DigitalPersona Adds Fingerprint Authentication for Microsoft Windows Server 2003

U.are.U Pro for Active Directory is the Only End-to-End Fingerprint Authentication Solution to Fully Leverage Windows Server 2003

April 24, 2003

San Francisco, CA — DigitalPersona today announced that its U.are.U® Pro for Active Directory product fully supports Microsoft's new Windows Server 2003 family of servers, and that Microsoft and DigitalPersona are working together to secure and centralize user authentication via Microsoft Active Directory and Active Directory/Application Mode (AD/AM). DigitalPersona will be demonstrating U.are.U Pro with a customer in the Microsoft Partner Pavilion, booth 409, today during the Windows Server 2003 Global Launch at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

"We want to make Windows Server 2003 the most secure, reliable, and scalable platform for applications and network services, and Microsoft is committed to working with vendors whose products support that aim," said Michael Stephenson, Lead Product Manager, Windows Server Product Management Group, Microsoft Corp. "DigitalPersona's U.are.U Pro for Active Directory enables positive and secure user authentication. In addition, it centralizes access control across multiple enterprise directories into Microsoft Active Directory, where they can be managed using our powerful suite of administrative tools."

"U.are.U Pro helps Windows Server 2003 users create a trusted computing environment by conveniently authenticating any network and application user with the touch of a finger," said Fabio Righi, president and CEO of DigitalPersona. "We are proud of our strategic relationship with Microsoft, and believe that by working together we can accelerate the adoption of more practical and cost-effective security practices."

U.are.U Pro for Active Directory is fully integrated with Windows Server 2003 and Active Directory. It authenticates users based on a fingerprint template that is securely stored in Active Directory. Once authenticated, its One Touch Sign-on feature, serves as a gateway for fingerprint authentication to Windows and non-Windows applications across the enterprise. It does this without any changes to existing network, directory or application based password infrastructure.

In addition, U.are.U Pro for Active Directory supports Microsoft's new Active Directory/Application Mode (AD/AM), a product extension that allows integration into an Active Directory forest without requiring a global schema change. For example, if a company's legal or finance department wants to use DigitalPersona's fingerprint recognition systems to secure access to its department network, the group can install AD/AM to authenticate users within that department without changing the directory schema for the entire organization. This greatly simplifies the implementation of U.are.U Pro.

When used together, Windows Server 2003 and U.are.U Pro for Active Directory or AD/AM are the safest, easiest to use, and most cost-effective platform available to create a secure enterprise infrastructure.

About DigitalPersona

DigitalPersona, developer of the innovative U.are.U biometric security solutions, brings both heightened security and convenience to users. DigitalPersona has developed next generation fingerprint recognition hardware and software technology enabling market-ready solutions. With a user-friendly interface and the highest level of security for corporations, internet, and home, users can now safeguard their digital accounts and information. Based in Redwood City, CA, the company distributes their product through an extensive network of OEM, VAR, reseller, and retail channels and has attracted strategic partnerships with major computer and peripheral manufacturers. Third party developers are also selling the product into medical, legal, finance/banking, retail/pos and access control markets.

DigitalPersona's award-winning U.are.U biometric security solutions include the following: U.are.U Pro is designed for corporate networks and includes desktop and server software to allow companies to confirm employees' identities and protect access to sensitive information, while reducing the high costs associated with password management. U.are.U Online, the first authentication service provider for the internet, allows Internet businesses to provide their customers with more secure and convenient access to accounts and transactions by verifying a user's identity with their fingerprint. U.are.U has received many awards, including PC Magazine Editor's Choice, PC Week Best of Comdex and Network Computing Editor's Choice.