Enhanced Security

The widespread distribution of documents via e-mail, websites and portals

though an excellent medium for communication, is also making critical

information vulnerable to misuse. Today, companies are concerned about

protection of sensitive client information and proprietary knowledge, increasing

the importance of document security. Companies are looking towards ways to

integrate security technologies into their information control processes both to

ensure authenticity of documents as well as to restrict free access of

information.

Xerox, which is actively working toward smart document management, has

developed some solutions around this need. Previous year, the company

demonstrated Clarissa, a voice-activated technology. It was invented at its

European research center and is now being used on the International Space

Station.

Invention, innovation and integration are the key research drivers at Xerox,

which is today a $15.7 bn document management company. The computer mouse,

graphic user interface and Ethernet are some of its important contributions to

the world. Elaborating on the research initiatives at Xerox, Sophie Vandebroek,

chief technology officer and president, Xerox Innovation Group, said, “Xerox

has a strong history of innovation. The basic research that we do as a company

is focused on systems, solutions, services, and smart material. We have about

5,000 world-class engineers and scientists helping us carry out path breaking

research, and over 50,000 global patents to our name.” 

Some interesting next generation technologies are currently taking shape in

its labs while a few of them are ready to make their debut.

Intelligent Redaction



Currently there are many issues that make it necessary to protect particular

information within complex documents. For instance, in the medical field, it is

desirable that access to sensitive medical data be given to only those, who

require it. Thus, the doctor should have access to all medical information,

however, the front-office clerk handling payments and insurance should not see

sensitive patient's information. Likewise, litigation practitioners, loan

lending institutions, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies face

similar problems. Yet another issue causing problems for companies managing

their document content is the sheer numbers of documents to be tracked and

secured.

According to Dr Shriram Revankar, Xerox fellow and manager, “Presently

there are no existing tools that provide sufficient content analysis and

security, so there are not adequate systems available today to help companies

protect sensitive data embedded within documents.” Intelligent redaction will

allow document owners to more easily control who sees what in a document and who

has access to particular documents and information. It also creates a

behind-the-scenes audit.”

Redaction is the ability to control, what someone sees. For example, in a

document that has been censored; certain information is blocked out.

Traditionally, this has required intensive manual processing of the document to

identify sections to censor, leading to cumbersome and unpredictable management

of different versions of the same document for different audiences. Intelligent

redaction takes this concept one step further by allowing the document itself to

hide or expose information or data in it based on who is accessing the document.

The document appears different to different people because intelligent reaction

software ensures that the document itself can control who has permission to see

varying subsections of it. Particular levels of clearance are assigned to

certain sections of the document, so that when a person accesses that section

s/he can automatically see only the sections permitted to see. The person

reading the document may not even know that sections are missing.

Specialty Imaging



Some other interesting technologies being fine-tuned at Xerox are in the

area of specialty imaging. Not too long ago, high-quality paper, an official

seal, colored images, engraving or a watermark were enough to convince

recipients that a document was authentic. For centuries it worked for stock and

bonds, currency, birth certificates, identification papers, insurance policies

and other 'official' papers. But now, the widespread availability of

scanners, image-editing software and high-quality digital printers enables

anyone to turn out official looking documents that once required a skilled

offset press operator or an engraver. So how can those who issue the papers and

those who receive them be certain that they are dealing with authentic copies

and not forged ones?

Scientists at Xerox have been working on this problem. They have discovered

that while digital printing is part of the problem, it can also be part of the

solution. Some of their innovations take advantage of the variability enabled by

digital printing technology; others also involve the unique properties of the

toners or dry inks that are used in xerographic printing. These will increase

the tools available to those issuing valuable documents and thus aid in guarding

against counterfeiting.

“Run-lengths made possible by digital printing, are changing the economics

of counterfeiting,” said Reiner Eschbach, a Xerox research fellow. “In the

world of static information, once you have forged the basic form, you can

replicate it again and again, reaping big gains. But with digital printing, each

original can be different; you do not have a universal key after counterfeiting

just one, and that reduces the incentive.”

Auto Image Enhancement



Another exciting technology developed by Xerox scientists at their Europe

center is the Automatic Image Enhancement (AIE). Software exists to manually

“fix” digital image problems, but it requires time and a skilled craftsman.

The AIE automates color correction in Xerox systems. The basic AIE algorithms

brighten underexposed images, sharpen fuzzy prints, or burn the haze off a

vacation scene to let the bright colors shine through. It can correct the

shortcomings found in images clipped from a Web page or compressed too tightly

for a faster e-mail.

According to Monica Beltrametti, VP and director, Xerox Research Center,

Europe “Automatic Image enhancement combined with our image categorization

technology we can perform 'class based' image enhancement. It recognizes

image content to control enhancement parameter.” The AIE would not only make

the image editing much easier but will also help in Web searches, management of

archived digital images by allowing people to filter and search for images as

well as text. Information security is the single largest challenge, enterprises

face today. Innovation that can offer the right standards of security is

required at every stage.

Rolly Dureha



maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in