*NEWS*SHARP’S NEW DATA SECURITY CENTER !

[Anonymous]

	SHARP ESTABLISHES DATA SECURITY RESOURCE CENTER
Sharp Document Solutions Company of America has established a data security resource center at http://www.sharpusa.com/security to further educate public and private sector organizations about the risks to intellectual property and confidentiality posed by modern office equipment and identify available solutions. The resource center is incorporated in Sharp Electronic Corporation’s heavily trafficked and widely promoted U.S. Web site. It includes a Security Library with links to government agencies and associations offering insights into legislation, trends and issues of importance to organizations handling all manner of confidential information. As the first company to attain Common Criteria validation for its digital imagers, Sharp is uniquely positioned to help organizations assess the risks they face, their obligations to safeguard confidential information and the best means to mitigate threats to their data. The online resource center is part of a comprehensive communications program being conducted by Sharp Document Solutions Company of America to increaseawareness among IT professionals and others about document security. Information on and links to such acts as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act for banks and other financial institutions are provided. Links to sites managed by advocacy groups such as the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and Fight Identity Theft provide easy access to relevant information on data privacy topics. The security evaluation alliance called Common Criteria is the emerging global standard for IT security testing and enables organizations to streamline the selection process for printer/scanner/copier/fax systems. Sharp’s online resource center links to the Common Criteria Web site and provides detailed information on the range of security validated Sharp accessory hardware and server based software. Sharp is the only company offering second-generation Common Criteria validated products. “The evolution of copiers into true, digital multifunction systems has boosted office productivity but can create breaches in data security if left unprotected,” said Mike Marusic, associate vice president of marketing for Sharp Document Solutions Company of America. “Sharp’s technological advantage in document security is a point of differentiation, and this resource center allows us to readily share our experience and expertise with public and private organizations across a range of industries.”

[Author]

August 8, 2003 at 10:05 AM