California firefighters speed up the Windows login process with YubiKey
Santa Clara County Fire Department has equipped their firefighters with the innovative USB-key from Yubico to enable faster computer access in emergency situations.
The YubiKey is a hardware authentication token that looks like a small USB memory stick. With a simple touch on an integrated button, the device can automatically and within a second send up to a 44 character long pass code. Depending on the application and security requirements, the YubiKey can be programmed to generate either one-time or fixed passwords.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department uses Panasonic Toughbooks that are docked in the fire engine. The YubiKey is programmed to generate a static password for Windows login. The device is tethered to the computer dock, so the computer can be quickly logged on while the computer is locked in the dock.
"The YubiKey is much quicker and easier to remember than a manual entry of a password in an emergency situation," says Jim Swanson, Fire Captain, Santa Clara County Fire Department, USA.
About Yubico
Yubico's core product is the YubiKey®, a unique USB-key for instant and strong authentication to networks and services.