 Security: Identity ManagementThis newsletter is sponsored by New Edge NetworksNetwork World's Security: Identity Management Newsletter, 11/05/07Passports and French ToastBy Dave KearnsGovernments around the world are cracking down on immigration issues by requiring stronger proofs of identity at border crossings. Anyone who has vacationed by cruising out of a U.S. port recently, for example, knows the thrill of being lined up at 6 a.m. on the last day so that U.S. Immigration can look at your passport. This makes the lines in airports seem lively and party-like! The requirements aren’t going to get easier, but maybe the procedure will. France’s Sagem Securite and Canada’s Psion Teklogix have partnered together to produce MorphoCheck, a biometric mobile computing solution that will allow authentication of ID-documents, including Electronic Passports, ID Cards, Driving Licenses and many other types of ID documents. No need to be tethered to a power outlet, or a hard-wired network line. Gilles de Greef, Business Development Manager from Psion Teklogix, and Benoit Ravier, Sagem’s MorphoCheck Product Manager, joined me for a telephone conversation last week to introduce me to their new offering (due out early in 2008).
Psion I knew from years ago as a provider of handheld barcode readers – very useful for inventorying retail stores, for example. They’d merged with Teklogix in 2000, and expanded into all sorts of mobile computing devices. Sagem was new to me. They’re a division of France’s Safran Group – active in many different arenas. Together, they hope to bring convenience – and simplicity – to the onerous, but important, task of checking credentials. In a nutshell, the MorphoCheck line are handheld, battery-powered devices to read the chips or magnetic stripes on passports, drivers licenses and other identity documents, as well as the biometric data of the person claiming to be the holder of the document and make the comparison quickly and efficiently. There’s even a provision to securely connect back to a server via wireless technology if further information is needed, or needs to be transmitted. One version of the device will even have a scanner and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software for those credentials which aren’t as yet technologically enabled. Read about Sagem’s MorphoCheck 250, then imagine that technology shrunk down to the size of a handheld scanner. With one of those, the immigration officials could stroll through the cruise ship’s dining room, checking out the passengers while they enjoyed their breakfast. Sounds like a much better situation to me! Upcoming events from the IdM Journal calendar: Nov. 14 - 16 Gartner Identity and Access Management Summit, Los Angeles. Editor's note: Starting Monday, Nov, 12, this newsletter will be renamed "Security: Identity Management Alert." Subscribers to the HTML version of this newsletter will notice some enhancements that will provide you with access to more resources relevant to identity management. You will still receive Dave Kearns' analysis of this market, which you will be able to read in its entirety online at NetworkWorld.com, along with links to relevant news headlines of the day. We hope you enjoy the enhancements and we thank you for reading Network World newsletters.
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| Contact the author: Dave Kearns is the editor of IdM, the Journal of Identity Management as well as a consultant to both vendors and users of IdM technologies. He's written a number of books including the (sadly) now out of print "Complete Guide to eDirectory." His other musings can be found at the Virtual Quill, an Internet publisher which provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more by e-mail. Comments to this newsletter can be e-mailed to Dave here. This newsletter is sponsored by New Edge NetworksARCHIVEArchive of the Security: Identity Management Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE90% of IT Managers are leaving their company at risk for a DNS ATTACK. Get the tools and resources you need to keep your DNS healthy and secure. Run a DNSreport on your domain today - 56 critical tests run in 8 seconds. Visit www.dnsreport.com to learn more. (apply coupon NWW2007NLA for a 25% membership discount) PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICESTo subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007 |
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