Imager Data Security Kit

The new AR-FR4/5 Data Security Kit is the second generation of Sharp products to earn government certification. Sharp worked very closely with our customers to design and implement a security solution that is powerful, easy to install, cost effective and accessible worldwide. The newest version of Sharp's Data Security Kit specifically addresses security concerns relative to networked office products, namely, the possibility that data could be retrieved from a removed hard disk drive. Using a government-approved encryption algorithm, Sharp's Data Security Kit encrypts all data before it is stored in the product's RAM or hard drive, ensuring that the data is unrecoverable even in the event of a complete power failure. The Data Security Kit then "sanitizes" the RAM or hard disk by overwriting the stored data a full seven times, offering an unprecedented level of assurance.

In addition to the Common Criteria-certified DSK, Sharp also offers a greatly enhanced network interface card, offering such security features as IT filtering and MAC-address filtering to prevent unauthorized access to the Imager through the network. This new network card firmware can be downloaded from Sharp.

About Common Criteria
The Common Criteria program provides an internationally accepted methodology to evaluate and validate security solutions. In the U.S., the program is managed by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), a U.S. Government initiative designed to meet the security testing, evaluation, and assessment needs of both information technology (IT) producers and consumers. NIAP is a collaboration between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Security Agency (NSA).To meet Common Criteria specifications, Sharp's AR-350 and AR-450 MFPs were outfitted with the latest version of Sharp's Data Security Kit, a Sharp-developed security solution.

This Data Security Kit represents an impressive collection of industry "firsts." Among them:

• Sharp is the only office products company to receive Common Criteria certification on a second generation of products. The company announced its first Common Criteria validation in August 2001. Sharp is still the only office products company shipping copier / printer / scanner products in the U.S. which has been validated under the NIAP Common Criteria Program.
• This is the first fax product to be Common Criteria validated.
• This is the first printer to be Common Criteria validated.

The new Homeland Security Bill, recently signed into law by President Bush, requires that government agencies comply with stringent information security guidelines. Sharp is the only office products company currently capable of meeting those guidelines. While the announcement of security certification should be of interest to federal and state government agencies, it also addresses the needs of security-conscious companies in the private sector, such as healthcare companies looking to become HIPAA-compliant, banking/financial concerns, insurance agencies and more.

• AR-FR4 supports AR-M280/350/450 Imager MFP series
• AR-FR5 supports AR-P350/450 Network Printer series

Data Security Kit Features:

• Data Encryption- of RAM and Hard Disk Drive (Print, Copy, Scan) and Flash ROM (Fax)
• Hard Disk Overwrite using Random Data (Print, Copy, Scan)
• RAM Memory Overwrite (Print, Copy, Scan)
• Fax Memory (Flash ROM) Overwrite
• Multiple Automatic Overwrites- Up to 7 (default= 1 overwrite)
• Manual Overwrite by Key Operator
• Automatic memory overwrite on copier bootup (multiple overwrites)

Sharp is fully committed to data security, and this Common Criteria validation is a strong endorsement of its efforts.

1. Increased user confidence with regard to the sensitive nature of documents.
2. Easy integration with existing systems.
3. Cost-effective option for internal environments.
4. No reduction in performance as it is unnecessary to remove the hard disk drive.