UPEK Incorporated, founded in 1996 and based near Berkeley, California, offers commercial and government organizations biometric fingerprint security systems and services. Its products are integrated into computers, cellular phones, PDAs, USB portable drive, and a variety of other original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices. The firm's authentication products, introduced in 1999, streamline network, computer, and application access processes. The products allow IT departments to simplify the management of enterprise networks and mobile devices. UPEK systems can be employed in protecting portable storage data and network and mobile device transactions. The products also integrate with door lock and other physical access devices. Encryption features prevent the unauthorized access of data. UPEK is known for its Protector Suite (TM) and TouchStrip (TM) product lines. Protector Suite allows Microsoft (R) Windows (R) XP users to access computers, folders, and files. Protector Suite Enterprise centralizes user authentication management processes. TouchStrip is an embedded fingerprint authentication system. The firm also is known for its TouchChip (R) biometric fingerprint sensor products. The company's PerfectPrint and PerfectMatch software technologies optimize fingerprint data scanning, extraction and matching processes. UPEK has formed strategic partnerships with Quanta, ASUS, Mitac, Wistron, and Uniwill. The firm maintains additional offices in the Czech Republic, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan.