It Keeps Getting Smaller
As many of you know I have been in the IT realm of life for some 15+ years now, including my experience with Biometrics. I first started in IT back in my MBA days, when everybody questioned the fate of Apple in general. My first heavy exposure with computers came with the Mac Classics, and the LCIII line of computers. These computers were rather huge towers, and having 16 mgs of RAM was the big thing. We all “oohed” and “awed” about it back then. And, my first true exposure to the desktop were the IBM 386’s. Yes, I kid you not. But over time, in the last 15 years, we have seen computers keep getting smaller, and smaller, perhaps to the point one day it will be so microscopic it will fit into our own biological selves.
From gigantic desktops we have seen them shrink to laptops which can fit into our briefcase, and now, even can even fit into the size of our hands. As a result with this miniaturization in technology, comes the need for increased Security. After all, if we dropped or lost or Netbook somewhere, it could be very easily stolen, given how small the size of it is. The natural choice for Security of this has been the traditional password, but given the recent trend of how people are frustrated with it, even using this is a very weak line of defense. So, the other alternative has been Biometrics, especially Fingerprint Recognition. Just in the last of couple of years, we have seen an explosion with this, and nowadays, it is very common standard to see a small fingerprint sensor attached near the mouse track. And so today, a Security Vendor known as “DAP Technologies” has just announced a new type of OS and the choice of Biometrics to protect their handheld computer.
Here are the details of this: “DAP Technologies' M2000, a pocket-sized rugged handheld that scans barcodes, is now available with the Microsoft Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 operating system and a new add-on rugged biometrics module with fingerprint and credential-reading capabilities.Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 is designed specifically for enterprise handheld computers, which provide real-time data to field service, warehouse, logistics and other mobile workers in order to secure business-critical data, improve customer responsiveness and boost operational efficiencies.
The new biometrics module allows the M2000 to be used in security applications and includes:
*A three-track magnetic stripe reader capable of reading any mag stripe credential including drivers licenses and credit cards
*A FIPS 201-certified fingerprint reader module
*A machine readable zone (MRZ) reader for reading passports and other travel documents”
(SOURCE: http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/9174/).
Upon first glance from the above quote, one may question what was the point of even mentioning all of this??? Yea, everybody computer you seen now is pretty much a handheld, so what is so special about the above??? Well, to be honest, there is not too much special.
But I wanted to bring out this Posting as to just how small the world of IT, and the Security measures to protect them, are getting smaller. I have written about this before on many a time, but I thought I would illustrate my hypothesis with an actual example. So, the question now remains, just how small is small going to get??? Remember the days of Star Trek, the Next Generation, and the those small creatures called the nanonytes???
Maybe all this stuff could just get that small, which while is a good thing, is also kind of scary in way. Only time will tell.
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