There are a number of different ways to track your data but one of the most successful and cost effective has to be disc fingerprinting.
What is fingerprinting?
Fingerprinting is when you bury a unique identifier into your data that can be traced back to that data. This means if the data ends up online or in the wrong hands you can trace it back to the person it was originally given too.
Where would you use fingerprinting?
We can fingerprint all ISO9660 standard discs. Basically any data disc and it doesn’t matter about the media type. We can fingerprint CD, DVD, DVD+DL & Blu-Ray. Sadly using this process we are unable to fingerprint Audio and Video discs.
Example formats we can fingerprint: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Software Discs, Photo CD
Who Uses Fingerprinting?
This feature is big in the games industry with a large portion of developers now fingerprinting every pre-release and test disc they create. We also have systems in government, software houses, banking and medical industries but anyone with any data can use this.
How does it work?
The Microtech Xpress Disc Publisher comes with the ability to fingerprint as standard. With you master image or data you need to have a unique string somewhere hidden inside that data. E.G. XXXXXXXXXXXXX. You tell the Microtech this is your string and the Microtech tags the Image/ISO file.
When you come to duplicate your discs you link a text file to the job that contains a list of serial numbers that will be used to replace the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX each time a disc is created. For every disc recorded the Microtech will now replace that standard string of data which then makes each disc unique.
Once the disc is copied how can I tell what the Serial Number is?
Most people tend to print the key on the disc surface in the form of visible text or a barcode. Ok, this sounds stupid but you can bury that serial number inside a program, code or anything so even though I might know what the code is that doesn’t mean I can find it and change it. The nice thing about this system is that the way the fingerprint is hidden is different from company to company. You need to hide the string inside your data when you create you master disc. This means that even though I can tell you how to fingerprint your data. I wouldn’t be able to find it myself as I wouldn’t know how or where you have fingerprinted the disc.
What does it cost?
Unlike most tracking systems there is no cost per disc or licence fee. Once you own the Microtech Xpress you can fingerprint everything that comes out of it if you like.
Can this be fully automated?
Yes! – We can provide you with the DLL’s to integrate this into your own production system. This then gives you complete control and allows you to fingerprint you discs how and when you like.
What if I only want to fingerprint the odd run?
We offer fingerprinting with our disc duplication service. Maybe you would like to perform a test or just fingerprint that one important job a year and don’t need to purchase a duplicator. Contact us for a sample or to talk through your needs.
Microtech Xpress Range – http://www.handisc.co.uk/Microtech-Xpress-Range.html
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