In logical access control situations, biometric authentication boils down to two main benefits for business. First, upgrading to a biometric sensor at workstations and ditching passwords means heightened security: no more employees writing their access key on scrap pieces of paper, using the actual word “password,” or finding inspiration in prominent desk ornaments for important security functions. Second, biometric logical access control brings efficiency to the workplace, cutting down administrative time spent resetting passwords.
Workers’ Credit Union is on the receiving end of both listed benefits now that it has implemented a DigitalPersona biometric solution in order to provide logical access control to online applications and websites. Today, DigitalPersona made the announcement that all of Workers’ Credit Union’s 240 employees (across 15 branches) are using the company’s DigitalPersona Pro with U.are.U fingerprint readers to authenticate.
Dave Thibodeau, vice president of information technology at Workers’ Credit Union comments, “With DigitalPersona’s solution, we have improved our workflow and our customer service, as we now have more time to focus on serving our members rather than remembering and inputting lengthy passwords. It has also enhanced our security since the solution provides an audit trail that tells us who accesses what information.”
Prior to making the biometric decision, WCU looked for alternatives, considering a software solution that would authenticate password resets. The same issue came up, with too much employee and administrative friction looming in that direction, promising to keep workers from their actual jobs.
With fingerprint biometric sign-on in place, employees simply touch a fingerprint reader and are given access, while administrators can rest assured that a high level of security is being observed. Fingerprints can’t be shared, lost or misplaced and don’t need to be changed every few weeks.
The deployment seems to have been a very positive experience. After reporting increased efficiency – two to three percent of employee time has been recovered due to the elimination of passwords – Workers’ Credit Union is now considering biometrics for physical access control for its facilities.
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June 24, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
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