CAMPBELL, CALIF. - January 7, 2002 - IR Recognition Systems, the biometric component of Ingersoll-Rand's (IR) Security & Safety Group's Electronic Access Control Division (EACD), today announced that its HandKey II reader is providing access to a unique private library and museum at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center that is so secure it is only accessible to a group of 12 people. The HandKey II biometric reader positively authenticates the doctors, support staff and museum manager by the shapes and sizes of their hands, not their keys, cards or codes.
"It was imperative that access be secured because of the value of our library and the museum's contents," explains Ben Scaglione, director of security at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, which along with Columbia Presbyterian, makes up New York Presbyterian Hospital, one of the most comprehensive university hospitals in the world. "People come from all over the world to review and look at the books and artifacts located here.
"We were introduced to the HandKey II by our sister organization," Scaglione reports. "They're using approximately 100 IR Recognition Systems HandPunch units for time and attendance and, from them, we learned that hand geometry is effective for both large and small applications."
According to Scaglione, New York Weill Cornell has a magnetic stripe system for the rest of the facility. Magnetic stripe is used on the perimeter and in high-risk areas such as pharmacies, the ER and some offices. Nurseries are also accessed via card swipes. However, the museum presented a special problem, needing something extremely reliable and foolproof. That lead to implementing the HandKey II, which is placed outside the doors of the museum on the 12th floor of the complex' main building.
Instead of verifying a card or code, the HandKey reader verifies the person who is at the entrance. The exclusive users simply enter their unique ID numbers on the HandKey's keypad and present their hands to gain entry.
"The users love it," Scaglione affirms. "The HandKey has had an excellent acceptance. Only having to remember the PIN and presenting their hand is easy, reliable, fast and effective. We look forward to expanding our use of hand geometry into other areas. A high priority for us is securing our utilities with this biometric. We will fund it with a FEMA grant slated for security improvements made available as a result of 9-11."
About IR Recognition Systems
With over 70,000 hand geometry units throughout the world reading millions of
hands each day, IR Recognition Systems, founded in 1986, is the pioneer of hand
recognition technology used in access control, time and attendance and identification
applications. The company is the world sales leader of biometric verification
devices and serves an international clientele from its headquarters in Campbell,
Calif. The hand geometry website is www.handreader.com. Phone is 408-341-4100.
Recognition Systems is the biometric component of Ingersoll-Rand Corporation's
Security & Safety Group's Electronic Access Control Division. The Ingersoll-Rand
website is www.irco.com.
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