We all dislike passwords. Network managers hate them because they're easy to crack; users because they're hard to remember, and support staff because they have to spend so much time resetting them.

Digital Persona Pro lets small businesses do away with passwords and use fingerprint recognition instead.

We tested the Digital Persona Pro Workstation package, which can be bought complete with a U.are.U 4000B fingerprint reader ready to plug into the USB port of the host PC. A software-only implementation is also available for use with other devices, including notebooks with integrated readers.

However, we found the static U.are.U reader particularly easy to use and very reliable, especially compared with alternatives where you have to swipe your finger across the reader. With the U.are.U, you simply press on the glass until you hear a beep.

Whatever the reader, installation is quick and easy. The software can be installed on Windows XP, most versions of Vista (including 64-bit versions) and Windows servers. Simply run the setup program, plug in the hardware and you're ready to start. Once installed standard Windows passwords can still be used, but in addition you'll be able to log on just by putting your finger onto the reader.

Before that can happen, however, you have to go through a wizard-driven registration process to enable your fingerprints to be recognised. You can register as many of your fingers as you want (you're advised to do at least two) simply by placing them on the reader when instructed. Four scans are required to register each finger, the software storing unique identification points rather than the fingerprint image itself, so if it were to get lost or stolen, the data will be of very little value.

As well as Windows, the Digital Persona software can be used to log on to websites and other applications with no changes needed to the applications themselves or scripting. However, the procedures involved arenít quite as automatic as with other products we've used. A wizard has to be used to teach the software how to log on to each application or website individually, after which your fingerprint has to be verified every time you want to log on.

Still it all works well enough and we soon got used to logging on this way, finding it extremely convenient. You can also set up shortcuts to, for example, lock and unlock the PC using fingerprint scans - useful where PCs are left unattended.

We had very few problems either configuring or using the product, and were impressed with the speed and accuracy of the results. Indeed, it was rare for fingerprints not be recognised first time and at no time could we log on using fingers that hadnít been registered.

With the workstation product fingerprint information is stored on the local hard disk. Add Digital Persona Pro Server (from £1,100 ex Vat), however, and the data is integrated into Active Directory. This integration adds much more seamless, network-wide, single sign-on capabilities and the ability to create sign-on templates for distribution to users via group policy. Centralised management and reporting are, similarly, available via the Digital Persona Pro server.

Support for Windows Terminal Services and Citrix is another useful feature, while for users of Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 R2 a bundled solution is available to help reduce costs. Starting at £1,213 ex Vat for 10 users, this includes both the server and workstation software plus fingerprint scanners.