handheld devices and Web- enabled smartphones, HotSpot MFPs enable users to print securely across the Internet, without the need for a device-specific driver or special software. Mobile printing solutions for the Ricoh HotSpot MFPs are powered by PrinterOn®.
Ricoh HotSpot MFPs offer users fast and convenient printing options, all in a secure environment. By sending documents, Web pages and emails to a remote server, the data is converted into a printable file for the HotSpot MFP and is transmitted to the device. A secure release code is then sent to the user who enters the code at the MFP LCD panel when ready to print.
“Launching the HotSpot feature for the MFP is a critical step as Ricoh expands its mobile printing offering,” said Matt Sakauchi, Vice President, Office Printer Business Group, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “Offering a secure, web-connected option that allows users to print from their smartphones to any Ricoh HotSpot enabled device, gives Ricoh customers a competitive advantage to better conducting their business quickly and efficiently in an ever-changing marketplace.”
Ricoh Green Reports Spell Success in the Educational Market
West Caldwell, NJ, August 04, 2010 — Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced the success of @Remote® Green Reports in the educational market. In particular, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), located in Annapolis, Md., has seen the benefits of @Remote Green Reports. Using Ricoh’s @Remote Intelligent Management System, the school district was able to track and better manage its print device usage, in turn moving forward its district-wide paper reduction initiative.
According to generated @Remote Green Reports data, from July – December 2009, AACPS saved more than 20 million sheets of paper, equaling 44,000 reams or almost $116,000 in paper costs. For 2010, the savings thus far have totaled approximately $108,729. In the last six months of 2009, AACPS printed nearly 76 million sheets of paper on the fleet’s 180 Ricoh networked print devices. The school district achieved a 60 percent print reduction rate by printing 44 million of these pages as duplex. @Remote Green Reports also estimate that the AACPS saved an amount of paper equivalent to more than 2,500 trees (1), with a projected reduction of 245,000 kilograms of CO2 by not turning trees into paper.(2)
@Remote® Green Reports, part of the Ricoh @Remote Fleet Reports, tracks environmental metrics for networked Ricoh print devices, measuring and reporting on device usage, including the amount of paper being consumed in different paper modes along with the amount of time devices spend in energy saving modes. Having access to print fleet usage data provides school systems and universities with a means to develop and track environmental print initiatives.
smallPRINT Reap the Benefits of Increased Productivity and Reduced Costs with Ricoh
Ricoh installed two Aficio MP C7500 colour printers and four Ricoh Pro 1356EX monochrome printers in the smallPRINT production room, resulting in a significant 66% increase in colour print productivity, 52% improvement in black and white productivity, and a 30% reduction in printing costs, translating to a direct labour saving of $70,000 per year.
Additionally, the functionality of the Ricoh installation ramped up smallPRINT's colour printing capabilities from 25ppm to 70ppm and black and white printing from 55ppm to 135ppm delivering high quality, cost efficient production for the first time to the company.
With humble beginnings, smallPRINT started operations from a spare bedroom with only minimal equipment. Specialising in the production of learning and assessment report manuals, within four years the business of smallPRINT expanded globally, shifting premises to a location more than seven times its original size. With increased demands they realised the need to upgrade their equipment to meet the changing requirements and goals of the company.
Ricoh’s HotSpot Printing Technology Opens Doors in Mobile Printing
Ricoh Australia has announced the launch of its new line of HotSpot Printers, making it possible for users to print documents on the move, from any Wi-Fi enabled location easily and efficiently without the need to install any drivers or software.
The SP 4210N colour printer and the SP C430DN monochrome HotSpot Printers ensure convenient access to reliable laser printing from Internet-enabled laptops, mobile phones or handheld devices without the need to download and install drivers or additional software. The two printers perform all daily network printing tasks for stationary employees while supporting the mobile needs of users travelling or located remotely. Now it is possible for users to print emails or attachments directly from their devices, whether its on an iPhone, Blackberry® or any other internet enabled mobile phone or lap top. The HotSpot Series Printers are business-class devices with small footprints, fast print speeds and the capability to produce high-quality documents, all at a low operating cost.
Ricoh Introduces New Priport DX 3343
West Caldwell, NJ, July 13, 2010 — Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced the availability of the Priport DX 3343 digital duplicator. Manufactured for high-speed and low-cost printing, and incorporating a new print controller with network connectivity, the Priport DX 3343 is designed to meet the duplicating needs of customers in the educational, church and government agency markets.
Speed and affordability are key considerations for educators, administrators and government agencies when buying a digital duplicator due to the high volume of printing they generate. The Priport DX 3343 outputs prints at 130 pages per minute for as little as one-third of a cent per print. Versatility is a hallmark of the system as it can print on a wide variety of paper media, including construction paper and heavy card stock. Additionally, the large 11” x 17” scanning area is suitable for scanning text books and incorporates an Auto Center/Edge Erase function to eliminate binding margins for better readability.
Production environments often operate in a standalone setting, and for this the Priport DX 3343’s V-20 controller is the standard choice for local printing. But for customers whose departments are spread over larger areas, the new Type 4545A embedded controller is now available for connecting the Priport DX 3343 to a shared network. With the Type 4545A controller, the Priport DX 3343 becomes fully network compatible and allows customers to take advantage of additional Ricoh software, such as @Remote which users can add to remotely facilitate the management of their entire fleet of networked multifunction products and printers.
