Finger on the pulse

There is a perception amongst many security planners that implementing biometrics is not only expensive - it can be very problematic. Doubts have been cast as to whether fingerprint biometrics are completely accurate when they rely so heavily on a feature that can so easily be alerted by, for example, abrasions or dirt - which pose particular problems in high-security areas such as immigration. However, manufacturers are keen to point out that this may have been true a few years ago, but it is no longer the case. Focusing on fingerprint and IRIS recognition in particular, Andrew Fulton, business development director, CEM Systems argues that the technology has become much more powerful and robust in recent years, while the costs have also fallen to the point where all the old objections no longer stand.

He says his company´s solutions have been particularly popular in airports, ports, universities, petrochemicals, hospitals, prisons and courts. "There are many different types of biometrics that offer customers a further layer of authentication, for example fingerprint, iris scan, hand geometry, facial recognition etc. Each type has different benefits and vulnerabilities. Fingerprint and iris recognition have proved the most popular methodologies - a key factor in CEM´s choice to provide full integration of these technologies into the AC2000 system.

"The risk of biometric data loss has in the past reduced the industry confidence for large scale deployments. The CEM biometric solutions eradicate this risk, as biometric templates are encrypted and stored as a numerical value on the access control system, as opposed to being stored as a fingerprint image on a smart card."

CEM has developed a fully integrated access control and biometric template management solution (eg S610f reader can be used with its AC2000 SE system) which covers every requirement, from the enrolment stage right through to biometric verification at the door.

Fingerprint templates are captured on the enrolment station at the same time as the cardholders´ details and image, and then saved to the AC2000 server rather than just an ID smart card. Cards are then issued and biometric templates are distributed via the access control system network to the CEM S610f reader at the door - eliminating the need for an additional biometric network and enrolment process.

With fingerprint templates saved to the server rather than just the ID card, should staff cards become lost they can quickly be re-issued from the fingerprint data held on the server.

The readers feature an internal database which holds up to 123,000 fingerprint templates, providing full off-line biometric and card verification and reliable decision-making at the door, even if communication to the access control host is not available. This added layer of security offers customers the highest level of resilience and reliability, argues the company.

For greater ease-of-use the S610f reader has a large backlit graphical LCD which will display a number of predefined messages such as ´place Finger´, ´retry finger´, ´bad biometric´, ´lost/stolen card´, ´card about to expire´, ´access granted´ etc. These messages can be modified via the AC2000 software or translated into local languages.

IDTECK says it has focused on improving the ease of use and security of its biometric technologies, and as a result delivered some important solutions for major users - recently, for example, it provided the state-of-the-art access system for U-City in Seongnam, Korea. In this case the solution incorporated fingerprint readers, smart card readers, access control panels and access control management software.

IDTECK offers a choice of standalone and network finger biometric and facial recognition systems, as well as credential-reader peripherals with Wiegand formats and various outputs. One important application, the company points out, is time and attendance not just security. IDTECK offers a range of stand-alone fingerprint readers which are particularly suited for this – and it recently reported that the Italian embassy in Korea has installed one of its systems.

What about if people have dirt or abrasions on their hands? In extreme cases this can cause difficulties, but these days it isn’t the problem that it used to be. For example, when fingerprint templates are enrolled on CEM´s access control system, approximately 12 grid reference points are stored. If large amounts of dirt/abrasions are present it could affect the fingerprint reading, however as long as a percentage of the grid reference points are matched, a positive fingerprint verification can be achieved.

An alternative approach, favoured by Kimaldi, is finger vein biometrics. The company argues that this method offers advantages over other forms of biometrics as face, palm, iris or fingerprint biometrics. Among benefits, it highlights high precision identification and tolerance to finger surface degradation, which is a potential problem in, for example, harsh environments such as chemical plants, hard industry, and construction.

Another benefit is higher security, with the impossibility of forging the biometric patterns. Kimaldi says identification speeds are comparable to fingerprint, considerably faster than palm vascular biometrics and much faster than iris recognition.

The FingerVein system is being offered for high security environments such as power stations, police, army and government sites, corporate headquarters, and banks. It is available in two versions. The offline version features TCP/IP connectivity, with remote software and self-controlled operation; the online version gives total flexibility, being controlled in real time by remote software application.

Finger vascular biometrics can also be combined with other identification technologies like RFID (13,56 MHz and 125 kHz), smart card and electronic ID cards. Meanwhile, The new HID bioCLASS RKLB57 is a read-only, contactless smart card reader with a keypad and biometric sensor that provides access control verification and fingerprint enrolment all in one reader. It provides three levels of security, including card/biometric fingerprint, card/PIN and card/fingerprint/PIN.

The RKLB57 utilises dual-purpose field enrolment readers for enrolment and access. It is easy to use, with a simple enrolment process. It´s designed as a single unit (enroller, reader or reader/enroller) that can be easily installed, field-configured and customised, including language selection, to meet the users´ needs. The bioCLASS family also includes the RWKLB575 reader/writer with keypad and biometric sensor that provides access control verification, in addition to host-controlled read/write to iCLASS smart cards.

Finally, if you´re looking for a portable unit, the latest option from CEM, released this December, is the fully integrated S3020f. What is the advantage of a portable system? It is designed to allow a head count of individuals in a defined area, to help prevents card sharing and allow spot checks on a set group of people in a particular zone. For example, patrolling checks can be performed on workers coming into construction sites, or on buses to ensure that all passengers have authorised access.

With a large internal database, the S3020f reader holds up to 100,000 card/fingerprint records. It has a central charging cradle for system updates, and using 802.11g WiFi connectivity the reader can connect to the AC2000 system remotely via WiFi every 15 minutes. This ensures that data is updated to the central access control database at regular intervals. The S3020f reader also supports multiple technologies including HID iClass, 13.56MHz MiFare Smartcard, 13.56MHz DESFire Smartcard CSN 32bit and Pico Pass Sector Read technology.

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