Bio-Key International Inc., in Wall, said Thursday it will introduce a biometric identification platform for use with smart phones that can access secure data on company servers.

Randy Fodero, vice president of sales with Bio-Key, said the mobile phone feature is an add-on capability for its existing solutions for fingerprint access through laptops, tablets and desktop computers. The fingerprint-based technology requires a scanner built in or added to phones, laptops, tablet computers and desktops, and can effectively secure mobile access to sensitive information.

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User authentication on computer networks, he said, is growing more vital among financial institutions and other markets. Health care professionals using tablet computers to review patient records can confirm their access privileges with a finger swipe, he said.

Fodero said more hardware makers incorporate fingerprint readers in devices such as laptops and tablet computers. The new add-on solution works with the EXpo smart phone from LG Electronics, the first U.S. smart phone with a fingerprint reader.

Other devices, such as the HP Pavilion DM4 laptop, have scanners built-in, and fingerprint scanners also can be linked to computers via USB connections. “It really started with unlocking access for laptops,” Fodero said.

Though the current market for fingerprint biometrics through smart phones is small, he said he expects more device makers to include the scanners in future models. For now, tablet computers represent a healthy market for biometric security solutions.

“The grass is extremely green among tablet PCs, laptops,” he said.

E-mail João-Pierre Ruth at jpruth@njbiz.com

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