Cherry and ISL Biometrics Collaborate to Bring Biometrics to Every Desktop
Bromsgrove -10th May 04 – ISL Biometrics and Cherry have signed a global agreement to provide all standard and advanced keyboards in the Cherry 14000 series with biometric authentication capabilities. Cherry and ISL Biometrics have already worked closely on a number of bespoke projects, culminating recently in the successful installation of one of the biggest biometrics projects in the UK with the NHS. Today’s announcement is formal recognition that both companies are moving into the global arena of providing every desktop with biometrics.
As the number one manufacturer of advanced performance keyboards, Cherry will offer customers a choice of biometric fingerprint readers built into either the keyboard or mouse. They will also provide smartcard capabilities for those customers looking for an extra layer of security.
ISL Biometrics is the market leader in biometric identity and access management. Their SentriNET product requires no additional servers and provides the network layer that connects the biometric reader at the desktop to the enterprises existing directory servers. The SentriNET software makes biometric authentication appear seamless to the user and integrates with legacy applications, web applications, portals and networks as well as remote and physical access systems.
Peter Smith – Field Sales Manager at Cherry said “At last the mystique has gone out of biometrics and people are seeing it as a serious alternative to passwords. The timing is right for Cherry to launch a biometric enabled keyboard globally and we know from our relationship with ISL that we can provide a competitive and reliable product that the market wants and needs.”
Russ Davis – CEO of ISL Biometrics said “Businesses have clearly recognised that the increasing number of Passwords and PINs required in everyday life is reaching epidemic proportions, and they are acting now to both offset escalating management costs, and to reduce breaches in security, caused by password cracking that may effect corporate liability. It is clear from the amount of new business we have had over the past few months that the biometrics market has taken off. Our announcement therefore comes at a great time, especially as Cherry have such a strong reputation in the keyboard market which will enable our combined products to bring biometrics to the mass market.”
About ISL Biometrics
ISL Biometrics, Ltd. is a market leader in the design and manufacture of biometric security middleware and software appliqués. ISL has developed a range of quality, easy-to-install, easy-to-support biometric security solutions. SentriNET(r) is a biometric-based user authentication schema for Windows(r) or Novell(r) Netware operating system, Web or ODBC compliant application, providing biometric authentication and verification techniques with options for smart card or USB token authentication (with/without PIN) for workstations, networks, applications, data as well as, physical access control. ISL Biometrics supplies to both Government and private sector organizations through our worldwide channel partners. www.isl-biometrics.com
About Cherry
Worldwide Cherry is one of the leading suppliers in the high-tech sector. Keyboards, electronic modules and assemblies made by Cherry ensure more safety, ease of operation and reliability for data input systems, electronic assemblies in household appliances, industrial applications or the automotive sector. With production sites in Europe, America and Asia and sales offices and marketing partners in virtually every country in the world, Cherry can fulfil the interests of its customers directly. Cherry is known for its pathbreaking solutions for keyboards. Cherry’s top keyboards make good effective and economical connections by including additional options such as freely programmable function keys, bar code magnetic card readers and smart card readers/writers and by using biometric technology for access control by fingerprint. Cherry offers keyboards to read health insurance cards, customer cards, credit cards, EC cards, electronic cash cards and electronic signatures for home banking and other smart card applications. Security keyboards made by Cherry have made an excellent name for themselves on the market. They have integrated fingerprint sensors and smart card readers for security applications such as digital signatures in accordance with the signature law, access control, computers and networks and secure home banking using smart cards, data encoding and secure payment procedures in the internet and PKI infrastructures. For more information on Cherry visit www.cherrycorp.com