APC’s Password manager wins Computing award

Features of the week:

Making life look easy is one hidden treasure of technologies as the American Power Conversion (APC) Biometric Password emerges the Champion Infotel’s Computing Best Password Solution for the year, reports REMMY NWEKE.

IN this era of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), one thing that has been very important to users of these tools is the safety of their information.

In order to ensure this, experts came up with the concept of pass-wording of files or systems especially on personal computers (PCs) and laptops.

But as time tick away, the need to password a lot of files on a computer transcends from being a safety or security solution to human headaches.

This became evident as some computers and laptops users forget
various security codes in the name of passwords at different
phases.

Hence, the American Power Conversion (APC) came up with a simple and secure way to remember passwords by introducing biometric security, otherwise known as APC Biometric Password Manager for PC and laptop users.

The product is an optical mouse with a personal fingerprint scanner that makes it easy for PC and laptop users to manage their passwords based on the leading radio frequency (RF) fingerprint sensor technology.

Biometric technology is defined as a process of recognizing unique physical characteristics of a user as a means of network identification.

APC said the product, a personal fingerprint scanner that facilitates password management for PC and laptop users is a solution that allows users to biometrically secure their PCs or notebooks, eliminating the need to memorise passwords.

This, APC said was introduced in reaffirmation of its vision of
"protecting data wherever created, transmitted or stored".

Having access to data while traveling or on the move, is critical for most successful and potential mobile professionals, as the Biometric Password Manager helps to address the important issues surrounding data protection, encompassing physical security and peace of mind.

Country General Manager for Africa at APC, Mr. Carl Kleynhans observed that today, many PC and laptop users have a multitude of passwords for their electronic mail (e-mail), online trading, shopping, and banking accounts. So, rather than memorise all of these different passwords, many choose to write them down on pieces of papers, which could be lost at any time or even viewed by others.

"The new APC Biometric Password Manager solves this by offering a convenient and secure method for users to access their password protected sites," he declared.

Explaining that the password manager permits up to 20 different individuals to store passwords on a single computer system, with each user enrolling by using a finger as their identification source.

The product, which has a sleek design allows for stable placement and accurate finger verification, as it comes with a six-foot Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable plus easy-to-use software and even compatible with Windows XP, ME 2000 and 98 operating systems.

According to him, the product software stores an unlimited number of log-in names, passwords and when used with Windows XP, for instance, the Biometric password Manager permits fast user switching where each user’s personal configurations and passwords are recognized on the shared laptop or PC with the touch of a finger.

He also explained that by deploying AuthenTec’s patented TruePrint
technology, the product scans fingerprints below the surface of the skin to the live layer or true fingerprint.

TruPrint, he said, is not affected by common skin surface conditions including dry, dirty, worn, calloused or oily skin that could affect other sensors’ based systems used in acquiring accurate fingerprint images for user authentication purposes. Thus, TruPrint is the only fingerprint sensor technology capable of acquiring anyone’s fingerprint under virtually any conditions.

"It is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese," he noted.

The manager further explained that Biometric Password Manager provide users with the features and benefits that includes convenience, in terms of being competitively priced as the first biometric solution scaled to the consumer’s budget; allowing registration of multiple users up to 20 individual fingerprints, fast user switching for Windows-based operators between registered users desktops and mostly on XP.

Hence, it was designed for accurate verification with its sleek innovative look for a stable placement and finger verification, even as it has plug and play step up medium that enables the making of fast and easy set up at anytime, anywhere.

In other words, the product offers protection as it eliminates password lists, file and folder encryption and limits access to computers by keeping out unauthorized users, just as it is backed with AuthenTec TruePrint sensor which is the leader in biometric sensor technology.

In addition, it has compatibility features which tolerate access with PC inbuilt with OmniPass authentication software that provides compatibility for a good number Windows range of operating systems.

And coming from a company founded in 1981 with headquarters located at West Kingston, Rhode Island, United States, the firm has since emerged as a leading provider of global, end-to-end solutions for real-time infrastructure.

APC’s proclaimed comprehensive products and services for home and corporate environments tend to improve the availability, manageability and performance of sensitive electronic, network, communication and industrial equipment of all sizes and probably at all levels with its Biometric Security system.

Therefore, Champion Infotel, finds it worthy awarding the Computing Best Password Solution to APC’s Biometric Password Manager for the year 2005.