Fujitsu and Microsoft have recently partnered up to integrate a palm vein authentication scanner into their Windows 10 computers. Fujitsu has been working on this kind of biometric security for more than a decade, but it wasn’t until they decided to partner with Microsoft that they chose to release the palm scanning as another measure of security to their Windows fans.
The integration takes advantage of Fujitsu’s PalmSecure systems, which involve scanners either built into a laptop or attached via USB. To log in, all it takes is for users to hover their hands just above the sensor which scans for their unique vein pattern under the skin, and they’re straight into Windows, no password required.
It’s a unique authentication technique that could be harder to duplicate because a map of palm veins would be harder to copy than something like a fingerprint or photo of one’s face. Fujitsu is also talking up PalmSecure as a more hygienic system for authentication, as well as it being extremely fast and reliable.
Fujitsu also recently announced that it would replace passwords and smart cards with PalmSecure for about 80,000 employees in Japan this year, allowing them to access their virtual desktops and office buildings with a wave of their hand.
Global companies including Banco Bradesco and Lotte Card are already using PalmSecure, as well as a number of other companies who are exploring similar biometric authentication techniques for employees, suggesting that this could be the next big step in enterprise security. “There are many reasons for companies to modernize their technology and embrace the remote workstyle.
Here are my top 3: long-term cost savings, increased employee productivity, and a competitive recruiting edge,” Christian Bock, Fujitsu’s global marketing director wrote in apost. “More than just enabling remote access, technology modernization includes providing the most secure environment to protect your employees, company, and customers.”