Biometric technology is fast emerging as one of the more affordable, more compact and useful technologies available to consumers. This is the view of Teryl Schroenn, chief executive officer at Accsys, a national supplier of payroll, HR, time and attendance and access control solutions.
Biometric technology is loosely defined as that which runs off and is driven by the identification and processing of human characteristics, more specifically that which is detected on fingerprints and in the retina of the eye, among others. It is used extensively within industry, primarily within manufacturing and retail, for access control, time and attendance and security.
Management at Accsys, which incorporates biometric technology as a key area of the business and one that serves as the foundation for a significant aspect of its core offering, believe that intensive ongoing research and development has helped to lower costs and break down a number of barriers to entry for those who service the market as well as those considering investment.
Liam Terblanche, technical director at Accsys, points to the introduction of compact devices that house this technology as evidence of an increase in popularity amongst existing and would-be investors. “We now see that biometric technology within smaller devices, with higher capacity, accuracy and speed, and, thanks to the economies of scale, will become more affordable in the not-too-distant future. However, it must be remembered that there is a strong sociological aspect associated with the use of biometric technology and it does have a bearing on how widely it is assimilated and applied.”
People will not respond favourably to the technology if it feels invasive to acquire access by means of a biometric device. Nor will they use it if it is perceived to infringe on privacy; this technology has to be fast, non-invasive, accurate and universal.
To this end while biometric technology, especially in the form of fingerprint identification has advanced significantly, there is still some work to be done to establish this technology to its fullest potential.
“I think, as processing power and 3D-imaging algorithms improve, one will find facial recognition slowly gaining popularity. With the exception of facial recognition and DNA testing, almost all the other biometric technologies are susceptible to the assumption that the target group complies with the requirement that needs to be measured. In fingerprint, palm and vein scans, one assumes that everyone has fingers, palms, and wrists. In iris scans, what would you do if some of your employees suffer from glaucoma? With token-based access control, such as proximity cards, pins and keys, these limitations do not apply,” he continues.
Anecdotal evidence points to the prevalence of biometric technology in the manufacturing industry. This is primarily driven by the need for access control from a safety perspective, and the monitoring of working hours for remuneration purposes. In other words, biometric penetration is presently being driven by need, not novelty. “When prices come down, ease of use and simplicity might broaden the market for more industries to embrace it,” Terblanche concludes.
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