Q&A: Vendors Of Biometrics In Access Control

1. Has anything changed with this technology in recent years that VARs should take note of?

Synel Industries, Haddon MacLean: The most significant change is the reduction in the cost of a fingerprint recognition system. In fact, cost is no longer a barrier even when comparing fingerprint recognition technology to an ID card solution. Of course, there is a marginal cost for including a fingerprint scanning unit on an access control terminal. However, that cost is offset quickly by eliminating the fees associated with ID cards (i.e. card costs, the cost of labor to issue/replace cards).

2. Is fingerprint recognition the leading biometric for access control?

Accu-Time Systems, Peter DiMaria: To me, leading means the technology that has gained greatest acceptance, and therefore, yes. For those people who still associate the stigma of "Big Brother" with fingerprint technology, finger geometry tends to be favored since it is a geometrical representation that is captured rather than a print.

Synel Industries, Haddon MacLean: Of the five biometric technologies most commonly used for access control (fingerprint, iris, voice, facial geometry, and hand geometry), fingerprint recognition is the leading biometric of choice for access control, for a number of reasons. Iris scanning, typically relying upon about 170 of the 266 distinctive characteristics found in the colored ring surrounding the pupil, is considered highly reliable, easy to use, and convenient, but is much more expensive than these other technologies. Hand geometry, while scoring high in security and ease of use, is also more costly than fingerprint technology and cannot be used for identification (one-to-many matching) because although hands differ, they are not individually unique, as are fingerprints. Facial recognition, relying on certain features such as the outline of the eye, has high failure to match/failure not-to-match rates because of variations such as facial position and expressions, and is also more expensive to implement. Voice recognition, using cadence, pitch, and tone to identify an individual, is inexpensive, but it is not practical in noisy environments and is considered unreliable.

3. What points should VARs be stressing when selling fingerprint recognition solutions?

Cherry Electrical Products, Reinhard Fischer: The main point is total cost of ownership. Your finger can't be stolen, forgotten, or taped to your monitor. Fingerprint technology saves considerable system administration costs in the long run.

Accu-Time Systems, Peter DiMaria: Proper training. Users need some amount of training to understand how to place their fingers on the sensor. Also, VARs should note that periodic cleaning is part of the system. Cleaning the sensors with the proper cleaning solution and available brushes are good preventive measures.

Synel Industries, Haddon MacLean: VARs should understand the simple process of enrolling employees into the system and the difference between verification and identification.

4. Is the use of biometrics increasing for access control?

Accu-Time Systems, Peter DiMaria: We are seeing an increased acceptance for both fingerprint and finger/hand geometry solutions for access control. Our sales have steadily increased in both of these categories and our resellers are optimistic with their future sales forecasting.

Cherry Electrical Products, Reinhard Fischer: The number of biometric installations is increasing every day. Although the industry is still waiting for the big rollouts of logical access control systems, the technology is becoming more popular in all vertical markets.