Fingerprint Security System Is Phased In
Glendale officials are hoping a $95 device the size of a pack of cigarettes will make the lives of city employees a lot easier.
The gadget, which reads fingerprints, is being installed on some of the city’s computer terminals and eventually will be put on all 1,300 city terminals.
It replaces the multiple passwords employees have needed to use in getting through the computers’ security system.
Instead of typing in three passwords--each of which gets changed every 90 days--employees can press a thumb to the print reader and get right to work.
“They claim that up to 45% of a modern-day help desk’s work is helping people with passwords,” said Scott Harmon, information services administrator for the city.
Passwords, because they take time and are easy to forget, have been an obstacle to security in some cases.
City employees are supposed to electronically lock their terminals when they leave their desks, but the policy is rarely followed because the password system annoys them, Harmon said.
It’s far easier with the fingerprint system, because locking and unlocking the computer requires little effort, he said.
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