Security through Obscurity- thats the mantra upon which Akoura Biometrics Inc., a US-based data security solution provider, has built its DataSecure platform.
Communicating to CXOtoday from USA, Billa Bhandari, founder and executive vice president- research & development, said, "The Akoura DataSecure platform protects digital information by transforming sensitive content into a plausible cover document, when once transformed looks like any ordinary spreadsheet or image. Unlike encryption, DataSecure leaves no discernable means of determining that sensitive information is contained within the document."
The product works with the aid of a fingerprint authentication device. In traditional devices, fingerprint sensors capture an image and transmit the same over the network to a server where the software compares the image against a database of fingerprint templates. However, DataSecure fingerprint devices store the fingerprint template and perform the authentication locally, eliminating the back-end infrastructure, costs and administration.
Shedding light on the process, Bhandari explained, "There is no central server for fingerprint templates and also no database of finger print templates is maintained. Each user has their own device and fingerprint templates are stored in their personal fingerprint readers. The process of template extraction and the subsequent matching with the original template stored on the fingerprint device is processed on the local computer."
According to Bhandari, the product even enables remote authentication and serves both internal and external purposes as well.
Currently, DataSecure comes bundled with Sony's FIU-600, and Sharp's 14443 Type B Smart Card. "However," revealed Bhandari, "We will be releasing another fingerprint device under our own brand in August 2004."
Of the three products, DataSecure was already launched in April while MailSecure and SuperSmart Device, will be globally launched in September. Apparently, banking, defence, pharmaceuticals and universities are some of the initial target verticals the company is training its sights on.
The solution runs on Windows 98, 2000 and the XP version with 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Drive and 1 GHz processor. But, with lower configuration, performance will be slower, cautioned Bhandari.
In terms of scalability, number of devices directly corresponds to the number of users. Installation takes one hour per user while a one-day training session is all that is required to equip the system admin, affirmed Bhandari.
The company offers a one-time license of US$ 500 plus 20% annual maintenance while subscription would cost US$ 30 per month per user with minimum commitment for two years.
But is the Indian enterprise market ready for such solutions. "Yes!" exclaims Bhandari, "There is ample evidence that the Indian enterprise market is matured for accepting biometrics technology products. In fact, plans are afoot to set up a help desk in India shortly," he disclosed.
The company has more than 15 years of experience in securing enterprise information, achieved through the integration of biometrics, encryption and steganography and single sign on.
