Vantage Data Centers Deploy Biometric Technology For Multi-Factor Capable Authentication
Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc., a provider of IT-based business solutions, including advanced technology products, biometric security, and digital media solutions, recently announced the deployment of its PalmSecure biometric authentication technology at Vantage Data Centers’ Santa Clara campus.
Vantage Data Centers provides energy-efficient, scalable, wholesale data center solutions to enterprise customers. The PalmSecure highly accurate, comprehensive, multi-factor biometric identification and access control capabilities allow Vantage to protect proprietary information and costly infrastructure throughout its campus while ensuring that only privileged personnel are able to access secure areas.
Due to the extremely sensitive data and expensive infrastructures stored at Vantage Data Centers, security represents a primary concern for customers and key objective for Vantage. The PalmSecure technology offers up to three factors of authentication in a single unit installation, as well as a bonus capability of an alternate factor of authentication via registration of the user’s second hand.
As a result, Vantage can require biometric authentication for all ingress points and layer additional factors of authentication as needed, specifically in mission-critical areas. For example, a customer needing to enter the front door to the building would do so via biometric authentication. The same customer needing access to a mission-critical area would then need to biometrically authenticate and provide up to two more factors of authentication, including key-pad code and/or smart card. The application of this comprehensive, multi-factor technology allows Vantage to meet customer security demands and support various compliance regulations.
“By offering industry-leading identity and access management, we are able to protect the entire data center facility and customer assets with the highest level of security,” said Jim Trout, CEO of Vantage Data Centers. “We reviewed the prevailing biometric technologies implemented in the data center industry, including fingerprint readers and retinal scanners, and found that both provide challenges to customers unfamiliar with these security measures due to concerns over personal harm and improper use. The Fujitsu PalmSecure technology, however, delivers optimal capabilities and a level of user comfort unmatched in our search. We are delighted with the results.”
“The need for biometric authentication solutions is clear; however, we’ve seen products on the market that present significant challenges in terms of accuracy, enrollment difficulty and residual trace issues,” said Vic Herring, vice president of sales and marketing, Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc. “PalmSecure addresses these challenges head on, providing customers with a proven biometric authentication solution for access security management that is highly accurate, easy to enroll and contactless. We are honored to be chosen by Vantage Data Centers to safeguard its assets, secure areas and facilities.”
The Fujitsu PalmSecure sensor uses a near-infrared light to capture a person’s palm vein pattern, generating a unique biometric template that is matched against pre-registered users’ palm vein patterns. This advanced, contactless biometric technology generates rapid and highly accurate authentication that is virtually impossible to forge, leaves no biometric trace behind following authentication, and is not affected by the presence of hand lotions, chemicals, abrasions, skin conditions or cold environment effects.
The deployment at Vantage’s Santa Clara campus is the result of a collaboration between Fujitsu and BioGuard Components and Technologies Ltd., which specializes in biometric systems design and manufacturing. BioGuard developed a physical access control solution that leverages the award-winning PalmSecure palm vein authentication technology. The joint solution delivers best-in-class identity management and physical access control that is highly secure, affordable and easy to install. The turn-key solution offers a complete, integrated package for customers who wish to upgrade their access control systems while utilizing existing infrastructure and resource investments.
“We worked closely with Fujitsu to optimize the PalmSecure authentication technology with our accelerator and middleware solutions,” said Shalom Shushan, president and CEO of BioGuard. “Our hardware and software development team created a new platform designed to ensure the functionality of the PalmSecure biometric technology and seamless integration into Vantage Data Centers’ campus. Not only is Vantage’s facility more secure, but also users are no longer required to carry smartcards, eliminating threats posed by stolen smartcards and reducing costs associated with smartcard replacement. The result is a win-win for Vantage and for our joint Fujitsu/BioGuard solution.”