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Cypress and UPEK Partner on Biometric Security Reference Design for Safe, Convenient Access to USB Flash DrivesSAN JOSE, Calif. & EMERYVILLE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY) and UPEK(R), Inc. today introduced a reference design for USB Flash Drives (UFDs) protected by fingerprint authentication technology, delivering the industry's strongest security by authenticating users on the UFD system instead of on a PC. The new CY4665 reference design uses UPEK's TouchStrip(TM) Fingerprint Authentication Solution along with Cypress's EZ-USB(TM) NX2LP-Flex USB controller to address the growing need from corporate IT managers to allow enterprise data to be portable and accessible offline while keeping sensitive data secure. With the UFD reference design from Cypress and UPEK, manufacturers of UFDs and peripheral suppliers can add convenient biometric security that allows only those who register their fingerprints to access data on the drives with the swipe of a finger. The reference design features hardware-based authentication for the strongest data and privacy protection available, while enabling complete mobility across devices and multiple operating systems. All fingerprint matching functions (template extraction, storage and matching) are conducted in a dedicated UPEK security processor on the drive, providing the convenience of true portability and protection from PC security risks. The CY4665 is bundled with UPEK's industry leading Protector Suite(TM) Token application software, which simplifies access to data, applications and websites. The software includes a password bank for securely registering and accessing user login and password-protected websites and applications. The end-to-end solution ensures plug-and-play ease of use and eliminates the need to download software on a host PC. "Data on USB Flash Drives is vulnerable when taken outside the security of the office environment and can be easily lost or stolen," said Matt Branda, marketing manager for Cypress's High Speed Peripherals Business Unit. "The CY4665 Cypress/UPEK reference design's flexibility and performance make it easy to design UFDs that are extremely secure while still being convenient to access " "Manufacturers of USB flash drives, hard disk drives (HDDs) and other portable storage devices are turning to UPEK's complete hardware-based fingerprint solution for the highest level of biometric security and convenience available today," said Vito Fabbrizio, Director of Portable Storage Solutions for UPEK, Inc. "The industry-leading USB technology that Cypress brings to the CY4665 reference design helps deliver this superior security without sacrificing ease-of-use." The UPEK/Cypress CY4665 reference design offers a complete turnkey solution including hardware, software and plastic design to enable fast time-to-market and reduced integration costs for UFD manufacturers and peripheral suppliers. The reference design includes a field-proven integrated UPEK enrollment tutorial that makes fingerprint authentication simple to use for first time users. This results in a satisfying end user experience and greater usability, leading to fewer support calls and improved customer satisfaction. Price and Availability The new CY4665 reference design can be downloaded free of charge from Cypress in the "Reference Designs" section at www.cypress.com. Interested parties can also request a live demo from their local Cypress or UPEK sales representative. About UPEK's TouchStrip(TM) Fingerprint Authentication Solution The TouchStrip Fingerprint Authentication Solution is an end-to-end solution combining a high image quality silicon sensor, a secure companion processor for biometric processes, and easy-to-use software for protection and convenient access to digital assets. Integrated in the world's largest brand PCs and portable storage devices, the TouchStrip Fingerprint Authentication Solution leverages hardware-based security to protect sensitive data, access to websites and applications, and future online services. About EZ-USB NX2LP-Flex The EZ-USB NX2LP family is designed specifically for NAND flash memory control applications. Its flagship product, the EZ-USB NX2LP-Flex, is the world's first firmware-programmable USB 2.0 high speed NAND flash controller. The controller is driving convergence in consumer electronics by enabling USB flash drives with features such as fingerprint authentication and video-over-USB, and dongle applications like DVB/PCTV cards, GPS receivers, and wireless presenters with NAND flash storage. The CY3686 EZ-USB NX2LP-Flex Development Kit is available to facilitate the design process and speed time-to-market. About UPEK UPEK, Inc., a global leader in biometric fingerprint security solutions, offers integrated end-to-end solutions including comprehensive design & integration services to the world's leading consumer and industrial products companies. UPEK solutions enable the strongest fingerprint authentication security available, packaged for high user convenience and rapid integration into existing products and network architectures. The company has been pioneering biometric fingerprint technology since 1996 and shipping product in volume since 1999. UPEK is headquartered in Emeryville, California, with offices in Prague, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.upek.com. About Cypress Cypress solutions perform: consumer, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial, and solar. Leveraging proprietary silicon processes, Cypress's product portfolio includes a broad selection of wired and wireless USB devices, CMOS image sensors, timing solutions, specialty memories, high-bandwidth synchronous and micropower memory products, optical solutions and reconfigurable mixed-signal arrays. Cypress trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CY. Visit us at www.cypress.com. Cypress and the Cypress logo are registered trademarks and EZ-USB NX2LP-Flex is a trademark of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. UPEK, the UPEK logo, TouchStrip and Protector Suite are registered trademarks or trademarks of UPEK, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
