RICOH AMERICAS CORPORATION RECOGNIZES RINGDALE, INC. AS OFFICIAL MEMBER OF TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE PROGRAM
West Caldwell, NJ, June 11, 2008 — Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced that FollowMe® Embedded for Ricoh, a completely integrated version of FollowMe Printing, the industry standard secure document output management solution from Ringdale®, Inc., recently passed Compatibility Testing offered by the Ricoh Developer Program. Additionally, Ringdale has joined Ricoh’s Technology Alliance Program as a bronze member.
Ringdale’s FollowMe is a roaming, secure printing and accounting solution designed to enhance, track and secure document output without requiring major changes to the existing network infrastructure or printer hardware. That means organizations can improve the cost-effectiveness of document output while leveraging existing investments in technology. FollowMe Embedded for Ricoh technology works on Ricoh’s Embedded Software Architecture (ESA) compatible multifunction printers (MFPs) to provide an all-in-one solution for secure document output management and accounting.
Through the use of an embedded panel on Ricoh MFPs, FollowMe provides full control of all MFP functions including copying, printing, emailing, faxing and scanning. User enrollment and authentication is implemented on the MFP through on-screen (embedded) authentication that utilizes a user-specific PIN number or Windows® username and password. A wide range of external identification devices can also be used to authenticate users, such as proximity cards, smart cards, magnetic swipe cards, biometrics via fingerprint readers and barcodes. “Ringdale is committed to evolving our products to keep up with customer demand and we’re constantly looking for ways to best integrate with the networks and systems they already have in place,” said Klaus Bollmann, chief executive officer, Ringdale, Inc. “We take pride in the way we are in-tune with our customers’ needs and by partnering with Ricoh, we are able to better position ourselves to continue to meet those needs and demands in the best way possible.”
There are two divisions within the Alliance Program, the Strategic Alliance Program and the Technology Alliance Program. Ringdale has joined the Technology Alliance Program, which is comprised of third party software and hardware companies that specialize in niche solution offerings that complement Ricoh hardware and software technologies.
“Ricoh has worked with Ringdale for many years and we are delighted to welcome them into the Technology Alliance Program,” said Hede Nonaka, executive vice president, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “Through this alliance, Ricoh and Ringdale will focus on solutions that provide an opportunity for seamless integration of our products that will ultimately benefit our respective customers.” About Ringdale, Inc.
Ringdale, Inc. is a technology leader in network enhancing connectivity solutions. In 1997, Ringdale introduced FollowMe to meet customers’ growing requirements for secure document output management. Today, FollowMe is used by thousands of organizations in a wide variety of industries worldwide. The company’s product line also spans access control systems, biometric recognition technologies and fax appliances. Ringdale, part of the Network Technology PLC Group, is based in Texas and maintains design, manufacturing and marketing centers in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan. For more information, visit www.ringdale.com.
About Ricoh Americas Corporation
Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 72-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2007 sales in excess of $19.4 billion, a 7.43 percent increase over the previous year.
Ricoh Americas Corporation is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh’s fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents.
Ricoh Americas Corporation directly or through its network of authorized dealers markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America.
Information about Ricoh's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at www.ricoh-usa.com.
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