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Xerox Expands Partnership with Cisco to Boost Printer and Copier/MFP Security

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Tracey Koziol, senior vice president of Xerox’s Workplace Solutions Business Group,  yesterday announced in a blog post that Xerox is expanding its partnership with Cisco for further securing sometimes-overlooked security endpoints  in businesses: networked printers and copier/MFPs.

Kozio explained that Cisco’s Identity Services Engine (ISE) now comes with profiles of more than 200 Xerox printers, high-end production printing presses, and copier/MFPs, including Xerox’s portfolio of 29 new ConnectKey-enabled VersaLink and AltaLink copier/MFPs and printers. This enables the Cisco ISE to automatically detect Xerox devices on a network, cueing network managers to dial-in the appropriate security controls, and to employ Cisco ISE as a convenient facility for monitoring printer and MFP activities.

“The complexity of the security ecosystem is growing, and collaboration among vendors—such as our partnership with Xerox—is one of the best ways to stay ahead of adversaries,” said Dov Yoran.

Xerox also partners with McAfee to provide whitelisting security. With whitelisting, only approved files can run on Xerox MFPs and printers, providing significantly more protection than traditional black-listing tactics that let through all files except those explicitly defined. McAfee’s whitelisting detects unauthorized attempts to write, read or add to protected files. If an attempt is detected, an email alert is sent to the device administrator or to any designated person’s email address.

Xerox’s cybersecurity strategy is built on four key strategies: intrusion prevention, device detection, protecting documents and data from unauthorized disclosure, and external partnerships to meet the highest security standards.

Xerox also measure its performance against industry certifications based upon international standards.

The Cisco ISE capabilities touch on several of these pillars. Network and IT managers now have control and monitoring options that enable them to:

  • Gain control over security, and simplify printer-fleet implementation through automatic detection and classification of Xerox printers.
  • Comply with security policies by centrally identifying, monitoring, and managing devices.
  • Implement custom security policies on devices more easily in order to prevent inappropriate access.
  • Quarantine devices behind a firewall to prevent access in restricted areas.
  • Automatically prevent non-approved print devices from connecting to the network.
  • Receive real-time alerts about policy violations, and extensive reporting of device network activity.
  • Block non-printers from connecting to ports assigned to printers.

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