Hoyos Labs Issues $78,000 Research Grant to Villanova University

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to further technological advancements in secure identity authentication, Hoyos Labs, a digital infrastructure company, has provided a $78,000 research grant to Villanova University in the area of computer security focusing on identity assertion, role gathering, adjudication and access control. 

Hoyos Labs' identity assertion products use a multi-biometric recognition system that includes the face, periocular region and iris to confirm one's identity. The technology leverages smartphones via its app, HoyosID, as biometrics acquisition devices (on the front-end), interacts with middleware and accesses the back-end before identity authentication. This system tackles the unmet needs in identity security, such as incorporating "liveness," which detects a real person from an image or video in a quick and easy-to-use manner.

"The world of secure identity authentication is constantly evolving," said Hector Hoyos, CEO of Hoyos Labs. "To keep up with the newest information and to ensure that Hoyos Labs has access to, and can leverage, the best technology available in its identity assertion platforms, we have teamed up with this top group of experts at Villanova University. They are second to none, and we look forward to working closely with them as they advise on the constant development of our offering so that we will continue to have the safest, most secure and convenient identity authentication platform available."

The research project will be led by Adjunct Professor Scott Streit and Dr. Pritpal Singh. Mr. Streit is a computer scientist who specializes in semantic web, cloud computing and relational database processing and has led projects for the Apache Foundation and U.S. government. In December 2013, he was appointed Chief Computer Scientist for Hoyos Labs, where his role is to architect and engineer Hoyos Labs' new identity assertion platform, overseeing the front- and back-end of the technology, as well as the Amazon Web Service (AWS) and clients' enterprise systems.

Dr. Singh is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Villanova University. He is an innovator in the area of solar and renewable energy and was instrumental in guiding a student solar energy research initiative that resulted in the installation of 24 solar panels on the roof of the College of Engineering's Center for Engineering Education and Research. His main areas of focus are renewable energy, solar electric engineering, power electronics and optoelectronics.

"Hoyos Labs is the first to showcase a truly end-to-end solution that will address the challenges of secure identity authentication in a convenient and scalable way to both consumers and corporations," said Streit. "This is a technology that I believe in, and I will work closely with the Villanova team to help develop the preeminent identity authentication technology on the market."

For more information on Hoyos Labs and HoyosID, please visit: www.hoyoslabs.com.

About Hoyos Labs
Hoyos Labs is a digital infrastructure security company with security, computer vision and biometrics and big data experts. The goal of Hoyos Labs is to develop and deploy enterprise and consumer identity assertion technology platforms that will conveniently and securely address the identity assertion challenges of today. Hoyos Labs currently has offices in New York, Boston, Bucharest (Romania) and Beijing (China).

About Villanova University 
Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's five colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. 

SOURCE Hoyos Labs