Few brands enjoy the level of name recognition that Canon does, but the full scope of its solutions in security—from video to integrated enterprise systems and cybersecurity—deserves to be highlighted once more as the dividing lines between different domains of security continue to blur in many markets.
asmag had the opportunity to talk to Hiroshi Yokota, Senior Vice President, Regional Digital Printing and Business Solution Operations, Canon Singapore, about the company's multi-layered approach to security, why printers deserve the same scrutiny as cameras and access control, and what regulatory momentum in markets like Singapore and Vietnam means for enterprise customers.
asmag.com: Asmag readers, who are primarily system integrators in the physical security space, might think of Canon as the camera lens maker. What role do Canon business solutions play in the wider security space? Why should our readers think beyond lenses?
Hiroshi Yokota: While Canon’s heritage is rooted in imaging and printing technology, our business has fundamentally evolved alongside the changing needs of our customers. Today, we partner with organisations to strengthen operational resilience, optimise workplace productivity, and accelerate digital transformation through integrated smart technologies.
In terms of physical security, Canon now offers a comprehensive Smart Surveillance ecosystem. This framework integrates advanced AI-driven video content analytics and facial recognition to provide continuous operational monitoring, significantly reducing the risk of losses due to breaches or theft. Our ecosystem also offers life-saving innovations like AI-powered Fall Detection System. Designed as a privacy-first solution, it delivers instant, real-time alerts without the need for physical tags or the risk of false alarms. This allows healthcare providers to protect vulnerable individuals proactively, showcasing how physical security solutions can extend beyond traditional surveillance services.
However, in today’s business environment, the boundaries between physical security and digital architecture have blurred. Every connected device—from a Multi-Function Device (MFD) to a surveillance camera—is a high-traffic network endpoint. As organisations undergo digital transformation, this expanding digital footprint inevitably creates more entry points for cyberattacks, making digital resilience critical. Local market data underscores this vulnerability:
73% of APAC SMEs experienced a cybersecurity incident in 2024, with 1 out of 4 being ransomware-related. Excluding these endpoints from the broader security framework creates critical blind spots that allow attackers to move laterally across a corporate network.
In response to this shifting cyber landscape, Canon Singapore has expanded its portfolio into a holistic security model designed to seamlessly bridge the gap between physical security and cybersecurity. This layered approach builds protection outward from secure hardware devices, print and document management solutions to enterprise endpoint protection, real-time threat detection and response across the network. Together, these layers are designed to address our customers' most urgent operational pain points: safeguarding sensitive data, reducing complex cyber risks, and ensuring long-term business continuity.
Ultimately, Canon has evolved into a trusted, end-to-end technology partner providing enterprise customers with visibility and protection across their entire IT ecosystem.
asmag.com: How would you describe Canon's overall approach to security across its business solutions portfolio—from the device itself to managed services? What's the underlying philosophy that ties it together?
Hiroshi Yokota: Our approach to enterprise protection is structured around a multi-layered, defence framework that systematically builds protection outward—from the device to document and information governance, physical facility perimeters, and broader network protection.
Starting at the device level, we adopt a ‘Security by Design’ philosophy, ensuring security is built in from the earliest stages of development. Our MFDs are built with embedded defence capabilities, including application whitelisting to prevent malware execution, and machine learning to recommend optimal security settings and detect threats in real time. Our MFDs also support seamless integration with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions, which enable organisations to incorporate their print environment into broader threat visibility and automated incident response.
At the document level, organisations can strengthen security of critical business information. By deploying advanced print and document management solutions, we enable organisations to enforce secure pull-printing authentication, strict role-based access controls, and end-to-end data governance across the entire document workflow.
At the physical and perimeter layer, AI-driven facial recognition and smart access control systems, alongside video content analytics ensure that physical facility entry points are seamlessly integrated into the organisation's broader security posture.
Lastly, our cybersecurity offerings extend network protection across the wider IT ecosystem through our strategic partnership with ESET. For instance, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solutions provide 24/7 monitoring, vulnerability patching, and proactive threat hunting across endpoints, email, and cloud applications. This is supported by Cybersecurity Awareness Training (CAT) to address human vulnerabilities through phishing simulations.
asmag.com: Printers are often overlooked as security risks compared to cameras or access control systems. How can security system integrators and enterprise security teams develop a more holistic approach to take into account today’s vastly expanding threat landscape?
Hiroshi Yokota: With the rise of hybrid work, the traditional office perimeter has expanded beyond a single location. In today's decentralised business environments, every network-connected printer and MFD must be treated as a sophisticated, high-traffic endpoint. Because they handle active data transfers, overlooked devices become critical security blind spots that threat actors can exploit to breach the enterprise network.
To build a truly holistic security posture, integrators and enterprise teams must bridge the gap between physical security and cybersecurity by treating these devices as critical IT assets, with the same levels of authentication, encryption, and monitoring. The most effective point of convergence lies in pairing strong user authentication with robust Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions, preventing unauthorised access and mitigating cyber threats.
By implementing authentication measures such as facial recognition, and integrating network endpoints into wider EDR frameworks, organisations gain greater visibility and better control over their endpoint environment. Treating print devices as critical access points and active network endpoints ensures they are protected by both physical and cybersecurity controls, closing the gap between facility hardware and enterprise network infrastructure.
asmag.com: Regulatory frameworks across APAC are increasingly extending oversight to foundational digital infrastructure, pushing device-level security from an IT concern to a board-level compliance issue. How is this changing the conversations you're having with enterprise customers?
Hiroshi Yokota: The conversation has fundamentally shifted from a back-office IT checklist to a core boardroom priority centered on business continuity, data protection, and risk management. Across the Asia region, we are witnessing a significant adoption toward device-level security, particularly in markets like Singapore and Vietnam driven directly by a tightening and more stringent regulatory environment—such as the former’s
Cybersecurity (Amendment) Act 2024 and latter’s
new Law on Cybersecurity 2025.
These regulatory mandates are directly amplified by the realities on the ground. In conversations with enterprise customers today, there is a heightened awareness of the evolving threat landscape and necessity of cyber resilience. To simultaneously address these operational threats and compliance mandates, leadership teams are actively prioritising the integration of compliance-ready systems into their broader enterprise architecture, rather than looking at adopting standalone device features in isolation.
asmag.com: Cyber-physical convergence and zero trust infrastructures are usually being discussed in the context of cloud and network security. What does it mean to apply that same thinking to all assets of an organization? Where do organizations in APAC stand in this regard? Are they lagging behind or moving decisively in the right direction?
Hiroshi Yokota: Applying cyber-physical convergence and zero trust principles to all organisational assets means recognising every digital and physical asset as a potential point of vulnerability that must be continuously authenticated, monitored, and protected.
Across APAC, organisations are increasingly adopting zero trust approaches, but gaps can remain between their digital and physical security environments. While C-suites are rapidly deploying advanced cloud defences and EDR solutions across traditional IT environments, physical access authentication is often not part of the typical organisation’s security considerations.
To close this gap, forward-thinking APAC enterprises are now unifying user authentication with endpoint security. By leveraging both physical authentication and centralised EDR frameworks, organisations can achieve a zero-trust posture across the entire IT ecosystem.
asmag.com: Canon has been expanding beyond hardware into skills training and managed security services. What's driving that shift, and how does it help mid-market and enterprise customers unify their IT and physical security postures?
Hiroshi Yokota: Organisations today are grappling with a dual crisis: an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape and a critical shortage of skilled in-house cybersecurity professionals. Lean teams frequently find themselves trapped in a reactive cycle of troubleshooting and alert fatigue, leaving critical gaps in threat visibility and incident response times.
To bridge this operational gap, we have expanded our B2B security portfolio beyond physical hardware into an
integrated suite of cybersecurity solutions. Our strategic partnership with ESET directly addresses this by augmenting secure endpoints with comprehensive cyber resilience measures—such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Cybersecurity Awareness Training (CAT). For instance, implementing MDR provides enterprises with 24/7 monitoring across endpoints, email, and cloud applications, reducing threat response times significantly compared to a traditional team’s manual oversight.
By directly shifting the heavy administrative burden of threat hunting and patch management off these strained internal teams, this expanded managed ecosystem allows organisations to break out of that reactive cycle. As such, instead of managing disparate systems, businesses can seamlessly unify their physical hardware assets and digital network security under a single operational view, and turn an overstretched IT infrastructure from a constant vulnerability into a resilient foundation for business growth.
asmag.com: Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity — or gap — for integrators and security professionals in APAC to engage with the convergence of cyber and physical security, and what would you recommend they prioritize first?
Hiroshi Yokota: For integrators and security professionals in APAC, the biggest opportunity lies in bridging the divide between physical security and cybersecurity. Historically operated in separate operational silos, physical hardware and digital networks are now deeply interconnected—meaning a vulnerability in a single physical device can compromise the entire corporate network.
To capture this opportunity and close the gap, security professionals must act as advocates for endpoint security and resilience. This requires prioritising endpoint convergence and total network visibility first. Physical hardware such as connected MFDs and surveillance cameras can no longer exist outside the IT defence perimeter. Instead, they must be treated as sophisticated network endpoints and fully integrated into broader SIEM and threat monitoring frameworks.
By anchoring security at these critical cyber-physical intersections, integrators establish a baseline of total operational visibility. From this foundation, they can move up the value chain—expanding into continuous threat monitoring, and tailored security governance that protects the enterprise's entire security ecosystem.