Fingerprint biometrics gives hospitals more security choices

WESTFORD, Mass.—Users of Software House's C-Cure 9000, the security and event management system popular at hospitals, can now add another layer of security with the addition of Suprema fingerprint readers.

Software House, part of Tyco's Security Products, and Entertech Systems, the U.S. operating partner of Suprema, announced a new partnership Dec. 4. The biometric readers, which Software House now sells and supports, integrate with C-Cure 9000, which is in place at numerous major U.S. hospitals.

While the partnership is in its early days, the companies already have plans for expansion. Rob Douglas, Entertech CEO, said the companies would like to add facial recognition technology to their joint offerings in the not-too-distant future.

“In many applications, in particular in health care, not having to touch something to verify who I am is valuable,” Douglas told Security Systems News.

The scalable C-Cure system offers access control, alarm management and video management over multiple servers, said Rick Focke, Software House senior product manager, who noted that biometrics is a rapidly growing field in security.

With the addition of Suprema fingerprint readers, he said, users can choose to deploy any or all three layers of security: cards, PINs and fingerprints.

“You can have a card and a fingerprint, any different mix, based on the level of security needed,” he told SSN. “In some cases, it's the fingerprint only. It's a new level of convenience.”

Cards can be lost or stolen, and thieves can acquire PIN numbers, Focke said. Using a biometric that can't be transferred adds another layer of security and safety to the system.

“Security is now something you have, something you know and something you are,” said Douglas. “Being able to verify real people is something we are all seeking.”

Biometrics is more convenient for users who would no longer need to carry cards and remember PINs, Douglas said. And, it reflects the speed at which society is moving, he said.

Integrating the two systems provides a win for end users and integrators, company officials say, with both providing support for the products, while giving integrators a one-stop-shopping experience.