Have you ever though of how easy it is for someone to steal your banking information with a simple look over your shoulder? With the usage of PIN numbers and the potential for card shimming, banking members need a more secure way of verifying their identities and their banking transactions.

That is where the newly announced Hitachi H-1 Finger Vein Scanner is just the fit for your financial institution.

The Hitachi Vein Scanner is an impressive feat of biometric advancement as it replaces the current standards of fingerprint reading with a much more secure form of biometrics.

Thanks for asking! It ensures an extremely secure login through scanning finger veins which are nearly impossible to duplicate meaning that access to financial documents such as corporate earnings or banking information are not going to be accessed easily. It also cannot be shared with other users as finger vein scans are unique to that individual which is not the case for smart cards, passwords and PINS. All of which are tradeable if known by others. This scanner follows standard authentication protocols such as PKCS#11. To learn more about this protocol, take a look here at “ What is PCKS #11? ” by IBM.

It also has wide compatibility with Windows-based operating systems which allow for incorporation into most corporate/office environments along with its ruggedness and ease-of-use.

With all these great benefits, you must read on to learn more about how this will secure your member’s banking information and your branch as a whole.

As larger proof of business acceptance, financial service provider giant, Barclays, in the U.K. partnered with Hitachi to implement their own custom version of the Hitachi H-1 Finger Vein Scanner in 2014.

Barclays has an over 300-hundred-year history and has financial services ranging from personal banking to corporate banking to wealth management/investment banking throughout several continents such as Europe, the Americas and Asia.

As you can see, this technology is not new and has had over twenty years to grow since being introduced in 1997. It is safe to say that if a large financial conglomerate can adopt this to verify their member’s identities, then you too can do the same for your small, medium or large-size financial institution . Their commitment to the safety of their customers includes the scanners lack of need for PIN numbers or passwords that can be captured by criminals for the purpose of sharing account details and profiting off the funds in one’s account.

This was seen as a groundbreaking event in the financial services sector when it came to security. This is not the first time that a progressive, technologically-forward bank such as Barclay’s has used new method of authentication. It introduced voice biometrics on phone calls which allowed them to eliminate passwords and security questions when members tried to access their accounts.

When do Barclays’ customers verify their identities?

Those visiting Barclay’s websites are requested to place their finger into the scanner to verify your identity from home when accessing online services. The scanner was provided to corporate banking customers starting in 2015 to combat the online fraud that seemed to be widespread in the U.K.

The main goal of this scanner was to use it as an SSO-type of device with their online banking portal, iPortal and Barclays.net and to authorize online payments. This will allow for corporate users to authenticate themselves when logging onto one portal while having access to multiple types of accounts to seamlessly have access to all the services that they need at their bank without having to use multiple passwords for each area of the site. Think of a site dedicated to investments while another subdomain is dedicated to savings and checking accounts.

The finger vein scans are not kept in public records and Barclays does not store them on their servers as well which should ease any sort of privacy concerns. Rather, the scans are stored on the finger vein scanner in a SIM card (the same type of smart card used in your smart phone).

Barclays updated their scanners in 2019 developing a finger vein scanner that was much more svelte and included Bluetooth capabilities for wireless, mobile transactions. A testament to their strong belief in Hitachi’s technology.

Designed for office lighting

Overall, office lighting is not too harsh when compared with direct sunlight; however, some employees may disagree. With this design in mind though, it is able to accurately capture an image of your finger vein which may not be the case if it is too bright. It uses the LED strip light located at the top of the scanner along with an embedded CCD-based camera with a CMOS sensor at the bottom of the scanner. It uses reflected light which is bounced back from the mirror where the CCD-based camera is.

Hot & cold environments supported

The operating temperatures are fit for the office with 41°F to 95°F which will be perfect considering that offices do not rise above 70°F for most of the day. Be mindful though of where you place this as tower PCs can become very hot and personal space heaters may create an uncomfortable environment for the finger vein scanner.

Fast authentication to keep employees working as effectively as possible

Password changes and monitoring can take significant time especially if the employee cannot login to their workstation. That is why it is important to have a method that is quick and does not require the user to write it down.

Instantaneous authentication which takes less than a few seconds for logging into Windows or other native/cloud-supported applications thanks to the support of USB High Speed with speeds up to 480 Mbps rather than Full Speed reader which is limited to 12 Mbps.

The storage of biometric information on the scanner’s SIM card is also helpful as it does not have to search the computer for those user templates. Much of the operation of the device is handled in the device itself so that saves overall time.

Large USB cable to keep desk real estate spacious

It also has a nearly 6-foot USB cable that allows you to stretch over long distances to prevent your desk from being cluttered by an increasing number of devices. It also fits for those days when you feel like laying back in your chair for that power nap session, and you cannot bear to reach over with your finger. 

LED status light to troubleshoot

Its status-driven LED will be easily seen and can notify you when the finger vein reading your finger vein or if there is an error that is occurring while this is happening. If your sight is not the best then the buzzer will also be able to assist you. Cheers to accessibility!

Customized branding

You can order this scanner customized to feature your unique branding featured on top of the scanner casing. It will provide the consistency that is needed for your employees to feel that this solution is part of the company and not simply another device from an outside source. Belonging is crucial when trying to adopt a new solution and for employee identification as employees will tend to be resistant at first to new implementations.

Sign-What-You-See (SWYS) feature

It also pairs well with the Sign-What-You-See (SWYS) browser plug-in (provided by Hitachi) which adds an additional layer of security to an already robust solution meaning that you can see what types of actions are being made to sign off on. This is similar to a signature pad at your bank branch to allow the bank member to authorize the deposit or withdrawal.

Back-office system integration

The digital signing of transactions is similar to when you verify a transaction in-store through a signature pad or other signing application such as DocuSign for PDF forms which can be managed in the back office.

Supports Joiners-Movers-Leavers Processes

This will support employee credentials and their information throughout their lifetime working at your branch or firm.

Basic Tools You Will Need:

*Keys and certificates are created on-site once the user enrolls*

Hitachi Ltd., based in Tokyo, Japan , is a recognized brand known world-wide for many different types of electronic products such as printers, TVs and even professional camera equipment.

Hitachi is committed to developing new innovative and superior products and services that allow for society to take on the most pressing challenges in today’s world that take advantage of the latest developments in technology such as AI, Big Data and IoT.

Their devices most importantly conform to major regulatory standards such as FCC Part 15 B, CE, RoHS and REACH to ensure your safety and wellbeing is kept in mind when operating these devices.

Hitachi has proved their vein reading technology over the last twenty years with notable examples being:

Overall, Hitachi’s finger vein authentication is known globally as one of the most secure types of biometrics available and is used in places such beyond Japan such as with countries throughout North America and Europe.

Windows 7 SP1

Windows 8.1

Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Ver. 1607)

So, if you are a financial institution that offers online banking and want to offer your customer a safer and much more secure banking experience then it would be wise to integrate this solution into your branch.

With many possibilities to integrate this within your online banking portal and the allowance for a single sign-on (SSO) for your portal, you can make your user experience much more smoother and easier.

That way whenever your member tries to login to their account online, they will only need to present their finger for scanning. This can be programmed to occur when they are trying to transfer money, creating a new account or are paying a bill. It makes it easier instead of using a password and having to make for certain that employees are constantly changing it to stay on top of breaches or current.

Tx Systems is the best place to purchase the Hitachi H-1 Finger Vein Scanner as we have recently introduced this finger vein reader to the general public. We are licensed Hitachi distributors for the Hitachi Vein Scanner and will support you throughout your journey with this amazing technology!

It is perfect for financial institutions of all shapes and sizes from banks, credit unions to brokerage firms. So if you are looking to purchase the Hitachi H-1 USB 2.0 Type-A/mini-B Contactless Finger Vein Biometric Scanner.