Use of USBs with Ricoh printers

Dear colleagues,

As we go through process of installing new multi-function devices (printer-scanner-copiers) at the College, we have heard feedback regarding printing from USB sticks and would like to comment on it.

Printing from USB sticks exposes the College’s infrastructure to viruses and other malware. You may have seen in the news the recent cybersecurity incidents in higher education. Langara Senior Leadership feels these risks are unacceptable and have made the decision to disable the USB ports on Ricoh devices to improve security. We understand that it is an inconvenience and are working to improve the overall experience by enabling:

• Direct Print – You can print directly from your Langara computers and release print jobs from any Ricoh device on campus.
• Wireless Print – We are working to enable wireless printing from personal devices connected to eduroam in the new year.
• ID Card Release Print – Tap on the devices via an ID card, which will be implemented soon.

We would also like to provide some more information as to how the decision was made to upgrade the printing system:

• The Post-Secondary Administrative Service Delivery Transformation (ASDT) and the Ministry of Advanced Education conducted an RFP to determine a single vendor to supply and manage the copy and printing needs for all post-secondary institutions in BC.
  By aggregating the buying power of all institutions, we have access to hardware that is easier to procure and maintain, at a lower cost. The successful proponent of the RFP was Ricoh.
• Our contract with Canon was expiring in October 2017; extending it would have been extremely costly and risky, since many units were past their maximum use capacity. Therefore the decision was made to implement Ricoh as the solution during the Fall 2017 term.

We understand that new devices come with a learning curve and growing pains. To help mitigate this, since September, training resources have been made available, and training sessions have been set up. We encourage you to take the time to review the resources and attend a training session. Please review the Langara Post as weekly updates on the project is published.

Additionally, we are aware of the long warm-up time of the printers in the Mailroom. The vendor has been notified, and we are working to correct this issue.

We thank you for your patience and cooperation as the College works to implement this solution.

Viktor Sokha
Vice-President, Administration & Finance