Biometry combined with a smartcard -
Passwords are still the decisive key when dealing with access authorization, encryption, and digital signing. But people sometimes forget their passwords, in which case there is the time-consuming process of re-issuing them. According to independent estimates, 25 - 50% of all hotline calls are about problems with forgotten passwords.
Fingerprints offer an absolutely ideal solution to the problem: they are inseparable from the user, can be read in with minimal effort and, in conjunction with the right scanning technology, provide high-level security.
Each fingerprint is unique and will verify a user’s identity with extremely high probability. So the use of fingerprints precludes digital signing or the reading of encrypted documents by third parties who are only in possession of a (possibly stolen) smartcard. Stored on a smartcard, a fingerprint will not only permit convenient and secure access to systems; together with other applications from Siemens and other manufacturers, it covers virtually all aspects of IT security. Digital signing, encryption, Single Sign On, and much else besides are made possible by it – based on a single smartcard activated by the legal owner’s fingerprint. | 
