As a global leader in connectivity, Oxford Semiconductor
provides a complete portfolio of products that enable
electronic devices to exchange or back-up data and share resources. Our high performance connectivity solutions are an essential ingredient in an incredibly diverse range of highly differentiated end products, from external data storage and mobile phones to printers and point-of-sale equipment.

Oxford Semiconductor offers product manufacturers complete solutions --- silicon, software, firmware, reference designs, evaluation boards and dedicated customer support --- all that's needed to help accelerate new product introduction.

Recognized the world over for our in-depth application and systems expertise and our overriding focus on connectivity technology, Oxford Semiconductor plays an active role in the creation of the connectivity standards of tomorrow --- standards set to deliver more performance and greater ease of use.

Oxford/UPEK External HDD reference design

Collaboration between storage controller manufacturer Oxford Semiconductor and fingerprint authentication solution provider UPEK,®Inc. has produced the world's first complete reference design for encrypted external disk drives protected by biometric authentication. The design will facilitate faster and simpler deployment of new generations of storage products.

The Oxford-UPEK reference design employs a secure, hardware-based architecture for user authentication and AES 128 data encryption. Access to the disk's encrypted data can only be achieved via the controller following biometric authentication using UPEK's TouchStrip™ Fingerprint Authentication Solution.

Dedicated hardware encryption and biometric authentication engines, as opposed to software based solutions, offer the highest level of security and performance available today. Biometric storage and matching are performed in a protected environment, while encryption happens in real time with no loading on the host PC.

In addition to offering enhanced security, the Oxford-UPEK reference design simplifies the user experience by allowing users to lock and access their data with the swipe of a finger. UPEK's Protector Suite™ Token password bank lets users access their password-protected web accounts without having to memorize or write down their passwords.

Oxford/UPEK External HDD reference design