Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. has announced the release of its new cloud service for remote security monitoring and management for bizhub MFPs. An intelligent platform that provides automatic notifications and remediation, Shield Guard allows businesses to control the security status of their fleets of MFPs from anywhere.

Security vulnerabilities with multifunctional print devices begin when they are connected to the network with factory-default configurations settings in place. And with distributed workforces dominating the workplace for nearly two years now, security of MFPs is more critical than ever. Managing security settings of multiple MFPs is difficult, and network administrators often struggle with setting and remembering strong passwords.

Businesses need to overcome these challenges or face the ramifications of data breaches, which can have drastic effects. In fact, a recent study by Allianz reports that 71% of customers said they would leave an organization after a data breach. By installing Shield Guard, businesses can enjoy immediate peace of mind that their bizhub MFPs are protected.

Shield Guard, in conjunction with bizhub SECURE and bizhub SECURE Platinum or bizhub SECURE Healthcare, offers advanced administration control features that allow enhanced management over data, remotely via the cloud. The solution makes fleet management easy and efficient – managing security policies, grouping devices and creating reports that can be exported and distributed internally. Alerts notify administrators of at-risk devices, unsecured MFP settings and device and policy assessments as they happen. Other key features include:

• Security Policy Assessments — Administrators can set policies for individual devices, specific groups of devices or all compatible devices. Shield Guard performs an assessment of the MFPs' compliance to the predefined security policies.
• Notifications — Assessment findings are included in the dashboard via logs and reports on the Shield Guard portal. At-risk devices can be seen right from the dashboard via Security alert pop-ups. In addition, email notifications are automatically sent out once a device falls out of compliance.
• Security alerts via email — The solution automatically sends email alerts to the appropriate personnel when the device falls out of compliance or any security policy changes have been detected.
• Remediation plan — Provides a structured approach to mitigating security threats. Detects failed security settings and automatically applies the correct policy settings.
• Password Remediation — The Shield Guard Administrator can efficiently monitor and manage passwords and password policies on most Konica Minolta MFPs remotely. Password security duration can be set, auto password remediation can be applied, Password Block Lists can be created and manual password generation, as well as Random Password generation, can be utilized. All of this provides the administrator with unprecedented MFP-based password control.

Shield Guard offers three different levels of service for each individual business's needs. Through the support of the Shield Guard solution, security settings can be monitored and managed through the cloud. The administrator experience includes:

• Access to a graphical security dashboard for easy monitoring and management to view multiple machines' status from your browser. View status with simple graphics and visual indicators.
• Easy fleet management with visibility of the entire fleet from one remote location.
• Administrator control over multiple MFPs collectively via a web browser and ability to set secure passwords remotely.

"Threats to data security continue to rise as sensitive information passes through MFPs every day, inviting more digital crime and making it necessary to continually step up our security game," said Chris Bilello, vice president of solutions business development, Konica Minolta. "Shield Guard is a huge differentiator for us, enabling our bizhub line of MFPs to offer 100% cloud-based device management, reducing the time and effort needed to ensure MFPs are secure."

In other news, Konica Minolta, together with its IT services division, All Covered, has been named the winner of the Best Cloud Consultancy or MSP in the International Cloud Computing Awards program, The Cloud Awards. The Cloud Awards identify and celebrate innovation in cloud computing from organizations of any scale and headquartered in any country worldwide. This is the first year All Covered has won this award.

There were more than 35 categories available to enter for the 2021-22 Cloud Awards. The description of the Best Cloud Consultancy or MSP award states that "a track record of success is important for this award; candidates must show not only evidence of developing a best-fit cloud strategy, but also success."

All Covered's cloud services help businesses leverage the power of the cloud to work smarter and securely from anywhere. Its team of cloud experts assesses each client's current environment and collaboratively builds a cloud strategy and solution that is scalable and optimized for their needs.

"We're very proud and honored to have won this category from The Cloud Awards, especially during the program's tenth anniversary," said Todd Croteau, president, All Covered. "It shows that our team of IT professionals offers a high level of expertise in their ability to help our clients with transitioning from on-site IT infrastructure to the cloud to make their data secure and accessible."

Konica Minolta's All Covered IT services division was acquired in 2011, the same year that The Cloud Awards program began. All Covered helps clients in all types of businesses with their computing, networking, managed voice services and applications needs. These can include supplemental IT consulting and support in specific areas or on key technology projects to free up client resources for other core business objectives.

"The Cloud Awards program has been identifying the innovative organizations that create world-changing technologies for the past 10 years now," said James Williams, head of operations, The Cloud Awards. "Konica Minolta winning this award shows how much they impressed the awards panel with their market-leading solutions and service to clients."

Hundreds of organizations entered the 2021-22 competition, with entries coming from across the globe, covering the Americas, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.