Open Systems Architecture (OSA)

Designed for today’s mobile and flexible workplace, Sharp’s new OSA-enabled MFPs deliver unparalleled efficiency, control and convenience. How? With seamless integration, Sharp OSA provides a window into your business applications, so you can access what you need, when you need it, right from the LCD display. Plus, with the potential for customized integration with your business-specific applications, Sharp OSA can eliminate redundancy and streamline processes, helping to save time and optimize productivity. It’s time to change the way your business communicates.

Sharp’s Open Systems Architecture opens the door to a broad array of value-added functionality and flexibility. In essence, Sharp OSA is designed to deliver the power of customization so you can work smarter.

With the ability to access integrated applications directly from the LCD panel, Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs allow you to work more efficiently and be more productive. Now you can start and finish a task in one simple operation. With this innovative, second generation technology, your MFP becomes a gateway into your network, providing fast, flexible access to documents no matter where you are in the office. Further, Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs allow you to control access and track usage more effectively by offering tighter integration capabilities for network security and cost accounting applications. With such comprehensive control, you’ll be able to manage your document workflow easily, efficiently, and more securely. In essence, Sharp OSA transforms your Sharp MFP into something much more: a flexible resource that can evolve as your business needs change.

With the ability to access integrated applications directly from the LCD panel, Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs allow you to work more efficiently and be more productive. This innovative, second-generation platform leverages the versatility of web services architecture for streamlined development and broad platform compatibility. Leveraging this industry-standard architecture, Sharp OSA’s development platform allows developers to quickly and easily create applications that can dynamically display custom interface screens on the LCD panel and control device functions.

These custom interface screens are defined in XHTML, allowing you to interactively browse and communicate with application screens, essentially turning your MFP into an additional thin client for one or more of your favorite applications.

Integrated applications can also control MFP functions using a Web Service. The Sharp OSA Web Service allows applications to send commands formatted in XML/SOAP to the MFP for configuring and executing jobs, enabling and disabling features, and retrieving status information.

Since all applications run on the network server rather than the MFP, you’ll have virtually unlimited processing speed and storage capacity, allowing you to handle even the most complex applications. Plus, with web services lightweight communication protocol, the effect on your network bandwidth will be marginal. With all this, as well as centralized application administration, network managers will be able to deploy and manage Sharp OSA-enabled applications to tens, if not hundreds, of MFPs with minimal time and investment.

The MFP can be enabled with one of two, or both, Soft Key modules. The Application Communication Module (ACM) enables integrated applications to create, configure, and execute scan jobs remotely. The External Accounting Module (EAM) enables integrated applications to restrict access and feature sets by authenticating users, as well as track usage by individual, department, and more.