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Securing Nelson Mandela Bay

iPulse technology features in FIFA World Cup success story.

Aurecon was responsible for the design, implementation, training, staffing, operation and maintenance of the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Transport Operations Centre (TOC), a solution that allowed the NMB host city to efficiently and successfully resolve public service requests from members of the public during what is hailed as the largest event on the international sporting calendar. Inclusive of a 24 hour, seven-day-a-week call centre, CCTV feeds and kiosks, the TOC was equipped to deal with all matters relating to public transport operations during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As with any operation of this magnitude, access control plays a major role in the security and the general effectiveness of the system. Careful consideration and research led to the decision to go with biometrics as a means of secure user management.

With over 400 volunteers in the field, Aurecon needed something that was fast and reliable, that would seamlessly integrate with the systems already implemented.

iPulse Systems supplied Aurecon with the required biometric devices, manufactured by Digital Persona. To ensure optimal performance on their access control and user management system, DP USB biometric keyboards were placed at workstations in the TOC, while the smaller, portable DP4500 HD reader was used where mobility was a necessity.

Aurecon made use of Microsoft technologies on the software side – Microsoft Unified Communications Services and Microsoft Sharepoint 2010. Digital Persona Pro Workstation was installed and integrated into its existing Active Directory system, negating the need for passwords or any logon detail other than a fingerprint.

Results of the implementation

* Convenience – users are no longer required to remember passwords in order to access their workstations, log in to their software or even websites.

* Secure – passwords can no longer be shared between employees, making it that much more difficult for fraudulent actions to take place.

* Cost savings – users are no longer required to remember passwords, there are less calls going to the IT department to recover them, meaning that technicians can spend their time on important issues rather than wasting time turning off the caps lock key.

So why biometrics?

* Single sign-on (SSO) allows you to log in once and gain access to all related systems, without being prompted to log into each of them. Automatically log in to websites, applications, all with one sign-on.

* A fingerprint is one of the strongest passwords you can have.

* Secure communications between client and servers ensure that the verification and authorisation is accurate and concise.

* With transactions linked to a person’s biometric data, the person can be held liable for his actions leaving you secure in the knowledge that there is no case of mistaken identity.

* Convenient, fast and no forgotten passwords ever again.

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