DigitalPersona Delivers Fingerprint And Single-Sign-On Authentication

For many businesses, using passwords to gain access to computer systems and networks is all the security they need. But for others, with sophisticated applications and data and projects worth lots of money, more is needed to ensure that only authorized individuals are granted access.

Security vendor DigitalPersona Inc. next week plans to introduce an enhanced version of its authentication suite that's designed to provide additional layers of security. DigitalPersona Pro 3.2, which is priced at $1,499 for each Windows Domain Controller server it runs on, includes improved single-sign-on functionality, support for other digital credentials, and enhanced fingerprint-identification technology.

With the new features, IT security managers can require users to authenticate themselves with a choice of password, PIN, or smart-card technology, in addition to the fingerprint feature, the company says. For businesses with millions of users, DigitalPersona says its fingerprint algorithm makes mistakes only once out of every million attempts. With the enhanced One Touch Sign On feature, people can use their fingerprints to sign on to a variety of applications.

An industry analyst thinks many industries can use multiple levels of authentication at times. "A chain of drug stores could use it for proper prescription dispensing or a Coca-Cola engineer could be working on a new formula," says Gerry Gebel, an analyst at analyst firm Burton Group. "The One Touch Sign On can act as an authentication gateway, whenever customers want to strengthen the front end beyond passwords."