Xerox Bolsters MFP Security

Adds McAfee, Cisco technology to AltaLink devices

The vendor announced this week that it’s enhancing the security features of its AltaLink Multifunction Printers to provide CISOs, IT managers, and network administrators with an additional layer of protection.

The Lowdown:  To help businesses take a more proactive approach to network threats, Xerox has enhanced the AltaLink MFPs with McAfee’s Data Exchange Layer (DXL) and Cisco’s Platform Exchange Grid (pxGrid).

The Details:  This is how it works:

>McAfee Embedded Control whitelisting technology halts a detected attack.
>The MFP sends an alert to McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator, which communicates the event to the Cisco Identity Services Engine over the DXL/pxGrid framework.
>The Cisco Authentication Service takes the affected device off the network until the situation can be assessed.

The combination of McAfee’s and Cisco’s technologies with Xerox’s built-in security features allows customers to break up silos, eliminate security “blind spots,” and centrally manage and enforce security policies.

The Buzz:  “While other networked print devices use a fractured, manual approach to cybersecurity, Xerox employs an automated response that neutralizes threats at their source,” said Dr. Alissa J. Abdullah, CISO at Xerox. “Instantaneous responses are critical when seconds could mean the difference between effective threat response and a catastrophic breach.”