Bioscrypt Teams with Datastrip to Enable Mobile Identity Verification

June 27, 2005
System designed for corporate access control, government and other ID systems

Bioscrypt Inc., a leading provider of identity verification technology, announced today that its Bioscrypt Core fingerprint matching algorithm has been licensed for use on Datastrip's DSVII family of handheld biometric/smart card identification terminals. The partnership will help organizations increase building and grounds security by extending Bioscrypt-based identity verification from doorways and other fixed checkpoints to any location - from a hallway to a parking lot - with the aid of Datastrip's portable, wireless units.

The combined Bioscrypt/Datastrip solution can support the verification of a wide variety of identity documents ranging from employee ID badges to cards used for federal security initiatives such as US-Visit, Transportation Worker ID Card (TWIC) and Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) programs. It can also be used to add biometric verification to legacy proximity cards by linking the prox card number to the cardholder's fingerprint template and then using the Datastrip unit to read the live fingerprint, compare it against the template stored in a back-end database or on the Datastrip device itself, and deliver a "match" or "no match" verdict directly to the unit's touchscreen.

Each Datastrip DSVII handheld device integrates a card reader, a 500 dpi fingerprint sensor for matching a live fingerprint to a stored biometric template, and a large color touchscreen display in a single lightweight package. The terminals can read contact and contactless smart cards, proximity cards, bar codes, passports or OCR-B data, depending on the model. Each unit can retrieve data from on-board memory or from a back-end database via wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth technology; will support the ANSI standard 377 critical for securing biometric-related government contracts; and runs on the Windows CE.NET operating system for easy development of custom applications.

"This partnership will equip enterprises, government agencies and other organizations with the tools they need to perform biometric identity verification anywhere on their premises. For example, identity badges with Bioscrypt-based fingerprint templates can be checked vehicle-side at facility gates, at military base entrances and other locations lacking a physical door structure," said William Michael, Sales Director for Datastrip. "This supports the growing demand for mobile identity verification solutions that can strengthen protection against trespassers and terrorists."

"Identity verification is no longer exclusively a fixed-location activity, and teaming with Datastrip will enable us to broaden the applications for Bioscrypt Core in order to take advantage of the many business opportunities that are now arising in the mobile identification arena," said Robert L. Williams, President and CEO of Bioscrypt Inc. "With the versatility of Datastrip's DSVII terminals, our integrators now have the ability to meet the needs of disparate identity verification projects with one hardware platform, regardless of the types of cards or communication involved."