Lenovo Points a Finger to Sale of One Million Biometric PCs

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2005--Lenovo, provider of the industry's most secure PCs (1), will sell its 1,000,000th ThinkPad notebook with an integrated fingerprint reader next month, making it the largest provider of biometric-enabled PCs in the world.

"Security is critical to our customers, and they rely on Lenovo to deliver innovative, cutting-edge PC solutions," said Peter Hortensius, senior vice president, Notebook Business Unit, Lenovo. "It's very unusual to find a new feature that makes your PC more secure while making it much easier to use. The Thinkpad fingerprint reader is popular because it is one of those rare exceptions. By tying strong passwords to your fingerprint, you can make PC security simple and effective in order to protect your customers' data, as well as your own personal information."

“Lenovo's ThinkPad notebook with integrated fingerprint reader has been an immensely popular tool with our employees while providing a higher level of security and convenience.”

Lenovo estimates that password resets account for 35-50 percent of all helpdesk calls. By automating and securing the password reset process through Lenovo's password manager software and integrated fingerprint reader, users can avoid timely and costly support calls.

ThinkPads with integrated fingerprint readers make security simple, enabling users to access password-protected personal and financial information, web sites, documents and e-mail with a swipe of their finger while protecting data from unauthorized access. The integrated fingerprint reader is part of a broad set of security tools including Lenovo's Client Security Solution 6.0, which provides security software and an embedded security chip.

Gartner lists a number of advantages to deploying biometric security (2), noting that:

-- biometric information cannot be lost, stolen or forgotten

-- organizations can verify users' identities with a high degree of confidence

-- used in conjunction with smart cards, biometrics can provide strong security for (public key infrastructure) credentials held on the card

-- users aren't required to present a card or to remember passwords or personal identification numbers

-- biometric systems eliminate the overheads associated with password management

-- organizations can implement recognition systems, not just simple authentication systems

"We place a huge priority on security and deployed ThinkPad notebooks with fingerprint readers because they were the only notebooks to offer an integrated hardware and software security solution," said Mike Sink, director of infrastructure, Kichler Lighting. "Lenovo's ThinkPad notebook with integrated fingerprint reader has been an immensely popular tool with our employees while providing a higher level of security and convenience."

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992)(ADR: LNVGY) is the world's most innovative personal computing company, with a business model built on innovation, operational excellence, customer satisfaction and a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure, and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information about Lenovo, visit www.lenovo.com.

Notes

(1) ThinkPad notebooks with ThinkVantage Client Security Solution and integrated fingerprint reader (available on select models only) can be configured to build in an extra layer of protection for your passwords and documents. No one offers stronger security as a standard feature.

(2) Gartner, March 11, 2005, The Pros and Cons of Using Biometric Systems in Business