On the Electronic Dotted Line…

Perhaps the most natural action when using a pen computer is signing one’s name. Anecdotal evidence confirms this as most people attempt to scribble their signature when first confronted with a stylus-based device. This seemingly simple act will take on even greater significance as pen-based devices are deployed into the mainstream work environment.

Increased deployment brings the risk—and likelihood—of loss due to theft or other reasons. Therefore, maintaining the security of data and applications, under all circumstances is critical.

The most common method in use today is the password. However, passwords are fraught with problems ranging from others from overseeing entry, to forcing people to remember often unwieldy strings of characters that must, by nature, be changed frequently.

Handwritten signatures, on the other hand, offers a more friendly user model. People find signing their name intuitive and natural, especially as a means of extending access or security privileges to sensitive data. Also, using signatures, people needn’t shield their input from prying eyes, constantly change passwords, or remember anything more than their name!

The mechanism for capturing ink is trivial, however, the more tricky issue of signature capture and verification from the standpoints of privacy, security, and legality is another matter. If pen computers are to take their place alongside paper in the workplace, these issues must be thoroughly addressed.

Based on the systems we’ve seen thus far, the most complete solution for signature verification is a product called PenOp from United Kingdom-based Peripheral Vision Limited. PenOp consists of four products, each designed to address complementary aspects of the signing process. These products are: PenOp/Server, PenOp/MAS, PenOp/Admin, and PenOp/SDK.

PenOp/Server and PenOp/MAS

The PenOp/Server is the underlying component of the system and maintains the signature templates and the database for signature identification. Peripheral Vision has implemented the PenOp/Server as dynamic link libraries (DLL) on a range of platforms including Microsoft Windows 3.1, IBM OS/2 2.1, and the Intel and Hobbit versions of PenPoint.

This architecture enables multiple client applications to use the DLL features to capture, verify, and manage signatures independent of the environment. This also makes the task of developing and supporting custom applications across multiple platforms a more reasonable task.

As an example of an effective signature verification scheme, Peripheral Vision offers the Machine Access Security (MAS) application. PenOp/MAS requires the user to sign in during machine power-up and, during configuration, provides the flexibility to tune this process to suit most work environments.

For example, you can grant multiple users access to a single pen computer, each with individual privilege settings. This enables people who function in a worker/supervisor relationship to be granted different rights on the same device. Likewise, you can configure the number of incorrect sign-in attempts and define the resulting behavior.

PenOp Admin

In situations that involve the deployment of several machines, Peripheral Vision offers a centralized, host-based program to manage both the computers and the users. PenOp/Admin enables a designated administrator to create and assign a user security configuration—along with pre-stored signatures—and automatically update these definitions on a pen computer through a simple connection.

PenOp/Admin simplifies and enhances security administration by enabling new machines to be quickly initialized, in addition to providing support for audit trails and reports from machines already in service.

PenOp/SDK

Perhaps the most useful product offering is the PenOp/SDK which enables application developers using environments ranging from C, to C++ and Visual Basic, to leverage the signature features of the PenOp/Server. This enables developers to include advanced security features in either commercial or custom applications.

Using these new class of applications, business people currently bound to traditional paper-based systems that require signatures, may faithfully migrate to pen computers, leveraging all the computational advantages while maintaining security.

Peripheral Vision Limited
West Hill House, West End,
Frome, Somerset, United Kingdom
(0373) 452755
(0373) 452744 (fax)
(800) 286-4137 (United States)