Share
Multifunctional devices (MFDs) are an essential information hub within organisations across every sector. These MFDs scan, copy and print documentation, which often raises a concern for many company and information workers that confidential and private data may be retrieved from the hard-drive of these devices.
With the enforcement of the POPI Act commencing in July 2021, these concerns have become increasingly common as every business is required to comply with the standards as prescribed in the POPI Act. Konica Minolta South Africa has a comprehensive range of print and document security features, many of which are standard and available on our bizhub devices. Mohammed Vachiat, head of sales and innovation at Konica Minolta South Africa elaborates on these key features available on the Konica Minolta bizhub devices that will assist companies with POPIA compliance.
POPIA applies to any person or organisation who stores any type of records relating to personal information, unless those records are subject to other legislation which protects such information more stringently. The POPI Act therefore sets the minimum standards for the protection of personal information.
The Act regulates the ‘processing’ of personal information, which includes collecting, receiving, recording, organising, retrieving, or using such information; or disseminating, distributing or making such personal information available. The Act will also relate to records which are already in the possession of the entity or person doing the processing.
According to Vachiat the following standard functions can be enabled, ensuring all data acquired by the device is secure:
· Changing the default administrator password on the device.
· Enabling the HDD Lock password.
(This password is stored in the hard disk BIOS and prevents access to hard disk data)
· Enabling the HDD encryption key. (Stored data is encrypted using the advanced encryption standard (AES) supporting 128-bit key size. Once the HDD is encrypted data cannot be retrieved, even if the HDD is removed from the MFP)
· When scanning to a desired repository a user can enable encryption/password protected PDF file by selecting the encryption option when scanning. In addition to scanning, a user can add permission levels to the PDF file restricting printing and copying of content from the generated PDF file.
Beyond the standard security functionality, companies also have the option to opt for additional security features to further protect employee and consumer data.