The company is the first manufacturer to receive the Certification for Common Criteria, conforming to the Protection Profile for Hardcopy Devices v1.0
Sharp Electronics Europe has revealed this week that the company’s digital colour multifunction printers, which feature an embedded data security option, “are the first to have been certified for Common Criteria” and conform to the Protection Profile for Hardcopy Devices v1.0, which “represents the latest security standards of government and military offices.”
The Common Criteria guidelines are “used to evaluate information technology equipment” and are set and tested by independent laboratories. Sharp is certified by Japan’s IT security evaluation and certification system.
The Hardcopy Device Protection Profile v1.0 is “a new requirement” for digital MFPs and is “based on the security requirements specified by the US and Japanese governments”; its purpose is to “protect the information processed by an MFP from security threats and includes specifications for encryption and firewalls.”
Peter Plested, Director, Information Systems, Sharp Europe said: “This is an important step change in our security portfolio and means that we can support customers handling the most sensitive data in the world. Initially requested by Japan and the US, Europe is expected to require this higher standard soon. With the new General Data Protection Regulation coming into force in May, data security has never been higher on the agenda for European organisations.”
“We take our commitment to our customers’ IT security very seriously; we were the first MFP manufacturer to receive Common Criteria certification in 2001, and we believe we are again the first to meet this new higher standard.”
These Sharp devices have received the certification:
MX-2630N, MX-3050N, MX-3550N, MX-4050N, MX-5050N, MX-6050N, MX-3060N, MX-3560, MX-4060N, MX-3070N, MX-3570N, MX-4070N, MX-5070N, MX-6070N.
According to Sharp, “Existing and new customers can add this option via a firmware update.”