ABS Announces the First Multi-Biometric Access Control Software.

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 2003

AccessPoint Integrates Multiple Biometric Technologies into a Single Product Framework for Physical Security Deployments

Advanced Biometric Security (ABS), a provider of enterprise biometric security software, today launched AccessPoint(TM), the first open, multi-biometric physical access control solution that can integrate any combination of biometric technologies (face, hand, iris, finger, voice, as well as smart cards, PIN and card systems) with any organization's existing IT and physical access control environment. As a result, ABS' AccessPoint easily extends and improves existing access control systems with higher, layered adaptive security. This vendor-neutral, technology-independent, flexible solution to physical access control has an excellent value proposition.

What Customers and Partners Are Saying about ABS

Colonial wanted to expand the protection of its existing security system by adding multiple biometrics. By installing ABS products into a mission critical Colonial Pipeline facility, ABS improved security 24/7 with a lower risk, more flexible and lower cost solution compared to any other option. ABS got everything working together in only six hours and without the existing system provider or Colonial having to write a single line of code. The integrated security system was installed, trained and fully operational in two days. "The installation went flawlessly. The service and customer support-A+," said Randy Stansberry, Operations Leader of Colonial Pipeline.

"As a world class integrator of highly complex, multi-disciplinary systems for the Federal government, it's important for Northrop Grumman to select partners that can assimilate and manage disparate, non-standard technologies, and proprietary approaches," said Bob Gearhart, Director of Integrated Security Solutions for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. "ABS' AccessPoint provides true integration of multiple biometric technologies with an effective, standard interface. A single point of responsibility, AccessPoint addresses the technical, security and business approaches to multi-biometric access control. This has enabled us to demonstrate biometric integration to our customers, thus avoiding the challenges presented by having to work with multiple biometrics vendors."

"ABS has partnered with AMAG Technology to produce a sophisticated biometric security solution for a mission critical infrastructure giant. I was pleased by how well the ABS middleware integrated with our AMAG security system," said Bob Sawyer, President and CEO of AMAG/Group 4. "AccessPoint offers tremendous value as a flexible, modular middleware that combines easily with any existing system and offers a single point of responsibility."

"AccessPoint is uniquely suited to provide enterprise biometric access control solutions that strengthen a business' or government's ability to secure facilities, equipment and personnel," said Phil Hamilton, Vice President, Curtiss-Wright Security Solutions. "The strength of AccessPoint to quickly handle proprietary APIs and architectures greatly reduces engineering and implementation costs with lower risk. By easily combining with any existing system as the single point of responsibility for biometric integration, ABS brings the most appropriate biometric technology together within one powerful framework and tailors the solution to match the specific customer access control need."

ABS' Value Proposition

As the threat level at commercial and military organizations in the US heightens, so does the need for security measures, and therefore the number of people, that must guard facility entry points. As a result, the need for biometric solutions that can operate in real world situations, and do so at a low cost and on an enterprise scale, has never been more critical. Today's Enterprise Physical Access Control market using biometrics is a small but growing piece of the market. The individual biometrics companies have not demonstrated a clear value proposition and acceptable performance in the field.

Clearly, combining biometrics is the answer. To meet these security needs, ABS' AccessPoint completely integrates with any existing security infrastructure and uses an open, modular architecture for multiple biometrics. Going beyond middleware, AccessPoint provides customers a fast, flexible, low cost installation path to layered security.

Automatic biometrics offers the accuracy that eliminates loss of security through human distraction or reduced effectiveness. In one Air Force base, a typical installation will leave three gates open during a high threat condition, such as Charlie or Delta, forcing additional manpower costs of $225,000 per month. Biometric authentication reduces the manpower for an installation by up to nine personnel, or $37,500 per month. Biometrics offers the unique capability of matching visitors to known terrorist, local law enforcement and federal watch list databases. Additionally, biometrics never get tired or cause costly and inconvenient delays due to human efficiency.

The ABS Enterprise Biometric Framework(TM)

AccessPoint was developed using the Microsoft .Net Framework, Web services and COM that form the building blocks for ABS' Enterprise Biometric Framework (EBF). The EBF is an extensible, component-based platform that provides enterprise biometric connectivity and integrates with an organization's IT system--physical access control, information access control, surveillance, data mining and screening technologies. This functionality would normally require a series of disparate, complicated application program interfaces (APIs). The EBF can also record data from intruders and update worldwide law enforcement databases over secure Internet connections in real-time.

"Pressures to save money in identity administration and management while providing increased security also have the biometrics market to consider, i.e. how it can be part of a 'multi-function' solution in enterprises," said Earl Perkins, senior program director at META Group, Inc. "If biometrics is indeed a viable authentication enhancement mechanism, its introduction could be an enabler that avoids introducing excessive overhead support costs. Combining physical access and applications access needs could be one method. This level of integration is still in very early stages, as is widespread, pragmatic biometrics use."

Pricing and Availability

AccessPoint is currently available through ABS and value-added resellers and can be installed on Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional platforms. AccessPoint is compatible with most security products. Pricing begins at $11,000 for a single biometric. This includes all necessary hardware and software for a complete biometric enterprise physical Access Control solution.

About Advanced Biometric Security

Advanced Biometric Security (ABS) is an enterprise biometric software company that provides a vendor-independent platform for multi-biometric identity management and access control. The company's industry-leading Enterprise Biometric Framework(TM) (EBF) technology integrates multiple biometric technologies to enhance the security needs of government and commercial organizations. Working in partnership with world-class security and technology integrators, ABS' technology enables biometric software systems to adapt to a wide range of security requirements and scale to meet the demands of the enterprise. Partners and customers include: AMAG Technology/Group 4, Northrop Grumman, TRW, Curtiss-Wright, Colonial Pipeline, Ocean Systems Engineering Center (OSEC) and Georal among others. ABS is owned by Mallory Ventures, Inc., which provides ABS with more than 40 years of experience and substantial technological resources. For more information on Mallory Ventures, please visit http://www.malloryventures.com. For more information about ABS, please visit www.advancedbiometric.com.

Enterprise Biometric Framework and AccessPoint are trademarks of Advanced Biometric Security.

AccessPoint Features

Due to AccessPoint's configuration flexibility and layered approach, organizations can deploy the solution with any existing system in a variety of enterprise-wide environments including: stand-alone with single/multiple biometric processing or layered biometrics at different entry ways. AccessPoint uses an open architecture, modular design for multiple biometrics, providing customers a fast, low-cost implementation and installation path to higher, layered security.

AccessPoint Features/Benefits include:

-- Single or Dual Entry Access - Deployments supported include single or simultaneous dual entry access dependent on the level of security access required.

-- Multi-Biometric - Multiple biometrics at a single entry way for flexible "And" / "Or" type processing between any combination of biometrics.

-- Unified Biometric Templates - All biometric templates are securely stored in a common database, protecting the templates from unauthorized access.

-- Single Enrollment - Users enroll using the ABS unified enrollment application which stores demographic data, access rights and multi-biometric templates.

-- Logging and Audit Tracking - Event driven, all activities are captured and can be reviewed using audit tracking tools provided.

-- Centralized Administration - Managing the system can be accomplished through a centralized administration function, allowing system administration to be controlled in a single location across the enterprise.

-- Application Integration - Developed using EBF's open architecture, AccessPoint can easily integrate to other systems using a variety of industry standard protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, XML, and SOAP.

The Enterprise Biometric Framework(TM) (EBF)

The EBF's enterprise components include common biometric connectors (CBCs), biometric data management, secure communication, central administration, Web Services, event processing/notification, and system and data security. CBCs, which are core to the EBF, facilitate rapid, enterprise-level integration of any biometric into existing security architectures. Web Services provide an enterprise application integration (EAI) and distributed communications vehicle for the EBF. Web Services facilitate integration between the EBF and access control systems, command and control systems, law enforcement systems, enterprise applications, and more.

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