Ricoh boosts printer security

Ricoh's new security solution could also save paper and energy

Printer manufacturer Ricoh has launched a new document security solution designed to help firms monitor printer use and lock down access to sensitive documents.

The Flex Secure Print Suite features a set of tools designed to protect sensitive information and meet regulatory compliance requirements, said Ricoh UK.

The suite includes a Card Authentication Package, a swipe card-based identity authentication system which logs and tracks confidential data, and can control employee access to the print, scan, copy and fax functions of Ricoh machines.

Ricoh claimed that the system ensures that only authorised users are able to view, copy or send sensitive documents.

Another identity card-based system, the Enhanced Locked Print NX, holds information on a Ricoh machine until it is released by an identified cardholder, meaning that potentially sensitive documents are not left on view after being sent to and printed from a device.

The tool can also minimise paper waste and energy use in the same way, according to Ricoh.

"Anywhere between 20 and 40 per cent of documents are not picked up from printers, resulting in confidentiality leaks, as well as excessive resource and energy consumption," said Neil O'Donoghue, solutions product manager at Ricoh UK.

"The Flex Secure Print Suite works together to monitor, track and report user and device use to analyse and control the various business inefficiencies that arise within the document management process."