Security technology group, Giesecke+Devrient, and connected worker technology specialist, Nymi, have developed a wristband-based biometric system that gives organisations and their staff ‘convenient and secure access to their entire workplace'.
The two businesses say that this ‘human-centric approach’ allows people to go ‘passwordless’, ‘contactless’, and hands-free at work. The new ‘enterprise access paradigm’ is said to be secure and simple to use by following a Privacy by Design and Zero Trust security framework. Employees wear their Nymi Band – a wristband activated by fingerprint and heartbeat – to authenticate to the Nymi Connected Worker Platform. G+D said: “Unlike conventional systems, the fingerprint is not compared to a centrally stored image for authentication, but to an abstract mathematical template stored directly in the band’s internal chip. Employees have control over their own biometric data at all times, in contrast to systems with centralised fingerprints, face, or iris recognition that use reference images.”
Interoperability with the company’s infrastructure is ensured on the Nymi Connected Worker Platform via components from G+D. The Personal Identity Verification (PIV) applet developed by G+D provides a Secure Element (SE) as the fundamental component of the solution. For example, adding a Legic applet enables contactless access to authorised devices, networks, and other resources. Through the Nymi Connected Worker Platform, employees are securely and instantly connected to their entire workplace, across digital and physical environments, and networks – all without the need for passwords that are neither always secure nor convenient.
Nymi CEO, Chris Sullivan, said: “We experience the vulnerabilities of organisations built on password-enabled perimeters every day, in both the public and private sectors. That's why the collective shift to passwordless systems is inevitable. Biometrics are the strongest security protocol available to us. However, it’s clear that the loss of biometric identifiers would have far more serious consequences than the loss of a password, and therefore the integrity of biometric solutions is a top priority for organisations in all industries.”
“Security management of sensitive company areas takes up a lot of time, financial, and human resources every year,” emphasised Dr Ferdinand Burianek, head of the Public Sector, Transit, and Enterprise Security business of G+D. “The use of biometric data saved on a Secure Element can open up completely new possibilities here. Our solution ensures also a combination of great user experience and high security."
To see the system in action, click on the following videolink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O47R7FHf9-g