SECURITY
There are three main reasons why biometrics is popular with facilities managers:
1. Security and accuracy You can’t share your fingers, you can’t lose your face, you can’t leave your eyeball at home – in short, biometrics can’t be faked or lost or shared, so you are guaranteed that it will always be 100% accurate.
2. Cost As with every new technology, when biometrics was first introduced 20 years ago, the cost made it prohibitive for most buildings. Over time the price has decreased, so it is within reach of most facilities budgets.
It can be more cost effective than using card security. Clients who use card security find that the annual cost of lost cards can run into thousands, by the time temporary cards are reprogrammed and issued, old cards taken off the system and replacements bought.
3. Sophistication Initially, biometric systems were slow and fiddly, as you had to get your fingerprint in precisely the right position for them to work. This could cause long queues to get into buildings – something no facilities manager wants to see.
However, now they are lightning fast and far more responsive, with a whole range of different technologies available and a bewildering array of suppliers in the market.
SO WHICH INDUSTRIES ARE NOW USING BIOMETRIC SECURITY?
Education: With increasing pressure being placed on universities by the Home Office to keep accurate records attendance, biometric security can help universities verify numbers who have registered and are turning up to classes. And in schools where attendance is a problem, biometrics can provide a robust roll-call of pupils.
Tech companies: Tech companies are attracted to biometrics for two main reasons. Firstly, for many, stringent security procedures - sometimes guided by ISO 27,001 Information Security Management - are essential to protect sensitive information. Biometrics is ideal for restricting access to their communications and server rooms. Secondly, it demonstrates they are at the leading edge of technology and take security seriously.
Defence & pharmaceuticals: Biometrics eliminates any chance of security access being shared or stolen, so is perfect for industries which face potential threats to security such as terrorism, espionage or extreme activism.
They can adjust their levels of security, depending on the intelligence they have received: a normal card for everyday use, a card +and PIN for a slighter higher threat level, and then, at times of extreme danger, involve biometrics.
www.tomorrowsfm.com
Construction: The construction industry faces major security and safety issues. Project managers can’t have just anyone wandering onto site and health and safety is always a top priority. For example, a crane operator might do a long shift on one site then go straight to another one – risking not just their safety but that of everyone else as well. Biometric security can ensure that crane operator doesn’t exceed their maximum safe hours of work.
Facial recognition is growing in popularity on construction sites because it is more effective in dirty environments than fingerprint technology. These systems are also critical when reviewing payment requests as they can ensure the various trades are working their allotted hours.
Retail, leisure & sport: When used with CCTV, biometrics can be used to identify people who are known security threats, shoplifters, troublemakers banned from entry to a particular site and criminals. Their faces can be uploaded from a central or criminal database and recognised by the system as soon as they enter an area.
The facial recognition software used in biometrics also has great potential for marketing in the leisure and retail industries.
It can be used to track the demographics of who is visiting, how long they stay for, what their age profile is and their gender. This provides valuable analysis of buyer behaviour and demographic information to drive the retail mix.
Government: Biometrics are a valuable resource for securing government buildings against terrorism and in law enforcement, where facial recognition technology can be linked to the police database and used in CCTV to identify criminals. Its ability to recognise patterns and clothing type and colour can also have the potential to be used to find missing people. In the future, as well as features, it may be able to recognise body language to identify suspicious behaviour.
I am convinced that biometrics are the future for security systems. They’re fast and efficient and have the potential to be used in a whole range of applications.
I do understand that some people are wary, and view it as an invasion of privacy, however, it must be made clear that the systems aren’t collecting and holding any personal information.
Biometric technology can most definitely enhance your security and add value to your organisation. You’ll be surprised who could benefit from the type of data that biometrics can provide. It is worth conducting your research and discussing its introduction with all your stakeholders.
At the very least, biometrics will make your life easier so you can concentrate on the more important aspects of your role.
www.welcomegate.com TOMORROW’S FM | 43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62