The brave new world of information security

If you work with information you want to keep private, you might want to take Billa Bhandari's call.

Bhandari, a former systems integration consultant, has founded Akoura Biometrics, a new software and consulting company that has unveiled a hybrid biometrics encryption technology that allows people to send documents with "near 100 percent security."

The company is based in Maine, but Bhandari has friends and a graphics designer in Cape Girardeau. He is intrigued by the town and plans to contact several businesses here -- hospitals, banks, insurance companies -- and the government sector.

These sorts of businesses and entities might be interested in Bhandari's product, which combines one of the oldest encryption technologies, steganography, with one of the newest, biometrics.

Steganography involves hiding a message or image within another image, a sound file (or musical composition) or some other unlikely document.

Biometrics makes one think of "Mission: Impossible" with its identification program that uses iris- and facial-recognition scans, voice-activated access and fingerprint activation. Those who are enrolled in Bhandari's system will have a fingerprint-activation scanner that allows access to the information only to them.

"It's really next-generation security," Bhandari said. "With our system, nobody can open or decrypt your information without your permission. You can send mortgage documents behind pictures of your house, a corporate report behind a spread sheet. People could never find it. And even if they knew how to find it, they'd need your fingerprint to access it."

After teaming up with a former vice president of Polaroid, Bhandari determined that corporate concern over such regulations as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act are driving certain segments of the security market.

Those laws require that companies ensure the safe and secure transmission of health and financial information, respectively.

"People are required in some circumstances to keep information secret, and this helps them do that," he said.

Bhandari claims that Akoura's solution is the first to combine biometrics and steganography. So far, he has formed partnerships with household names such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Sony and Hyundai to offer the product, including fingerprint scanners, which Akoura doesn't make.

Best Buy's opening Friday

If you're a die-hard technophile, then Friday will seem like your birthday.

That's because Best Buy on William Street opens its doors at 10 a.m., making Cape Girardeau the newest home of North America's No. 1 specialty retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software and appliances.

Some of the items they're really pushing -- what they call a "hot list" in media packets -- are satellite radio, MP3 players, DVD players, music and movies and games.

(My wife just groaned as she envisioned tons of money vanishing from our checking account. She doesn't even know the half of it -- I'm going out there looking for TiVo.)

The grand opening will be followed Saturday with Spider-Man being on-hand to sign autographs and photos from 1 to 3 p.m. Then on Sunday, the first 500 shoppers will get a gift bag that will have a CD sampler, a beanie toy and other stuff.

The store manager is Steve Maxcy. He sounded a bit excited about the opening, which he talked about as if it were going to be a party.

"Best Buy is excited to turn on the fun for Cape Girardeau shoppers by providing the area with affordable, high-tech consumer electronics," he said. "Our shopping atmosphere is easy and fun because our sales staff is committed to helping shoppers find the products and services to help improve their lives."

The 30,000-square-foot store incorporates the most recent Best Buy store design. (You'll have to take their word for it; they wouldn't let me in last week.) Features of the new design include wider aisles for better traffic flow and a transaction center to help with complex purchases.

Shoppers can test fully functioning display products throughout the store. Departments include entertainment software, digital cameras and camcorders and wireless and satellite systems, among others.

The Minnesota-based company reaches consumers through more than 1,900 retail stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

I'm drunk!

For two years, there has been rumblings about Anheuser-Busch building a new facility in Cape Girardeau County near the Oak Ridge exit. According to one Biz Buzz reader, it was even a topic of conversation at a recent meeting of the Scott City Chamber of Commerce.

But Mitch Robinson, head of the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association, said it's only a rumor.

"I've heard that a lot too," Robinson said. "But I contacted them, and they said they had no activity targeted toward Cape Girardeau County. They suggested that maybe the local distributor was building a new facility, but that was not the case, either. River Eagle recently had finished its new building."

Robinson admits there may be some truth to it -- that maybe they looked at Cape Girardeau. But he said, as far as he knows, nothing is imminent.

"It would be great," he said. "I would love to see something like that here."

A lot of us would. Some of those facilities give you free drinks when you tour them, right?

Quacky quilts

Go to Tina Collins' personal Web site -- community.webshots.com/user/duckthreads -- and you can see pictures of great-looking quilts and her two daughters in duck hats. That about sums up her new business, Duck Threads, which will open Friday at 108 N. Main St.

The business will offer embroidery and the retail sale of quilts that Collins has made.

"My nickname is Duck," said Collins, of Oak Ridge. "My husband started calling me that because I have short, fat feet and one of them turns in."

Collins has other talents. She quilts, using an industrial, Gammill quilting machine. People can bring in their quilts and Collins can put new designs on them, she said.

"I started out doing stuff for family and friends and then it snowballed," she said. "I've basically outgrown my home."

Her business Web site -- www.duckthreads.com -- is still under construction.

Mall world

I'm sure most of you who read Biz Buzz have noticed that the Hip Hop Shop is no longer downtown. That's because it has moved to Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, or, as most people call it, the mall.

Mall manager Jim Govro said the store owned by Robert Johnson will be located in an in-line store between Journeys and For Your Entertainment.

"That's a really good fit," Govro said. "Journeys is upscale, hip shoes. FYE sells CDs and music. With the Hip Hop Shop, this will make a really cool section of the mall."

Like Jim knows cool. But let's take him at his word.

The Hip Hop Shop, which features hip, urban clothing, is planning to open Oct. 1.

"They moved because they like the mall environment," Govro said. "They thought they'd do better than downtown. The hours don't run long enough there. Kids stores usually do well at night."

Wilson's Leather is also opened back up at the mall between Aeropostale and the Buckle. The store, a perennial Christmas visitor, offers leather coats, handbags, briefcases, and all things leather. The store will be there through Jan. 31.

Govro said he's working to get Wilson's, a national chain, to open at the mall full time.

American Country Christmas, a holiday-themed store, has also opened at the mall next to Chick-Fil-A. It has trees, ornaments, Christmas decor, etc.

Quickly

There's a new owner of Hit Man's Tattoos. As of Oct. 1, the business at 47 S. Plaza Way will be owned by Renee Ross, taking it over from John Hitt. She's also changing the name to Flesh Hound Tattoo Studio.

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.