Symtron in the News
Richard Dobson,
Taipei Times
|
Companies target need for
security |
The vulnerability of electronic
data made evident by the attacks against the
World Trade Center in New York last September is
providing opportunities for local
information-technology companies specializing in
information security systems.
At Computex Taipei, a host
of home-grown IT companies are promoting
products that provide back-up storage systems
for data in the event of catastrophic damage to
mainframes.
Log-on and casing systems
designed to protect corporate data from theft
and damage are also being featured at the trade
fair, which will run until Friday at the Taipei
World Trade Center.
Anextek Global Inc (
新科
), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Acer group (
宏電集團
), is promoting its new Z-Box Online Data
Replicator, which backs up corporate data on a
disk linked via a local area network (LAN) to an
intranet system.
Since the Z-Box is not attached
to a server, if the server goes down data
remains accessible.
The Z-Box also replicates data
and can send it via the Internet to a data
center where information is secured in the event
data is destroyed.
According to Stuart Schuman,
international marketing manager for Anextek,
"Everyone became more interested in
securing their data after 911."
The threat of data loss has also
been apparent in Taiwan where a building fire
last year in Hsichih's high-tech district
destroyed the offices of several high-tech
companies.
Bolstering security measures for
corporate data and highly sensitive areas such
as airports is also being addressed.
Taiwan-based Symtron Technology
Inc's (
星創科技
) FaceOn Logon software, for example, was
awarded the "Best choice at Computex Taipei
2002." Symtron's digital-camera system can
scan 200 facial features for recognizing staff
members.
"National security agencies,
public agencies, airports and the corporate
world may find this added security measure
useful," Symtron Vice President Vera Hsu
said.
Taiwan-based Mitac International
Corp (
神達電腦
) has already adopted the system, and
Houston-based Compaq Computer Corp has bundled
the software with various products, she said.
One of the big attractions is the
affordability of the product. The system can be
installed on a laptop for around US$100, and
requires only a small digital camera to
function, Hsu said.
Crete Systems Inc (
茂訊電腦
) is sporting super-tough portable computers for
military and emergency-service use at the show.
The company's Rocky II Unlimited is seeing
strong demand, sales manager Jimmy Lan (
藍弘民
) said.
The "war on terror"
being carried out by the US military and its
allies may bring a 15 percent growth in sales
for the company over last year, Lan said.
Totally water and dust proof and
housed in a magnesium case, the Rocky II can
operate in a temperature range between -10?C and
50?C.
The company's main customers are
the US, German, Belgium, Australian and Taiwan
military and research groups, he said.
|