Black Box IntelliPass Biometric Access System: Authorized Cabinet Access That Takes Nothing More Than a Fingertip Scan
There was a time when critical server access control meant only one thing: an enclosure with locks – the kind that require keys. Keys that could easily be misplaced, or even worse, stolen. Keys that could fall into the wrong hands, or force you to call a locksmith if they couldn’t be found. Keys that made that heavy, jingling mass of metal in your pocket look and feel more like a jailer’s keyring than a collection of door-openers belong to a tech-savvy pro. Keys suck. It’s time to kiss them goodbye, and say hello to the future of computer cabinet access.
Meet Black Box’s Intelli-Pass biometric cabinet access system. If you ever thought that biometrics were way too James Bond or Mission Impossible for your humble data center, think again. Server room biometrics are here, accessible, and in the hands of Black Box, really, really good.
The Intelli-Pass installs right where an enclosure’s handle would normally go, and at first glance, actually looks like a handle. But zoom in on it, and you’ll notice that there’s a small fingerpad at the top, which is precisely where the magic happens. It’s “unlocked” with the most convenient, least duplicable keys of all: the fingerprints of you and your most trusted IT staff members.
One thing that I really like about the Intelli-Pass (aside from the biometrics) is that it’s designed with tamper-resistance in mind. While the fingertip scanner is very necessarily located on the outside, unsecured portion of the device, all of the most sensitive inner-workings are safely stashed on the other side of the enclosure door, where they can’t be vandalized or otherwise damaged. It also has the very cool feature of alarm system compatibility – tie it into your building’s existing emergency alert system, and the Intelli-Pass can be configured to automatically open server enclosures when the alarm sounds, so that equipment can be accessed or removed instantly.
I know that I totally ripped traditional keys before, but sometimes you may want them as a backup, so Intelli-Pass is available in an optional keyed version in the event that you’d like to have standard key access in the event of a power outage. It’s pretty convenient, really. They think of everything.
