Darren Gamage welcomes biometric security and its commercial applications, but there are concerns about data integrity that must be overcome first.
How ironic: I found myself sat in a hospital ward thinking about the impending piece that I now write, contemplating how the world of biometrics has become an increasingly prominent part of our lives. To get to the bedside, I had placed my finger against the reader (having already forgotten that I had provided my fingerprint) and, that having gained entry, the facial recognition system that sat within the nursing station had further verified the fact that I was who I said I was and associated me with the patient who I’d come to see.
Biometrics — something beyond the complaints of big brother and impositions upon civil liberties that we too often hear? Nah! To me this is part of the norm, part of the “secure environment” in which we live and which protects us.
However, the world of biometrics is changing quickly as the commercial world wakes up to the power of the personal profile in driving new revenue channels or supporting existing ones. Whereas five years ago the cost of biometric systems meant that the focus and key driver was in managing access to buildings or areas within the high security and CNI arenas, today businesses like ISS (much to the RMT union’s chagrin) and MITIE are using systems to manage time, attendance, and staff verification, whilst the likes of Dell with their XPS laptops and Fast Access systems, and Apple with their iPhone 5s are very much recognizing the opportunities to be gained by integrating biometrics as key features of their offerings.
This, according to a recent edition of I-D, is creating an arms race amongst app developers who are already clambering to work with the likes of banks and online payment providers to use these platforms to enhance remote banking, and remove cash and credit cards at the point of payment. All this despite the fact that to date Apple has stated they won’t grant access to this functionality.
Nowhere has this opportunity been better realized than in the highly competitive retail and leisure environments where forward-thinking organizations are looking to harness the powers to enhance protection, reduce risk, analyze activity, and increase customer spend through improved targeting.
Facewatch
In the realms where non-employee theft is conducted by a regular group of transient individuals, the use of facial recognition systems is being combined with innovative systems such as “Facewatch”, used to identify known offenders and to support organizations in reducing their losses. A system that, with the support of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and other senior police officers, has allowed organizations to support the crime reporting process and share data between subscribers. Taken a stage further, savvy support services businesses are looking to add value to their customers by offering a managed service enabling the benefits without impacting on the retail duties of their own staff.
Read the complete article HERE.
Darren Gamage, Managing Director – Technology Services, MITIE Total Security Management