Accounting Best Practices, Fifth Edition

13–15. Scan Fingerprints at User Workstations

Security is always an issue in the accounting department, where the staff is constantly reviewing confidential materials. It is a real problem trying to keep unauthorized personnel from accessing accounting terminals, unless the entire department is to be locked up behind a fence.

A unique new approach to solving the security problem is to use a variety of input devices that scan one’s thumbprint or fingerprint and transmits the scan to a central file for verification. If the scanned image matches that of an on-file thumbprint, then the user is allowed access to the terminal.

A scanner mouse, called the EyeD Mouse™, is available from SecuGen Corporation (www.secugen.com). The same company also sells a keyboard, called the SecuGen KeyBoard™, that contains a scanner for fingerprints. Yet another option that it sells is the SecuGen Hamster™, which is a separate scanning device used by those who do not wish to replace their existing mice or keyboards.

There are a few downsides to this technology. First, some software reconfiguration will be necessary to ensure that selected databases are covered by this security feature. Second, prices are roughly double the amount that one would spend on mice or keyboards that do not contain these biometric security features.

Cost:

Installation time: