News

SeePoint kiosks train, test Pfizer employees

November 2, 2003

New York, N.Y. -- Pfizer Inc. recently installed computer kiosks manufactured by SeePoint Technology to automate its employee education, testing and certification program.

With thousands of employees involved in the manufacturing of Pfizer's medications, the company sought to streamline the testing process without losing the ability to verify the test taker's identity or diminishing the integrity of the testing or the results, according to a news release.

Touchscreen systems, which incorporate an optical-fingerprint recognition device to biometrically authenticate the identity of each test taker, not only administer the tests but also act as virtual proctors, greatly improving the accuracy and the efficiency of the testing process.

By customizing a standard SeePoint kiosk product, Pfizer was able to quickly and easily create secure, self-service testing stations built exactly to its specifications, the release said.

Pfizer started with SeePoint's WallStation Pro, a wall-mounted terminal, and added a fingerprint scanner, phone handset, vandal-resistant keyboard and wireless LAN to each system.

Pfizer opted to use fingerprint scanners, a biometric-based security solution, to ensure the reliability of the testing process. The fingerprint scanner authenticates the identity of the test taker, acting as a digital password. Unlike a word-based code, a fingerprint cannot be forgotten, shared, lost or stolen, and Pfizer is not faced with maintaining thousands of passwords. The fingerprint scanner, like all of SeePoint's peripheral devices, mounts directly to the kiosk system without any exposed wires or cables.

Among the advantages of the automated testing stations with virtual proctor is that the human resources required to oversee the exams are drastically reduced. Rather than having a live proctor for every test at every location, the kiosk's fingerprint scanner verifies the identity of the test taker, and the phone handset connects the user to a centrally located proctor that can answer any of the test taker's questions.

The vandal-resistant keyboard on Pfizer's kiosks operates just like a PC keyboard but is designed to withstand rigorous usage.

Also the space-efficient and durable design of the SeePoint systems make Pfizer's testing stations highly portable, the release said. Systems may be easily moved around a facility and safely transported between facilities.

Unlike a PC which can be cumbersome to set up, all components of the kiosk are completely integrated so moving and setting up the systems is a snap. The addition of wireless LAN also enhances the portability of the testing stations. To set up the system, only an electrical outlet is required.