Other players in the biometric management companies

Several other biometrics management products, not included in our review, are worth mentioning.

Bionetrix

One major product that we were not able to include is BMX Systems' Bionetrix Identity Management Suite. In addition to supporting Windows networks, BIMS also supports log on in Web and terminal-emulated environments, and the system does support single sign on. For more information, visit www.bionetrix.com.

DaonEngine

Daon, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland but with a new office in the Washington, D.C., area, is a relative newcomer in this space with its DaonEngine. We learned of this product too late to include it in our review. According to a Daon representative, the company differentiates itself by its scalability, focusing on installations with millions of users such as border control and immigration, citizen ID systems and employee credentialing. The company does not currently have any government deployments but officials say they are working with federal agencies it can't identify. For product details, visit www.daon.com.

I/O Software

Another product in this space is I/O Software Inc.'s SecureTec AP product. It supports smart card, token and biometric products and integrates with Windows management tools. I/O uses a single, standardized Application Program Interface for all the devices attached to its system. For more information, visit www.iosoftware.com.