HIRSCH Electronics is no stranger to introducing new products or winning accolades among its peers. From the competition at ISC West, Hirsch won a special achievement award in the Security Industry Association's New Product Showcase in Las Vegas. We thought readers should know more about the RUU-201 Verification Station, so we talked to Scott Howell of Hirsch Electronics.
- By Security Products Staff
- Aug 02, 2007
IN some cases, companies implementing biometrics will initially encounter employee resistance, with the issues of privacy and hygiene taking center stage. This will invariably be the case if a union is involved and is looking for negotiating points.
- By Jon Mooney
- Aug 01, 2007
IDENTITY theft has changed the public's perspective on financial security. Phising scams take consumers to Web sites almost identical to their trusted bank, a stolen driver license can lead to forged checks, a stolen Social Security number can open numerous credit card accounts and card cloning has left the public vulnerable.
- By Katie McCarthy
- Jul 01, 2007
CONTRARY to using badges, sign-ins or other ways of tracking employees, a biometric reader ensures no employee can punch in for another, eliminating time fraud and reducing payroll costs. Because every person's biometric features—hand, fingerprint, eye or face—are unique, a biometric time clock provides a quick, accurate and reliable way to record in and out punches for each employee. That’s why so many companies, including fast food restaurants, now employ biometrics.
- By Bashar Masad
- May 30, 2007
Raising the bar is a phrase commonly associated with pole vaulting or high jumping. At the Utah Summer Games, officials also are raising the bar on efficiency and security with a speedier, more stringent ID card program for athletes.
- By Charlie Ross
- Apr 27, 2007
NETWORK access control is one of the hottest topics in IT today. Despite this, available approaches are either fragmented or not ready for widespread implementation. In order to understand this phenomenon, users must evaluate current approaches and understand the process of implementing a NAC solution.
When implementing network access control, the first set of decisions that need to be made regarding network policy. The first necessary question for a NAC project is: Why does it need to be implemented and what is expected from implementation?
- By Richard Hyatt
- Apr 09, 2007
IN recent years, investigative reporters have uncovered security vulnerabilities in what are believed to be closely monitored applications: school buildings. In too many instances, investigators are able to slip into school buildings without being stopped, and administrators find out about the security breach on the evening news.
- By Steve Blake
- Feb 05, 2007
IT'S a simple enough request at most companies -- the last person to leave the office should lock the doors. But many times, one of the most basic tenants of access control can be compromised by something as simple as a forgetful employee.
- By Brent Dirks
- Feb 05, 2007
FOUR years in the making, the drive to implement HSPD-12 at long last began by issuing smart identification cards last October. Every federal agency has now opened at least one facility where employees can go to get personal identification verification (PIV) cards fitted to the strict criteria of FIPS 201. This year, federal agencies will begin to activate a massive interoperable system of card readers in which any agency's readers will be able to read and process cards presented by any and all federal employees -- no matter what agency employs them.
- By Col. Timothy D. Ringgold
- Feb 05, 2007
RECENTLY, security dealers and integrators in the access control industry have seen a great shake-up. Widespread demand and overall adoption of IP-compatible devices has, in many cases, introduced security dealers to the IT world for the first time.
- By Steve Dentinger
- Jan 24, 2007
U.S. airports with one or more checkpoint areas, security officials have probably never thought of themselves as ID managers.
- By Yotam Margalit
- Jan 24, 2007
BANKS and larger financial institutions are interested in making the most of the newest security technologies and analytical software solutions to better protect assets, employees and customers.
- By Security Products Staff
- Jan 24, 2007
IN the last 10 years, the background screening industry has grown tremendously and has moved from being a process used for security clearance, law enforcement and high-level, sensitive government jobs to an integral part of the hiring process of the vast majority of firms in the United States. Beth Miller of DataCheck Inc., located in San Clemente, Calif., said it best, as "more and more companies are conducting background screenings, it is becoming an everyday process and part of the norm."
- By W. Barry Nixon
- Jan 23, 2007
HONEYWELL has more than 30 years of experience in offering security professionals innovative products and solutions, and company experts have years of service in addressing complex access control situations. In a recent interview with Security Products, Beth Thomas, product manager for Honeywell readers and credentials, discussed the impact ID management and biometric technology has on HSPD-12 and FIPS 201.
- By Security Products Staff
- Jan 23, 2007
"DON'T you love it when a plan comes together?" said Sean Mullin, president of BI2 Technologies and founder of The CHILD Project<sup>TM</sup>, a secure, nationwide network and registry that enables law enforcement and social service agencies to positively identify missing children and adults using iris recognition biometric technology.
- By Del V. Salvi
- Jan 23, 2007
BIOMETRIC authentication has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 14th century China where merchants would stamp children's hand and footprints on paper to distinguish them. After seven centuries, though, unique physiological and behavioral characteristics are still used as means of identification.
GIVEN the current geopolitical climate, driving security initiatives forward is high on the agenda for both government and enterprise. Interest in the increased security and authentication capabilities afforded by smart cards has accelerated worldwide.
- By Kevin Gillick
- Jan 03, 2007
ELECTRONIC security products and systems play an ever-increasing role in managing access and egress in today's buildings.
- By Marilyn Collins
- Jan 03, 2007
While biometrics was a concept not yet invented in Emerson's day, the quote still applies perfectly to the technique at the heart of Panasonic's BM-ET330 iris recognition system.
- By Julianna Benedick
- Jan 03, 2007
SEPTEMBER 2006 marked the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, sparking widespread debate on whether the United States is any safer today than it was on that fateful day in 2001. Since 9/11, much has been done to promote greater vigilance of both foreign and homegrown terrorist activities. But until another successful or unsuccessful terrorist attack, the nation may never know the complete answer.
- By Mike Hammons
- Jan 02, 2007
NOWADAYS, it takes much more to have a safe flight, and airports are strengthening security to ensure passengers do travel safely.
- By Courtney Dillon Pederson
- Jan 01, 2007
TO create a safe school environment that allows teachers and students to focus on learning, the Palm Beach County, Fla., School District created the Safe Schools Institute (SSI).
- By Beverly Vigue
- Dec 03, 2006
LOCATED about as far as a typical Tiger Woods half-wedge shot from the San Antonio Spurs practice facility, the Texas Center for Athletes could soon be the premier medical facility in South Texas.
- By Matt Scherer
- Dec 03, 2006
THE fluctuating state of global migration, combined with international terrorism threats, make ID verification increasingly important at border crossings. According to Customs and Border Protection, in 2005, the United States had an average of 1.2 million visitors per day at the 314 land, air and seaports last year.
- By Alain Jutant
- Dec 01, 2006
THANKS to being almost 1,000 miles away from any land mass, the Galapagos Islands on the Pacific Ocean are famous for the unique and self-supporting habitat that contains thousands of species of plants and animals native to the area.
- By Brent Dirks
- Dec 01, 2006
AS federal and state governments look for ways to ensure workers' identity, identification cards have come to be a hot topic. In addition to protecting physical assets -- buildings, infrastructure and other facilities -- government officials also are interested in maintaining the integrity of their computer networks.
- By Paul Brisgone
- Dec 01, 2006
JUST as physicians recommend that their patients obtain treatment early before a condition worsens, Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) also is addressing the issue of security before problems occur.
- By Sharon Steinhoff-Smith
- Dec 01, 2006
- By Robert Morse
- Nov 03, 2006
THE cost of lost assets to companies has been demonstrated in many studies to be significant. The application of DVR technology has been proven to reduce this type of loss in a cost-effective manner.
- By Bob McCarthy
- Nov 01, 2006
THE Edwin Holmes Co. created the central station intrusion alarm monitoring business model in Boston, in the 1850s.
- By Tom Heiser
- Oct 03, 2006
THE next time you consider installing a new access control system, you might want to think out of the box and go biometric.
- By Steve Down
- Oct 03, 2006
BADCOCK Home Furniture & More is a furniture retailer with a fleet of 45 tractors and 300 trailers, servicing nearly 330 stores in seven states throughout the southeast United States.
- By David Kraninger
- Oct 01, 2006
IN the last four and a half years, new government mandates for tighter physical security at critical infrastructure sites have led to significant strides in physical access control innovation.
- By Walter Hamilton
- Oct 01, 2006
SECURITY is something the airlines take very seriously, even more so after 9/11. Sun Country Airlines is no exception. And like other carriers, Sun Country is facing cost challenges greater than ever before.
- By Sharon Steinhoff-Smith
- Sep 01, 2006
TEN years ago, the use of biometrics for identifying people was only seen in the movies -- too advanced for the real world.
- By John Ekers
- Aug 03, 2006
THE Jessica Lunsford Act -- named for the nine-year old who was murdered by a construction worker at her school -- sent school districts throughout Florida scrambling to implement fingerprinting and screening systems to comply with the law.
- By Catherine L. York
- Jun 01, 2006
THE landscape of information security continues to be dynamic. New threats emerge daily in the forms of new viruses, worms, phishing, pharming, social engineering and identity theft.
- By Brian McCarthy
- Jun 01, 2006