Wyse Technology, Identix team to deliver strong biometric security for Wyse Winterm thin clients

IT Wise, local distributor of Wyse Technology, will demonstrate how Wyse`s Winterm thin clients support the use of Identix`s BioLogon biometric fingerprint security technology at the Citrix iForum 2002 Africa conference to be held on 23 July in Midrand.

Wyse and Identix Incorporated have teamed to increase the security options available for the server-based computing environment through biometric security solutions for Wyse Winterm thin clients. Wyse`s Winterm thin clients now support the use of Identix`s BioLogon biometric fingerprint security technology, allowing a user`s "fingerprint-reading" to complement the existing local password and network security features inherent in server-based computing. The addition of Identix`s BioLogon reduces the threat of unauthorised access to information while eliminating 50% or more of help-desk calls related to password problems.

"Wyse is now able to provide customers with the option of adding even greater security to the thin-client computing environment, enabling maximum protection against unauthorised access to valuable or sensitive materials, or mission-critical information," said Nico Malherbe, director of marketing at IT Wise. "Thin clients are inherently more secure than personal computers, and the addition of biometric security devices offers greater desktop value to customers at a time when the need to protect information and reduce costs is growing exponentially.

"Biometric imaging electronically captures individual fingerprint images to create a unique ID for each user-an important additional layer of protection during a time of increased fraud control," said Malherbe. "The combination of Wyse Technology`s secure, managed thin-client solutions with Identix`s BioLogon fingerprint technology allows organisations to employ some of the strongest authentication methods possible, while minimising overhead costs for technology."

Several applications will become far safer with the biometric capability now available in Wyse thin clients. Airport airline reservation counters, hotel front desks, building security stations and human resources departments all benefit from keeping unwanted users out of sensitive servers and data. Thin clients are already being used in these environments and the addition of biometric support will further enhance an organisation`s ability to prevent unauthorised access.

Identix BioLogon security monitors physiological or behavioural characteristic to prove a person`s identity, capturing unique, individual information, such as fingerprints, and uses it thereafter to recognise the person. The integration of Identix`s BioLogon enterprise solutions with Wyse`s industry-leading thin clients will offer thin-client users a means of permanent identification and added security, allowing organisations to enforce strong authentication methods, eliminating the need to issue multiple passwords and codes.

Wyse`s secure, managed thin clients help maximise IT budgets while minimising the risk of unauthorised access to mission-critical information. Winterm thin clients deliver the key elements of security - authorisation, authentication, integrity and confidentiality - through four levels of security that complement server-based software. This includes a first-level user-name and password security shield built directly into the thin client, protecting the server from unauthorised access, support for smart cards and biometric authentication devices, the use of Citrix`s Secure ICA protocol, providing up to 128-bit end-to-end encryption of an ICA data-stream, and the elimination of local storage that can fail or be hacked, causing important communication such as e-mail to be corrupted, modified or simply not received.