Whilst languishing at $1.00, and salivating what could be a la BII CRY etc. I came across the following article from news at Computing Canada.
We need some good PR to get up a head of steam.
plesman.com
Biometrics makes headway in channel
By Shane Schick, Computer Dealer News
Biometric technology is set to make greater headway in the reseller channel
this year, but some vendors say it may take time before small and
medium-sized VARs get access to products.
During the last year, biometrics — technology which uses unique physical
characteristics — has gained more attention in security-related markets as a
tool of choice in some applications. Relying on human traits instead of
arbitrary passwords, biometrics promises a safer, more reliable means of
granting access to data and sharing files. The technology was among the
strongest themes at last year's Comdex Fall 98 in November, where
products from Key Tronic, Biopassword and big-name vendors like
Mitsubishi were launched or showcased. The range of offerings have
included devices or software which recognize fingerprints, faces, keystroke
patterns or the iris of a human eye.
With the technology in place, the stage is set for more action in the reseller
channel, but it may be too early for vendors to release their wares until they
have captured a significant customer base.
That's the current strategy for Toronto-based Mytec Technologies Inc.,
which markets the Gateway fingerprint verification access reader. To date,
Mytec has signed at least one major agreement with Cansec Systems Ltd., a
designer, manufacturer and distributor in Mississauga, Ont.
"In the early stages, you really have to go and get those first pilot accounts,
and that's largely the stage we're in right now," sales the Chris Bishop,
Mytec's director of partner development, adding that Mytec has an in-house
sales division dedicated to luring customers in major banks, government and
telecommunications sectors. Mytec is currently looking for systems
integrators that have a security focus to their practice as well as distributor
arrangements to hit specific vertical markets. "There's probably only a
handful in Canada who focus in that area, but we're talking to them all, we
believe."
Resellers who don't specialize in biometrics may gain better access to
products from vendor partners also entering the market for the first time.
Key Tronic Corp., for example, began enhancing its line of keyboards with
products like its Secure Finger Scanner solution about a year ago, and
Mississauga, Ont.-based Simple Technology has become the distribution
source to its base of resellers. Dan Reio, Simple Technology's director of
marketing, said both vendors and the channel were only just beginning to
grasp what biometrics was capable of achieving. Some of Key Tronic's first
biometric keyboards, he says, were a little ahead of their time. "That's why it
didn't necessarily go off like gangbusters, and it was very expensive at the
time too," he says. "The technology has come in line much more in the last
year and now it's much more reasonably priced."
Channel opportunities may also grow as biometrics dovetails with other
technologies, like smart cards, which are still struggling to gain mainstream
market penetration. That's clearly the plan behind a partnership between
Ottawa-based Entrust Technologies to integrate its public-key infrastructure
with Schlumberger's smart cards and American Biometric Company's
(ABC's) BioMouse Plus smart card reader. So far, the only channel player
to benefit from the Entrust Alliance is Cable and Wireless Omnes, a systems
integrator in which Schlumberger owns a 50 per cent interest.
LOL
Ian A |
