Bioscrypt On Board with HID’s iCLASS(TM) for Access Control
14 May, 2002
category: Biometrics, Contactless, Corporate, Education
TORONTO, ON and IRVINE, CA, May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – HIDCorporation and Bioscrypt Inc. (TSE: BYT) today jointly unveiled a practical
and affordable new solution for access control that combines the high security
of biometrics with a new generation of recently announced contactless smart
cards from HID called iCLASS.
Bioscrypt, the world’s leading provider of fingerprint-based biometric
readers for access control, launched V-Smart iCLASS(TM), a two-in-one reader
solution. The new system combines “bioscrypt on board(TM)”, the company’s
brand for its proven fingerprint matching technology, with support for iCLASS
contactless smart cards from HID, the global leader in proximity and Wiegand
cards and readers. The iCLASS technology, optimized for access control and
multiple applications, delivers the security and versatility of smart cards,
yet retains the affordability and convenience advantages of proximity cards.
The two leaders cooperated in the development of V-Smart iCLASS to ensure
that traditional access control customers can use a superior biometric product
that offers one-to-one biometric template authentication and user convenience.
These two features support the markets’ requirement for fast throughput and
individual privacy. The new smart cards and readers will be available July
2002.
“The market demand for higher security, biometric template storage and
more applications on a single credential has increased steadily during the
past 12 to 18 months,” said Mark Scaparro, executive vice president of sales
and marketing for HID. “Yet until now no one has offered a cost-effective
contactless smart card technology optimized for access control iCLASS fills
that gap.”
“We specifically designed the technology to make access control more
powerful and more secure,” Scaparro continued. “At the same time, we included
the features needed to implement other applications that can make the cards
more useful. Finally, iCLASS breaks the last barrier to smart card penetration
of the access control market – price. For the first time, contactless smart
cards are now affordable for access control.”
V-Smart iCLASS<br /><br />
"Smart cards are an ideal complement to fingerprint biometrics, which led
us to the decision to introduce the new reader and capitalize on the
technology and security advances made by iCLASS,” said Julia Webb, vice
president of global marketing and business development for Bioscrypt. “Our
fingerprint biometrics in V-Smart iCLASS gives security ma nagers the peace of
mind that comes with identifying the individual, not just the card. With
‘bioscrypt on board’ they get what we call one-to-one security: one security
credential and only one person who can use it.”
In the new system, fingerprint templates are securely stored on the
cards, not in the devices, making iCLASS smart cards portable databases that
are well suited for installations spanning multiple sites. Storing the
template on the card simplifies system start-up and enables the support of
unlimited populations. It also eliminates the redundant wiring requirement for
biometric template management, lowering implementation costs significantly.
V-Smart iCLASS has “bioscrypt on board,” the advanced fingerprint
matching algorithm proven on over 30,000 installations. It works with the
latest in fingerprint sensor technology to provide a highly accurate and
reliable solution that performs well even in extremely difficult cases.
Designed to plug into existing access control systems, its stylish design is
compact and modular. The reader features a double-gang surface mount and
provides flexible communication options supporting Wiegand formats up to 64
bits. The convenient VeriAdmin software package provides user-friendly
fingerprint template enrollment and administration capabilities.
HID's iCLASS<br /><br />
iCLASS is a new contactless smart card technology from HID. The company
plans to manufacture a range of cards, keys, tags and readers that target
access control and other applications.
An important advantage of iCLASS technology compared to other contactless
smart cards is a read range of approximately three inches. That performance is
comparable to proximity cards for access control, an industry first for smart
cards. A longer read range makes it more convenient for users and increases
the throughput of the system, because the fingerprint template transfer begins
as soon as the card enters the range.
The iCLASS technology brings the power and security of smart cards to
access control and offers several unique features that enhance traditional
radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. These capabilities work
together to reduce the risk of compromised data or duplicated cards and make
additional secure applications possible:
- Secure reading and writing of data<br /><br />
- Cryptographic data storage<br /><br />
- Mutual authentication between cards and readers<br /><br />
- Secure encryption of all radio frequency data transmission<br /><br />
- User definable access keys and optional DES and triple DES encryption<br /><br /><br /><br />
The new technology, developed by the Identification Technology Group
(ITG) of HID’s parent company ASSA ABLOY, utilizes advanced semiconductor
technology based on the 13.56 MHz frequency and is compliant with the ISO
standards for contactless smart cards 15693 and 14443 Types A, B1 and B2.
Compliance with ISO standards enables many equipment and application
developers to work with this technology to create a broad range of uses for
the cards.
All iCLASS credentials will be available in either a 2K bits or 16K bits
configuration. The iCLASS Tag will affix to existing cards or devices such as
a cellular telephone or PDA to allow users to seamlessly and cost-effectively
add contactless smart card technology to existing cards or devices. HID will
also offer multi-technology credentials, iCLASS Prox and iCLASS Wiegand, that
allow users to carry one card with a photo ID that is compatible with multiple
types of readers.
About HID<br /><br />
As interest in PC secure log-on and other smart chip applications
increases, HID’s credential remains the platform of choice to carry multiple
applications. HID multi-technology credentials can be used throughout
organizations to leverage the investment in existing systems, while providing
for enhanced functionality in other areas. As the largest manufacturer of
contactless access control readers and cards for the security industry, HID
has shipped over 125 million credentials to customers worldwide. HID pioneered
the development of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for
security. Their experience in developing card technologies enables HID to play
a critical role in the evolution and adoption of smart card technology. For
more information on HID, visit their website at http://www.HIDCorp.com.
About Bioscrypt<br /><br />
Bioscrypt Inc. (TSE: BYT) is a leading provider of advanced fingerprint
technology with over 30,000 fingerprint readers currently installed. The
company’s solutions combine the convenience of touch with the high security of
fingerprint-based biometrics for simple and secure access to facilities,
equipment and information. Using the “bioscrypt on board”(TM) brand, the
company offers packaged products, OEM components and software licensing to
leading security solution manufacturers and integrators worldwide for
physical, wireless and network security applications. Among the many cutting-
edge companies and partners using Bioscrypt technology are the U.S. Army,
NASA, Continental Airlines, Intel, Atmel, HID Corporation, Honeywell and
Northern Computers. Bioscrypt’s patented technology is interoperable with
leading fingerprint sensors and is both platform and operating system
independent. Bioscrypt is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
symbol BYT. For more information, visit the Bioscrypt Web site at
http://www.bioscrypt.com.
Forward-looking (safe harbour) statement<br /><br />
Statements made in this news release that relate to future plans, events
or performances are forward-looking statements. Any statement containing words
such as “believes”, “plans”, “expects” or “intends” and other statements which
are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking, and
these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current
expectations. Consequently, actual results could differ materially from the
expectations expressed in these forwardlooking statements.
Bioscrypt Inc., Bioscrypt, V-Smart iCLASS and bioscrypt on board are
trademarks of Bioscrypt Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks
referenced herein are properties of their respective owners.
