Berry College now uses biotechnology to protect its faculty and student’s personal information.
The technology is called Bio Password. It measures the rhythm of a person’s keystrokes. When faculty wants to access protected information they type a password. The software then looks for how the word is typed.
The Chief Information Officer at Berry College, Tim Farnham, said bio password is more reliable than other forms of biotechnology like hand scans or fingerprint systems.
“It turns out every person types differently. You could recognize who was sending teletypes in the 1860’s by their rhythm, and they’d know who it was. You can’t fake that,” said Farnham.
Normally, biotechnology is used for physical access to buildings like dorms. But protecting the database with it, is worth the investment, which is about $12,000 a year, said Farnham. To sort out a security breech would cost around $140,000, said officials.