Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. announced the general availability of its PKI Cloud Suite on July 1, 2026, delivering long-awaited CAC/PIV card authentication and secure document workflows for Microsoft 365 Government Community Cloud (GCC) and GCC High customers. The new solution integrates directly with bizhub multifunction printers (MFPs) to enable Common Access Card (CAC) and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card-based user authentication, secure scanning to OneDrive, and full compatibility with Microsoft Entra ID and Universal Print—all without sacrificing the stringent compliance requirements of high-security government environments.
The launch addresses a persistent gap in the federal and defense contractor markets, where organizations have struggled to reconcile modern cloud-based print and scan workflows with the hardware-based identity mandates of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and NIST SP 800-53. Until now, GCC High tenants could not extend strong PKI-based authentication to multi-function devices without complex on-premises federation infrastructure or third-party middleware that often fell short of FedRAMP standards. Konica Minolta’s PKI Cloud Suite changes that.
What Is the PKI Cloud Suite?
At its core, PKI Cloud Suite is a cloud-native service that bridges the gap between bizhub MFPs and Microsoft’s government cloud environments. It consists of an Azure-hosted middleware component that communicates with Microsoft Entra ID for identity verification, a Universal Print connector for seamless driverless printing, and a secure scanning module that encrypts scanned documents at rest and in transit before storing them in OneDrive for Business. The suite is designed to meet FedRAMP High Impact requirements, leveraging Azure Government infrastructure where applicable.
Administrators can manage the entire solution through a centralized web console, configuring CAC/PIV authentication policies, user-to-device mapping, and scanning destination rules. The system supports multiple CAC/PIV card formats, including the US Department of Defense CAC (both PIV and PIV-I), Federal PIV cards, and PIV-Interoperable credentials used by state and local agencies. The authentication process supports both contact and contactless card readers integrated into Konica Minolta’s latest A4 and A3 bizhub models, as well as third-party USB readers connected to older devices.
How CAC/PIV Authentication Works with Microsoft Entra ID
When a user approaches a bizhub MFP, they tap or insert their CAC/PIV card. The MFP’s embedded PKI Cloud Suite agent captures the certificate and initiates an online certificate status protocol (OCSP) or certificate revocation list (CRL) check against the issuing Certificate Authority. If the certificate validates, the system maps the card’s Subject Alternative Name (SAN) or User Principal Name (UPN) to an account in Microsoft Entra ID via a cross-tenant trust or direct federation. Entra ID then evaluates conditional access policies—such as device compliance, risk level, and location—before granting access to the MFP’s functions.
Importantly, the entire flow leverages Azure Active Directory Authentication Library (ADAL) or Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) protocols, meaning no passwords are ever transmitted to the printer. The MFP itself never stores user credentials; authentication tokens are short-lived and scoped strictly to the allowed operations. This aligns with zero-trust principles and satisfies the Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) requirements outlined in OMB Memorandum M-19-17.
Universal Print Integration Eliminates Driver Headaches
One of the standout features of the PKI Cloud Suite is its deep integration with Microsoft Universal Print. Organizations can register their bizhub MFPs directly with the Universal Print service, enabling users to print from any enrolled Windows, macOS, or Chromebook device without installing printer-specific drivers. The suite acts as a Universal Print-ready connector, securely brokering print jobs from the cloud to the device while enforcing the same CAC/PIV-authenticated release-printing workflow.
This is a significant improvement for GCC High customers, who previously had to maintain dedicated print servers or rely on third-party pull-printing solutions that often lacked full Universal Print support. With PKI Cloud Suite, a user prints to a corporate printer queue from their mobile laptop, walks to any bizhub MFP, authenticates with their CAC/PIV card, and releases the job. The print data remains encrypted in transit and at rest until the user is physically present, reducing the risk of sensitive documents being left unattended.
Secure Scanning to OneDrive and Beyond
Beyond printing, the PKI Cloud Suite enables secure scan-to-cloud workflows. When a user authenticates at the MFP, they can select a “Scan to My OneDrive” option directly on the 10.1-inch bizhub touchscreen. The scanned document is encrypted using AES-256 and transmitted over TLS 1.3 to the user’s OneDrive for Business folder within the GCC High tenant. The system can also route scans to SharePoint Online libraries or Microsoft Teams channels based on Azure AD group membership or user attributes.
Administrators can apply auto-classification and sensitivity labels to scanned documents before they leave the MFP, ensuring compliance with data loss prevention (DLP) policies. For example, a scan containing financial data can be automatically marked as “Confidential – FOUO” and protected with Azure Rights Management (RMS) encryption. This capability closes a common security gap where sensitive paper documents might be scanned without proper metadata or protection.
Compatibility and Technical Requirements
Konica Minolta lists the PKI Cloud Suite as compatible with its bizhub i-Series and newer models, including the bizhub C450i, C550i, C650i, and the 1X50 series launched in 2024. For existing customers with older bizhub 8-series MFPs, a firmware update and the addition of an external USB CAC reader may be required. The solution requires an active Microsoft 365 GCC or GCC High subscription with Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 licenses, as well as Universal Print volume licensing (either standalone or included in M365 E5/G5 suites).
Deployment is agent-free on the client side; the only on-premises component is a lightweight edge service that runs on a local Windows or Linux server to facilitate communication between the MFPs and the Azure-hosted PKI Cloud Suite backend. This edge service handles OCSP/CRL checks, certificate validation, and token caching to ensure low-latency authentication even during internet connectivity fluctuations. The entire infrastructure can be monitored via Azure Application Insights and integrated with Microsoft Sentinel for security analytics.
GovCon and Defense Impact
The release has already drawn attention from large defense contractors and civilian agencies that rely heavily on CAC/PIV for physical and logical access. By extending the same ID card to printer and scanner operations, these organizations can reduce the number of separate credentials users must carry and improve compliance with identity governance audits. One early-adopter pilot at a Department of Energy facility reportedly reduced unauthorized document access incidents by 62% within the first three months, thanks to the enforced release-printing and scan logging.
Small and medium-sized government contractors, often challenged by the complexity of building and maintaining their own print infrastructure, stand to benefit from the suite’s cloud-native design. Instead of managing on-premises PKI and print servers, they can consume print and scan as a managed service, paying a per-device subscription that includes 24/7 support and continuous security updates.
Pricing and Availability
Konica Minolta has not publicly disclosed pricing, but early indicators suggest a per-device annual license model with volume discounts for fleet deployments. The PKI Cloud Suite is available immediately through Konica Minolta’s direct sales team and authorized GCC channel partners. A 30-day trial with limited functionality (up to 5 devices) is available for qualified GCC High tenants.
The company has confirmed that the solution is undergoing third-party FedRAMP assessment for High Impact approval, with an expected authorization by Q4 2026. In the meantime, it operates under a customer responsibility model, requiring agencies to accept the risk within their own ATO boundaries.
Looking Ahead: Biometrics and Passwordless Convergence
The PKI Cloud Suite’s architecture hints at future capabilities beyond CAC/PIV cards. Konica Minolta hinted that support for Windows Hello for Business and FIDO2 security keys is on the roadmap, allowing organizations to move toward passwordless authentication at the printer. Such a move would align with Microsoft’s passwordless vision and further reduce the dependency on physical cards while maintaining high assurance levels.
Moreover, the suite’s Microsoft Entra ID integration positions it to take advantage of emerging features like Verified ID for decentralized identity scenarios. In a briefing, a Konica Minolta product manager noted, “We’re building a platform that doesn’t just solve today’s CAC/PIV problem but serves as a foundation for the next generation of secure document ecosystems in regulated industries.”
Conclusion
For Microsoft 365 GCC High customers who have been waiting for a seamless, cloud-native way to bring CAC/PIV authentication to their bizhub MFPs, the PKI Cloud Suite represents a significant step forward. By combining hardware-backed identity verification with Universal Print’s driverless convenience and secure cloud scanning, Konica Minolta removes one of the last barriers to fully cloud-managed document workflows in high-security environments.
As government agencies and defense contractors continue their digital modernization journeys, solutions that bridge legacy identity card programs with modern zero-trust architectures will become essential. The PKI Cloud Suite not only delivers on that promise but also sets the stage for broader passwordless and decentralized identity innovations in the hardcopy world.