Cansec announces new Zodiac Fingerprint Reader featuring SecuGen technology

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (March 21, 2001) - "After many years of experimenting with various biometric technologies, the access control market place is finally ready to accept the fingerprint as the preferred means of user authentication." Fred Dawber, President of Cansec, further attributes the acceptance of fingerprint technology to the recent development of low cost optical sensors, specifically those manufactured by SecuGen Corporation. "While solid state sensors have an advantage in size over optical sensors, they simply do not have the durability to be used in access control applications," Dawber says.

Cansec has been involved in the design and distribution of fingerprint readers for almost three years. The new SecuGen®-based Zodiac Fingerprint Reader by Cansec represents a true second generation product and benefits from the extensive field experience gained with hundreds of installed first generation units. "There is just no substitute for experience and there is only one way to get it - and we have the scars to prove we have it!" says Dawber.

Cansec, an industry leader in the access control market, has been actively investigating the biometrics market for almost 10 years now. However, it is only recently that the right combination of features and capabilities has been available to make this technology viable for access control. These key features include:

1. A low cost and highly durable optical sensor (developed by SecuGen)
2. A small, low cost credential capable of storing a user's encrypted fingerprint template (developed by Dallas Semiconductor)

The importance of the first feature is obvious. The importance of the second feature is much less clear. To gain access to a fingerprint reader, the user first presents a credential, a Dallas Semiconductor iButton®, a miniature stainless steel disk containing a memory chip. The reader extracts the user's ID number and fingerprint template from the iButton (in under second) and then prompts the user to place the enrolled finger on the scanner. The reader then compares the scanned fingerprint to the encrypted template in the iButton (another ½ second). If they match, the user's ID information can be transmitted in Wiegand format to virtually any access control system manufactured.

There are three major advantages to having each user carry their own template with them:

"The marriage of SecuGen's optical sensor with the Dallas Semiconductor iButton makes a fingerprint access control reader a practical reality for the first time," says Dawber.

The new Zodiac Fingerprint Reader is smaller (3" wide, 4" high and 1"deep), faster and significantly less expensive than its predecessors. Its unique design allows it to easily replace almost any Wiegand compatible reader in only a matter of minutes and with no change whatsoever to the access control system to which it is connected. "It makse retrofitting biometrics to an existing access system a piece of cake," says Dawber.

About SecuGen Corporation A pioneer of the biometric industry, SecuGen Corporation designs, manufactures and markets its award-winning optical fingerprint recognition technology worldwide. SecuGen's products have been integrated into a broad range of applications including Internet, network and desktop security, physical access control and other electronic products. As a trusted source for reliable hardware and software products, SecuGen is committed to ongoing research and development in biometrics technology.

About Cansec Systems Ltd. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Cansec is a privately owned Canadian corporation specializing in the design and manufacture of Access Control and Monitoring Systems for the Integrated Security Systems market. Cansec's highly qualified and motivated development staff allows new products to move very quickly from concept to production. For more information contact: Fred Dawber, President, Cansec. Phone (905) 820-2404 ext 225.