Fuji Xerox Develops First Technology That Integrates Security of Paper and Electronic Documents

TOKYO, May 12, 2008 — Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. has developed Document Security & Traceability (DS&T), a technology that enables users to manage security of paper and electronic documents in a single environment. With this technology, it is possible to set operating rights for each document and user, including viewing and printing rights, and to manage the operation history of each document.

The main features of DS&T includes:
1. An identifier (document ID) is given to scanned paper document, thereby enabling management of both paper and electronic documents, including controlling each user’s usage of each document and managing operation log, in a single security environment, even after the document’s format is changed from paper to electronic or vice versa. Thus, users can enhance security of paper documents, which cannot be controlled in detail as electronic documents.

2. Users can set a security level^{Note 1} of stamps that are used for paper documents. For example, when the paper document that has been stamped with “confidential” or “for internal use only”, using a commercially available stamp, is scanned on a multifunction device, a security level will automatically be assigned to the document in accordance with the stamp. In this way, only users with usage rights can access the scanned electronic document.

Note 1

Usage rights set for each user

The DS&T technology provides both confidentiality and convenience for companies concerned about security in paper and electronic documents that include personal and classified information.

Background

Measures to combat information leaks from equipment that handles electronic documents such as networks, servers and PCs are gradually becoming more advanced. This includes a function that restricts access to users with usage rights and denies permission to those without such rights as a security measure against abuse.

Results of a recent survey, however, show that 43.8 percent^{Note 2} of information leak cases come from paper documents, which has stimulated awareness of the need for greater security, but little progress has been made in developing actual measures to stop leaks from paper documents.

As for security features for paper documents, there are technologies that control printing permission, as well as enable prints with a letter string or hidden text to deter information leaks. However, it is not possible to control usage of each document by each user in any detail like electronic documents. In addition, paper documents and electronic documents are managed under different security environments, making it difficult to maintain a sufficient level of security consistently in numerous operations that utilize both document formats.

The DS&T helps solve such problems by managing both formats under a single security environment.

Note 2

Source: 2006 Information Security Incident Survey Report by Japan Network Security Association

Document Security & Traceability Technology