Item: HID DigitalPersona
Rating: 9
Author: Dave Fromdahl

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are using HID DigitalPersona primarily for multifactor domain authentication on workstations across our entire organization and are using it a little bit for password management. With this, it allows very quick access to our desktops without compromising the complexity of our passwords. It also cuts down on the IT department constantly having to reset forgotten Active Directory passwords and saves time when it comes to resetting their own forgotten passwords to websites and applications.

Pros and Cons

Extremely good at domain authentication
Extremely good at security
Great at multifactor authentication
Biometric authentication

Password manager; credentials for websites must be set in IE, not Chrome or Firefox
Nothing can be done about it, but you must understand Active Directory and Group Policy to use this product
It is a little difficult to contact tech support but once you do, they are very good

Return on Investment

It couldn't calculate the ROI but certainly makes logins (domain and otherwise) MUCH faster while still allowing for complex passwords.
Keeps IT department from constantly having to reset forgotten passwords.
Not sure how to get a good metric on actual ROI but it does exist.

Use Cases

We haven't taken advantage of all HID DigitalPersona has to offer. We are looking forward to exploring other things we can take advantage of.

Active Directory Integration

We use HID DigitalPersona to log into our Active directory accounts and even a shared Kiosk account. Even when logging into the shared account, the credentials of the persona accessing that account are logged. It has very flexible multifactor authentication. It has a very extensive list of authentication methods you can use (fingerprint, face, smart card, pin, OTP, etc.).

Applications Protected with HID DigitalPersona

We use HID DigitalPersona password manager to log into our accounting and utility billing software if that is what is being asked. It is just password substitution, though. It just makes access easier, not necessarily more secure. We also use the password manager via biometric login to access our bank accounts and such.