Since September 11, security has been one of the hottest topics in America. Many companies are capitalizing on the new trend towards increased security that has manifested itself in various forms. Working for the Federal Government, I am especially privy to the constant security protocol changes and updates. Though I personally do not work with top secret clearance information, there is a lot of personal and private information that I handle based on various bidders on my properties. One new piece of hardware that I found particularly interesting is the new RingCube and MXI Hardware Encrypted Stealth Biometric USB Drive.
RingCube Technologies and MXI Hardware are two established software companies that are leaders in technological security. RingCube is best known for their MojoPac secure platform which allows users to securely access their personal profile (docs/settings) from any computer in the world by signing into their Client Portal. MXI Security is a software company that specializes in user authentication, digital identity and data encryption. These two security companies have combined with a biometric component to develop a new highly secure USB drive, which allows a user to carry their PC with them anywhere.
The Biometric USB drive is a mobile virtual desktop that allow users to securely carry their computer (identity, all applications - personal profile) with them and plug it into any computer and access anywhere in the world. The USB drive plug-in works to pull a user's unique profile information from their computer both on and offline. This is a tremendous convenience for workers who travel a lot (myself being one of them) and have to constantly carry their laptops from location to location - (a huge pain if you have to go through airport security.)
These drivers are fairy user friendly, as they resemble a flash drive. A user's workspace settings etc. is securely loaded on the drive, the user plugs in the USB portable device into a computer, swipes their finger across the biometric reader and is automatically logged into their Mojopace workspace. Once they are logged in, all applications and settings that are saved on their computers are accessible. The intention is to have secure yet seamless accessibility of all your applications.
Since someone at the Veteran's Administration lost a laptop with valuable information a few years ago, the Feds have been heightening security protocols and requirements for each Federal Employee with a computer. We are moving towards biometric platforms because the amount of user names and passwords we each have is onerous. (I am personally up to 12 with the requirement to change my password every three months.) To access our building and computers we use our smart/card biometric chips. My agency is one of the leaders in utilizing non-defense technology for the government, and it will be interesting to see if we start to integrate this type of hardware in the near future.
0 comments:
Post a Comment