O’Hare Int’l Airport announces that it will use SecuGen technology to increase its security. The new access control system will use a smart card-based system for fingerprint verification. The system will be installed on more than 1,000 doors at O’Hare and Midway airports. The system is designed to allow authorized employees to enter restricted airport areas such as jet ramps, baggage handling and other secure rooms. John Becker, O’Hare’s assistant commissioner of information technology says, “We chose the solution presented by SecuGen to upgrade our building access-control system for two key reasons. First, SecuGen was able to integrate its technology and effectively provide a plug-and-play solution that was compatible with our existing security system which makes the upgrade easy to install with almost no down time. Second, their reader solution was affordable, costing just about what our current magstripe readers do.” The system will require that the airports’ 55,000 employees register their fingerprints using a SecuGen optical fingerprint sensor. Employees will insert their smart cards into SecuGen readers at doors. A prompt will instruct the employee to place his or her finger on an optical sensor at the door. Depending on whether or not the fingerprint matches the information in the smart card, the door will either grant or deny access. SecuGen is working with SecurCom Inc., a Chicago-based security company, and Biometric Solutions Group, one of SecuGen’s OEM partners, to implement installation of the security system.
