Security continues to be an important topic for IT. Lately, particular focus has been on document security – and rightly so. Sensitive information left on printer trays is one of the many ways document security can negatively impact an organization.
Print management solutions, like YSoft SAFEQ, manage this by offering
pull-printing; at Y Soft we call it Print Roaming. However, step one in making sure that documents are secure is to ensure that only the right people can print, scan or copy in your organization.
This means organizations should have an identity verification system for multifunction devices (MFDs) and network printers. This is typically done with a username/password or PIN – or a combination of username/password and PIN.
Another way to verify identity is through identity cards. Many companies and public/government organizations today use identify cards, or ID badges. These same badges can be used to identify someone at an MFD. With YSoft SAFEQ, the identity is verified against the company’s database and if verified, the user is given access to print, scan and copy functions.
How does the badge work to identify the user? Turns out there are many different kinds of card technologies and card readers have to support them all. From high frequency technologies to low frequency technologies, there are many possible technologies that a card reader has to support.
While our YSoft SAFEQ competitors outsource card reader purchases to 3
rd party vendors, Y Soft designs, manufacturers and tests our own card readers that have global certifications. Our manufacturing facility is located nearby our R&D teams so close collaboration lets us be nimble and flexible. Our
YSoft USB Card Reader 3, for example, is in its 3
rd generation. We also have three warehouses (in Singapore, US and Czech Republic) so that card readers can ship to customer sites quickly.
Why is this important?
Since security is a hot topic for organizations, IT should ensure that the card readers work well with the MFD brand (or multiple brands) and the print management/document capture software solution. By working closely with the OEMs, we can quickly meet customer needs. Sourcing a complete solution from one vendor also reduces contract and support headaches.
Y Soft also provides tools so that our partners can deploy card readers on MFDs quickly. Today, we introduced a new YSoft Card Reader tool that enables fast on-site deployment, custom configurations and an easy way to update the card reader’s firmware among other features.
Card Reader tool enables Y Soft partners to easily and quickly deploy card reader on fleets of MFDs.
YSoft USB Card Reader 3 reads identity cards by swiping the card across the reader. The card reader has a small footprint, only 86mm × 51mm × 18mm, and the LED lights indicate green for a positive read and red if the identity does not match.
Organizations can use USB Card Reader 3 as the only identity verification system or in combination with username/password and/or PIN depending on the level of security their organization requires.
So card readers? Yes, we do that and so much more.