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Pointing fingers at access control

Biometric technology – the analysis of unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, DNA, veins, voice, hand geometry, iris or retinal patterns – has long been used for the purpose of access control, but is now also playing a significant role in complete workplace access management. In addition to controlling the access of employees and visitors into certain areas, workplace access management can integrate solutions for time and attendance, access control, job costing, alarm monitoring, HR information processing, payroll interfaces and other ERP, planning and reporting packages.

The benefit of a biometric access control system is that only authorised people – not merely their credentials – are granted access to specific places. A card-based system will only control the access of authorised pieces of plastic, but not who is in possession of the card, which can be shared or stolen. Similarly, the use of PINs requires an individual to punch in a specific number to gain entry, but who actually entered the code cannot be determined as PINs can also be shared.

Typically, a building’s access control system focuses on controlling the access rights of people whose identities are already known: employees. These identities need to be known for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with controlling access – payroll, taxation, medical schemes, employment contracts and so on.

For most companies, payroll is the single largest expense so this is where the greatest protection is required against threats of fraud, corruption and theft. Workplace access management systems have therefore become a crucial element of financial control in companies of all sizes.

Payroll and HR applications can be seamlessly linked to biometric fingerprint readers. Employees then scan their fingers when they arrive at the office and again when they leave at the end of the day or shift. At the end of the month the company payroll is automatically calculated based on the employees’ attendance as registered by the fingerprint reader.

Unauthorised entry into the workplace creates potential threats of theft, injury to people and damage to property. With a biometric access control system, instead of visitors writing in a visitor book, the visitor’s ID number, car registration and contact details are entered on a terminal and a fingerprint is used to ‘sign’. Within seconds, the visitor’s details are checked against a national database and his identity confirmed. The terminal then prints a gate pass with the visitor’s name and the site conditions and he is cleared to proceed.

Crucial factors in the success of a biometric system are the enrolment procedure and user acceptance of the device.

With modern technology, there is no reason why everybody cannot be enrolled on a biometric fingerprint system. Enrolment of all end-users should be regarded as a crucial part of the installation process.

Education about fingerprint technology is also important so that the users know how and what information is collected, what it is used for and how and where it is stored. All this will help in reassuring users and making them feel more comfortable in using the technology.

Biometrics capabilities go way beyond mere access control – integrated into other business solutions, a comprehensive business tool can be created, with which companies can reduce labour costs, increase efficiency and output and drive business value throughout the organisation.

Benefits of biometrics

Accuracy – increases corporate vigilance through precise control of key outcomes in payroll, safety and security. Eliminates constantly recurring costs imposed by access cards, PINS, passwords, logbooks and registers.

Capacity – comprehensive access protection that identifies and records everyone entering and leaving the workplace, including visitors and contractors. Supports existing investments when systems are upgraded to meet changing access needs, without additional per-user charges.

Security – more effective risk management and reduced exposure to potential loss and liability through consistent control of access. Cuts overall losses caused by unauthorised access, including accidents, theft and fraud.

Integrity – protects every part of a business through universal control of physical and logical access. Eradicates duplicate costs for multiple access systems and databases, minimising integration costs across different business functions.

Speed – accelerates administration processes with reliable, realtime data for workforce management. Minimises the impact on productivity by cutting queue times and clocking times.

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