Companies target need for security

The vulnerability of electronic data made evident by the attacks against the World Trade Center in New York last September is providing opportunities for local information-technology companies specializing in information security systems.

At Computex Taipei 2002, a host of home-grown IT companies are promoting products that provide back-up storage systems for data in the event of catastrophic damage to mainframes.

Log-on and casing systems designed to protect corporate data from theft and damage are also being featured at the trade fair, which will run until Friday at the Taipei World Trade Center.

Anextek Global Inc (新科), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Acer group (宏電集團), is promoting its new Z-Box Online Data Replicator, which backs up corporate data on a disk linked via a local area network (LAN) to an intranet system.

Since the Z-Box is not attached to a server, if the server goes down data remains accessible.

The Z-Box also replicates data and can send it via the Internet to a data center where information is secured in the event data is destroyed.

According to Stuart Schuman, international marketing manager for Anextek, "Everyone became more interested in securing their data after 911."

The threat of data loss has also been apparent in Taiwan where a building fire last year in Hsichih's high-tech district destroyed the offices of several high-tech companies.

Bolstering security measures for corporate data and highly sensitive areas such as airports is also being addressed.

Taiwan-based Symtron Technology Inc's (星創科技) FaceOn Logon software, for example, was awarded the "Best choice at Computex Taipei 2002." Symtron's digital-camera system can scan 200 facial features for recognizing staff members.

"National security agencies, public agencies, airports and the corporate world may find this added security measure useful," Symtron Vice President Vera Hsu (許妙華) said.

Taiwan-based Mitac International Corp (神達電腦) has already adopted the system, and Houston-based Compaq Computer Corp has bundled the software with various products, she said.

One of the big attractions is the affordability of the product. The system can be installed on a laptop for around US$100, and requires only a small digital camera to function, Hsu said.

Crete Systems Inc (茂訊電腦) is sporting super-tough portable computers for military and emergency-service use at the show. The company's Rocky II Unlimited is seeing strong demand, sales manager Jimmy Lan (藍弘民) said.

The "war on terror" being carried out by the US military and its allies may bring a 15 percent growth in sales for the company over last year, Lan said.

Totally water and dust proof and housed in a magnesium case, the Rocky II can operate in a temperature range between -10?C and 50?C.

The company's main customers are the US, German, Belgium, Australian and Taiwan military and research groups, he said.