Sony's new fingerprint identification device can serve as the basis for enterprise-wide employee identification solutions in work environments where employee mobility is critical.

The new FIU-600 model allows organizations to centralize the systems and software required to verify employees using multiple PCs who want to access sensitive corporate information. The solution is ideal for homeland defense, medical record keeping, corporate information systems and other sensitive applications where employees use more than one computer to obtain protected data.

"Organizations of all sizes are increasingly looking for ways to empower their employees - witness the growing phenomenon of `hot seating,' or roaming users," said Andrew Mougis, senior vice president of the application solutions division of Sony Electronics' Business Solutions and Systems Company. "Our new model allows IT administrators to centrally store fingerprint data, giving workers the ability to be mobile in their environments and still have fingerprint-based access to protected data."

Key features of the FIU-600 model enable the device to quickly export high-quality, encrypted fingerprint images to a centralized database, where third-party matching algorithms can then process the information. Mougis said that the unit's ability to transport images that can then be read by independent software applications underscores its "inherent flexibility" for use in a wide range of applications.


Industry-leading software manufacturers are providing support for the new fingerprint device for an array of applications.

The FIU-600 unit complements Sony's other fingerprint identification model, the FIU-710. Like the FIU-710 model, the new FIU-600 device can also store and match fingerprints on-board. The unit's fingerprint authentication feature eliminates the need for passwords. Once it verifies the identity of the employee, the device will log the user on to a PC and provide access to secure applications and other corporate information.

Lightweight and small, the FIU-600 model is compatible with all USB-equipped Windows-based computers. The device is immediately available from Sony for a suggested retail price of $135.