Every-Day Life
Each and every day, people travel to a large variety of places. Whether it’s to work, school, or home, thousands and millions of people can enter a facility on any given day. As a large majority of facilities are open to the general public, between employees, occupants and visitors, facility managers may find it significantly challenging to confirm which individuals are authorized to enter a facility and who are not. Although many facilities include security cameras, it’s very difficult for facility managers to go and watch every minute of the videos captured by these cameras and determine who belongs and who doesn’t. Without a doubt, as concerns heighten around public safety and security, facilities must find and implement reliable security systems to approve a person’s true identity.
The Go-To Technology
Its no question that security continues to challenge society, in trying to implement a strong and reliable set of technology to block out intruders. Due to the continuous cybersecurity threats occurring across the globe, many facilities have turned to a biometric security solution known as the cutting-edge technology. Cutting-edge technology, also known as “new technology” refers to the technological devices, techniques or achievements that operate the most current and high-level IT developments. This technology has been implemented for decades, as facility managers tend to follow an inattentive and lethargic approach in wanting to improve their security. The advantage of cutting-edge technology is that it can be very powerful when used properly, but a major disadvantage is that since it’s been used for so many years, it can easily be breached. Report
An Overview on Biometrics
For several years, biometrics has been utilized as one of the primary sources of ensuring a high-level security system in many facilities. By using biometrics, a system administrator automatically has the power of verifying a person’s true identity based on their own unique characteristics such as fingerprints, voice, retinal scan and facial structure. As biological traits are very difficult to replicate, a security system that implements a method called two-factor authentication, for example, using both biometrical biological traits and a smart identification card can significantly enhance a facility’s security, thus increasing safety for the guests.
What Can Biometric Systems Really Do – Report
Some examples of what biometrics can do include:
- Authenticate a person’s identity
- Control access to a facility
- Monitor restricted access to certain areas of a facility
- Generate data logs of when an employee clock’s in and out
- Verify signatures and biological traits
- Replace traditional access measures such as passwords and key cards
Biometrics: Enhancing Capture
As one of the primary security systems involved with biometrics is fingerprints, we examine the technology used to gather such information.
Across several types of fingerprints and environments, the quality of the image captured is critical for assessment. Many facilities utilize a sensor that incorporates a multispectral imaging system, as it illuminates the skin at different depths in order to gather the correct information from inside the finger and amplify any available surface fingerprint data.
The sensor is capable of retrieving information from a finger no matter the level of contact that the skin had with any external environmental factors such as water contact. Multispectral sensors function for the general individual who has normal, wet, dry, or damaged fingers, across the widest range conditions such as lotion use and hand temperature. The sensors are also capable of resisting any damage from cleaning products and contamination from any external objects. Report
Biometrics: True Identity and Liveness Detection – Report
The ability to determine whether or not the information collected is from a living and the correct individual is known as true identity & liveness detection. It’s crucial that the biometric data that captures the fingerprint, obtains the information from a living and the correct person, as opposed to a plastic or artificial copy. Although the technology used to determine true identity and liveness optimizes performance, it is very important to ensure that the performance is primarily secured and trusted. Many companies can complete and determine if the biometric data is real or spoofed in a matter of seconds and are also able to quickly perform a template matching process in order to block out intruders and match true identity users.
To ensure that the performance is fully secured, interoperability testing must be performed by independent third parties like the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to ensure that the data used, is based on the following template-matching modes:
- template-on-card and card/mobile + finger modes using “1:1” template-matching
- template-on-device mode for finger-only authentication using “1:N” matching
Biometrics: Privacy Considerations
When correctly used, biometric solutions with true identity and liveness detection can also ensure the protection of privacy. For example, if you cannot use a fake finger, then although you have obtained someone’s fingerprint data, it remains insignificant.
Biometric data must be utilized with equal precautions to any sensitive information. Beyond the encryption of the data itself, nowadays, there are a countless number of efficient alternatives available for generating highly secure and well protected systems, such as the use of two-factor and multi-modal authentication. These methods are fully capable of maintaining security to the highest level possible, even though some identifying data has been compromised. BioConnect’s Unified Mobile Access Control Solution provides the essential tools needed to assure that your facility remains protected and blocks out any intruder trying to take advantage of the facility’s assets. Report
Biometrics in Schools
Lab Facilities and Clean Rooms
Several universities and colleges across the world are doing unbelievable research using both biological and radiological materials that are highly dangerous if not used appropriately. Only a limited number of individuals are qualified to handle this equipment, thus, if these materials were to be removed from the lab environments, it could cause severe health problems to the public. Undeniably, these medical facilities require the highest level of security to assure the health and safety of the public. This can be achieved using BioConnect’s Unified Mobile Access Control Solution which enables smart, rules-based access that leverages mobile two factor authentication for a more enhanced security plan for the enterprise.
Athletic Facilities
It’s evident that many schools have competitive sports teams who require high-level athletic facilities in order to train, practice and play games. These facilities are potentially worth thousands of dollars and contain many highly valuable and expensive equipment that must be protected. Facilities like these are unquestionably vulnerable for breach as they hold the equipment that many individuals dream of having and aren’t sold in many stores.
Biometric access grants these expensive facilities to maintain a high level of security in all areas while still permitting quick, simple, frictionless and beneficial access. BioConnect’s Unified Mobile Access Control Solution provides a 2-factor authentication security method that can incorporate any two from a variety of biometric security systems to ensure that security is maintained at the highest level possible.
Student Dining Halls & Cafeterias
Majority of schools across the world offer areas for students and teachers to eat their meals and simply chat amongst themselves. It is crucial to ensure that these areas are fully secured as these locations typically involve a large group of people, which exposes many personal belongings that can be easily compromised if not properly protected. Furthermore, dining halls and cafeterias often incorporate a meal card, for which the authorized student is required to scan their card ID to pay for the meal. As these cards hold their personal cash, it’s important to ensure that these cards are secured to the fullest capabilities. Often students will also share their student card ID with a friend when they might be off-campus or simply having a meal out, which allows another student to use another individuals ID to pay for their meal. As it is very difficult to distinguish whether or not an individual is permitted to use another person’s ID card, we must ensure that all security protocols are in place to avoid theft.
Biometrics offer a simple but effective way to avoid any intentional or unintentional theft as many biometric authentication methods prove the idea that “you are who you say you are”. BioConnect offers a wide range of biometric solutions that meet the needs of any organization and in any environment. Built with extensive and effective technology, our products are specifically designed to secure and control access for the desired locations to ensure that the people feel protected at all times.
The Future of Biometrics?
It’s evident that biometrics have continuously played a significant role in providing efficient and effective security systems across the globe. As we look upon the future, world-renown scientists and technology industry leaders such as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk anticipates that artificial intelligence will pave the way for the evolution of technology and innovation. The combination of biometrics and AI generates the ability for the resulting hybrid technology to not only identify the user, but also “learn” how the user behaves and functions – how the individual walks, talks, behaves, etc. This type of technology will undoubtedly reduce all potential threats to security and allow people to live a life full of trust and security. Report