Hewlett-Packard Co. introduced on Wednesday a security technology that ensures printed documents get to the right people and protects against malware.
HP's Secure Print Advantage is a set of hardware and software components that encrypts documents sent to a printer and completes the print job after a user is verified through authentication. It is a part of the HP Secure Advantage program, which encompasses HP's security assets, know-how and technologies.
"[Secure Print Advantage] allows customers to look at print and imaging infrastructure and be able to set and ensure a security policy," said Gary Lefkowitz, director of marketing and operations at HP. The technology encrypts print documents and authenticates users to prevent document theft. It also scans print jobs to prevent network intrusion and spread of malware, he said.
After a print document is encrypted at a desktop, it sits on a secure document server until it is decrypted and printed by a workgroup printer after user authentication. Printers can be across the hall or in different countries, Lefkowitz said.
The system is built using a mix of industry standards, Lefkowitz said. It supports different authentication techniques including smartcards, biometrics or LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), depending on what a customer requests, Lefkowitz said. Encryption techniques supported by the system include AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), RSA and CCE (Common Criteria EAL 4+). It supports any TCP/IP printer.
Printers have been used in the past to spread malware. In 2006, HP pulled a printer driver from its Web site after security vendor BitDefender reported the software was infected with malware. Secure Print Advantage scans every print job for malware, Lefkowitz said.
It will be available worldwide in February. Pricing has not yet been determined, Lefkowitz said.
- Sponsored Resource:Are you ready for virtualization? Try the sever assessment tool.
- Sponsored Resource:Stay at home servers. Learn more about a home server for your family.
- Sponsored Resource:Get the communications, data, and security a business needs in one neat package. Learn more.
- Sponsored Resource:Learn more about ultra light notebooks from Asus and the best warranty in the industry.
- Sponsored Resource:Thinking about a new Laptop? Lenovo has models to meet everyone's needs.
- Sponsored Resource:Get the truth about remanufactured ink. Learn more from HP.
- Sponsored Resource:Six smart ways to grow small business IT
News For Your Business
- OS X Virus Described
- E-mail List Vendor: Our Records Are Accurate
- Fugitive Spam King Dead in Apparent Murder-suicide
- Buying an E-mail List? Marketing Company Says Never Again
- Study Paints Open-Source Software as a Security Risk
Community Comments