Biometrics Security News and Information

Nigeria And It's Financial System

A Financial Type Of Partnership

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “Precise Biometrics” (I have written about them a few times in the past in previous Postings-this Vendor is actively in various National ID Card Programs) with a top “financial solutions provider” known as “Interswitch”, based out of Nigeria.

This Strategic Partnership is geared exclusively to the Banking Sector in Nigeria:  “Precise Biometrics has entered into a strategic partnership with Interswitch - one of the leading African financial solution providers based in Nigeria. The aim is to supply fingerprint recognition with Precise Match-on-Card(TM) to bank applications. The partnership is already engaged in a first project, which will provide license sales at a minimum of € 200,000 in 2009 . . . the partnership between Precise Biometrics and Interswitch aims at building and promoting biometric Match-on-Card solutions for the bank segment in Africa.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7255/)

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

I think this is the first time I have written a Posting about the use of Biometrics in a Banking Application, on the African Continent.  Anything related to this topic has always been on the United States, Europe, or the Pacific Rim.  This Strategic Partnership is, in my opinion, is significant for a few reasons.

First, the target market is Nigeria, and based from the Press Release from there I got his story, this country is the largest on the African Continent, in terms of population, of over 150,000 Million people.  This is certainly a strong will of commitment, as there is no doubt, there will be a lot of work and time involved in getting the citizens of Nigeria trained and using this new type Bank Card, as mentioned above in the previous quote. 

Second, one of the primary goals of this new type of Bank Card is to eliminate entirely the use of the old Bank Card system in Nigeria, which utilized a Magnetic Stripe based Bank Card.  This project is expected to be completed by the end of this calendar year (12/31/2009), with another primary goal of having these new types of Bank Cards be compatible with VISA, Europay, as well as Master Card.

Third, this new type of Bank Card is based on the Verve Card Technology,  developed by Interswitch, with increased levels of Security Technology, along with the Biometrics Component included, .  For example, “The Verve card has both international and local security features, and through Interswitch's partnership with Precise Biometrics, it also includes fingerprint recognition and Match-on-Card features. These features are used to control a cardholder's physical presence at the moment of a transaction. With fingerprint recognition and Match-on-Card, banks, governments and organizations increase security internally as well as for customers through personal verification and KYE (Know Your Employee).”  (SOURCE:   http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7255/)

Fourth, Interswitch is also a prime stakeholder for the National ID Card Program in Nigeria.  It will be interesting to see how this new Bank Card fits into the overall Nigerian National ID Card goals and objectives . . . for example, is it possible a National ID Card can be used as a Bank Card as well, and serve two very important functions for the citizens of Nigeria at the same time???

Only time will tell.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7255/

The Martial Arts

A Taekwondo Event

Many of you know me, via these Postings, as a Technical Writer for the Biometrics World.  While Biometrics, Security, and Writing are among some of my biggest passions, so is the world of the Martial Arts.

Tonight, I will be participating in a Taekwondo Event known as "Belt Promotion Testing".  This one is particularly important to me, as i should be reaching the ranks of "1st Geup."  This means, at the next testing which will be held probably by the end of this year, I will be testing for my second black belt in Taekwondo, or my "1st Degree Black Belt".  This means, that after successfully passing, I will be recognized by the Kukkiwon (headquarters for the World Taekwondo Federation) based out Seoul, South Korea, as a 1st Degree Black Belt.

Watch for regular Postings once again starting on Monday!!!!

 

Biometrics And The Belgian Army

Monitoring The Work Time Of The Soldier

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “QiSQi Biometrics” has a developed and implemented a Biometric Solution for a Division of the Belgian Army.  The Solution is known as “Byos”. 

Here are some of the details of this implementation for the Belgian Army:  “The [Byos] algorithm is top ranked, gives the full warranty of privacy, obtains the precious international certificates, and above all, it is tremendous fast and accurate . . . In fraction of second and with one single finger, the soldier gets the information of starting time and working time, general or personalized messages on screen. Byos is network based and one administrator controls all different departments to ensure the privacy of soldiers. We do not store the fingerprints, only encrypted templates of the fingerprints.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7251/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Apparently, for this Vendor, developing the actual Biometric Solution did not take very long, it was meeting the very stringent requirements of the Belgian Army which took it time to implement.  At this point, you may be wondering, what is all the excitement about this Biometric Solution???

Well, in my almost one year now of writing Postings about Biometrics, this is the first time I have come across a news story of a Biometrics/Security Vendor which has developed a Time and Attendance Biometric Solution specifically for an Army Division.  All of the Postings I have written about with regards to Time and Attendance have been for Market Applications with regards to hourly employees in manufacturing or retail settings, or to reduce the fraud known as “Buddy Punching.”  I guess I was under the impression soldiers were salaried Government Employees, not hourly.

As much as I have been critical of the Federal Government for being the biggest player in the Biometrics Industry, honestly speaking, it has been the US Military, as well as the Department of Defense, which  in my opinion, have been the biggest proponents for the use of Biometrics.  It will be interesting to see if other Militaries around the world embrace and adopt Biometrics in the same way. 

Who knows, maybe the Belgian Army could be a precedence???

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7251/

A New Trend Emerging In Biometric Partnerships???

A Biometrics Partnership Formed In The Netherlands

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “Softpro” and the Netherlands Forensic  Institute (also known as the “NFI”) has just announced a Strategic Partnership.  The Partnership is focused strictly upon Signature Recognition.  It is hoped through this Partnership that the NFI will lend its expertise in Forensics to the Vendor in order to leverage more advanced Signature Recognition Technology, and likewise, the NFI will utilize the Vendor’s existing Signature Recognition Technologies and Solutions.

Here are some more objectives of between the Vendor and the NFI:  “The organizations plan to cooperate on research projects for the advancement of signature verification. Research topics will include enhanced methods and tools for aiding forensic experts, cleaning of signatures (filter image components which do not belong to signatures), signature complexity analysis and sophisticated detection of forgeries.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7248/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

There is another ultimate goal of this Strategic Partnership, which is to help reduce and curtail check fraud.  Recently, in all of the Postings I have written, there seems to be an upward trend forming with regards to an increase in the number of Strategic Partnerships being formed in the Security Industry, especially in Biometrics.  These types of Partnerships have been forecasted for a long time, but it seemed just as the Global Recession peaked, this trend almost came to a grinding halt.  Is this increasing trend a sign that the Global Recession could be very slowly coming to an end? 

I don’t have the answer to that question, but I will say it is very encouraging, in my opinion, to see the Private Sector come out more in the news, rather than just the Federal Government all of the time.  It doesn’t matter whether it is here in the United States or any other part of the world, whenever there is increased activity in the Private Sector, it is certainly good news.

Also, this is the first time in a long time I have seen a Strategic Partnership formed to address the issues and future of a specific Biometric Technology.  All of the Partnerships I have written about this year so far have been about Biometric/Security Vendors coming together with complementary Biometric Solutions to address a general need, such as the National ID Card, the e-Passport, or Border Control.  It will be interesting to see if these types of Strategic Partnerships are formed for the Biometric Technologies as well.

Could this be a new trend forming as well?  I will keep my eyes open and keep you updated . . . . . .   

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7248/

A Precedence for Best Practices And Standards In Biometrics???

Software For Biometrics

Some time ago, I had written a Posting about the importance of software development in Biometrics.  While we often think of the various Biometric Technologies in terms of hardware, the actual software side is just important.  While in a stand alone version software may not be as crucial, but in a typical Client Server Topology, Software becomes very important, as multiple Biometric Devices are linked together to a central server (this is primarily where all of the Biometric Templates are stored, and where the Verification and/or Identification transactions take place).  Along with the data packets and network setup, the software is the other part of the equation which lets the individual Biometric Devices communicate with each other as well as the central server.

Well, a Biometrics Security Vendor known as “DigitalPersona, Inc.”, has come out into the forefront with a new Software Development Kit designed exclusively for its own Biometric Hardware and Devices.  This allows for software developers to create the customized needed, according to their clients requirements.  The software package is called the “One Touch ID Software Development Kit”.

Here are some details of it: “With the One Touch I.D. SDK, applications can leverage fingerprint biometrics to rapidly identify individuals without requiring users to remember usernames, ID numbers, PINs or swipe cards - providing greater differentiation for developers, as well as higher efficiency and satisfaction for customers. The SDK also helps applications combat "double-dipping" fraud by identifying people trying to hide behind multiple identities to inappropriately gain access to services, entitlements or employment . “  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7246/)

Other features of the SDK also include:

“* High accountability at the touch of a finger—enables rapid and accurate identification of users in less than a second.

* Enhances security— eliminates "double-dipping" fraud in real-time during enrollment or as an off-hours database scan.

* Significantly reduces helpdesk costs and increases productivity--does away with the need to remember usernames, ID numbers, PINs or swipe cards.

* Offers a fast, efficient application development--provides a .NET programming interface to address developer needs and allow for easier application development.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7246/

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

There are a number of things with this new SDK which caught my attention and intrigue.  First, it is created so that Software Applications can be quickly developed and implemented (this is assuming of course the customer does not keep changing requirements all of the time). It is meant to have what is known as “Touch and Go” Biometrics, meaning there is very little time wasted in Verification and/or Identification, from the standpoint of the SDK. 

Second, as mentioned in the quote in the Posting, it is designed to be compatible with the Windows Vista Operating System, and the ASP.NET Development Framework.  In my opinion, this is very important, because the upcoming Windows 7 OS has a component known as the “Windows Biometric Framework”, which is the biometric component of the OS, which allows for very advanced types of Fingerprint Recognition to be implemented. 

Third, this SDK comes with a Best Practices Guide, which provides benchmarks into creating robust biometric software applications.  Obviously, I have come across Best Practice Guides for various types of SDK’s, but this is the first time I have seen one specifically for a Biometric SDK.  Hopefully this sets some sort of precedence for a listing of Best Practices and Standards for the Biometric Industry worldwide, which in my opinion, is greatly needed.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7246/

The Old Fashioned Security Technologies

CCTV Cameras

I have written a few Postings in the past about CCTV Cameras, and other types of Video Surveillance Technologies.  CCTV Cameras have been around for quite some time, and I guess in lots of ways, can be considered to be a old, but very reliable means of Security, as well as for Verifying and/or Identifying people.  It has noted successes throughout the world, especially in Europe, concentrating on the United Kingdom.  CCTV Cameras are literally all over the place in London, and they are a very effective means of helping to protect the public.  In fact , the CCTV Camera Technology has advanced very quickly, that it is on par even with the technology levels of the Smart Card. 

Well, a Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “3VR Security, Inc.” has just received a series of private funding from a Company known as “Menlo Ventures”.  The funding is valued at $12 Million, a very significant chunk of change.

Here is some background information into this Biometrics/Security Vendor:  “Founded in 2002, 3VR pioneered the first intelligent video surveillance solution, which has become a new standard for the security surveillance market. In the past year, the company has released its S-Series SmartRecorder, a game-changing new platform surveillance solution, forged channel partnerships with industry leaders including Diebold and Ingersoll Rand, and continued to build its base of over 600 customers in industries ranging from retail and hospitality to banking and government. Today, 3VR leads the market with the largest private facial recognition deployment in the world, the most accurate facial surveillance recognition technology and the industry’s most sophisticated integrated video management solution overall.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7233/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

In the face of this Global Recession, it’s good to hear that there is still some private investing going on, and in fact, this is the first I have heard in a long time of such a venture.  What is even more significant about this to me is the use of Biometrics, especially Facial Recognition, with Video Surveillance.  This provides for a very powerful Security Suite, especially in real time. 

This to me, is like an ultimate for a Multimodal Security Solution (of course, the term ultimate is loosely used here, as Security Technology both in the Biometrics and Non Biometrics is always evolving and changing).  For example, “The ability to combine advanced analytics and biometrics into a single surveillance platform with simple integration options is one of the most significant developments in the history of the security industry.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7233/

Watch for more Postings On the CCTV Camera and Video Surveillance Markets, as I am sure more news will be evolving.  After all, sometimes it is the old fashioned Security Technologies which still is the most effective way to Verify and/or Identify individuals.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7233/

Biometrics And The Value Of Strategic Partnerships

Bringing Biometrics To A Specific Platform

Another Strategic Partnership has been announced between two Biometrics/Security Vendors.  They are known as “SecuGen” and “Valid Technologies”.  The former has a series of Single Sign Solutions as part of its Product Offerings, and the latter has a Software Security System to protect specific computing platforms such as IBM, Linux, Windows, etc.

Here are some details about this Strategic Partnership:  “SecuGen and Valid Technologies are pleased to announce a technology and marketing partnership to deliver strong user authentication solutions to IBM enterprise computing customers. As a result of this partnership, the Valid Technologies VSSA Strong User Authentication solution will include support for SecuGen biometric matching technologies and the SecuGen Hamster family of biometric fingerprint readers.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7225/)

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Well, it’s good to see the Private Sector is now coming up in recent weeks in Biometrics Industry.  For the longest time, it seemed that (and it still seems like) the Federal Government has been the biggest player.  I may sound like a broken record, but it so refreshing to see these Strategic Partnerships being created in the face of this horrible Global Recession.

Also, it appears that another trend could be emerging, which is these types of Strategic Partnerships being formed to address specific Information Technology Platforms, from a Biometrics and a Security standpoint.  I just wrote a Posting recently about another Strategic Partnership being formed to address the needs surrounding the Windows Biometrics Framework, which is contained in Windows 7. 

It would be nice to see these types of Partnerships being formed as new I.T. Platforms, Operating Systems, Web Browsers, come out, in order to keep up with the ever growing Security Threats and Risks posed to them.  Who knows, maybe the pace of Research and Development and Biometrics Innovation could be greatly enhanced and accelerated by these of Strategic Partnerships, rather than Biometrics/Security Vendors doing it all on their own.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7225/

The "Right" Biometric Technologies To Use

Protecting The Youth Of America

For parents, protecting their children while they surf the Internet is of prime concern, and there are often times when parents will not be able to watch over their children’s shoulders as they use their computer and use their Web Browser.

As a result, there has been a push in the Security Industry and even among the Internet Service Providers and Cable Providers to provide Security Tools to protect their children as they use the Internet, do e-mail, Instant Messaging, etc.  Well, in an effort to continue with this trend and to provide better Security Measures, a partnership between two Security Vendors has been announced.  The Security Vendors are known as “Dolphin Digital Media, Inc.”, and “UPEK, Inc.” (I have written about the latter in previous Postings).  The former Security Vendor will soon be launching a  Security Product called “Dolphin Secure”.

Here are the details of the partnership, and some of the goals expected from this partnership:  “UPEK's Eikon Digital Privacy Manager is a USB peripheral that uses the same proven UPEK technology integrated into many laptops to offer the strongest fingerprint authentication security available along with the convenience of simply swiping a finger instead of typing passwords. By using the Eikon fingerprint reader and subscribing to Dolphin Secure, parents can rest assured that their kids are safe when they surf the Internet and interact online with friends . . . Designed to eliminate the online anonymity that causes problems like cyber-bullying, Dolphin Secure lets families take advantage of all the social and educational benefits of the web, while giving parents the power to guide that experience — even when they're not around. Dolphin Secure sets the standard for online safety by overcoming the inherent weaknesses of a password system and requiring a fingerprint authentication every time a user wants to go online.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7226/)

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

In all of the topics I have written about in this past year, this is the first time I have written about a Posting about Internet Safety and Security for children.  To me, this is a very important area which deserves a lot of attention, and also, could prove to have great market potential.

I will for sure keep my eye out on this topic, and write future Postings .  One thought that comes across my mind is what other Biometric Tools are being used to protect children as they surf the web.  I have written a lot about the other Biometric Technologies, and the Privacy Rights Issues which are associated with them. 

It seems to me, these Privacy Rights Issues could be multiplied greater when dealing with such a sensitive safe Internet usage for children.  Right now, at least in terms of the Physical Biometric Technologies, it is Hand Geometry Recognition and Fingerprint Recognition which have the least Privacy Rights Issues associated with them.  So in my opinion, it is better to stick with these two Biometric Technologies to protect children as they use the Internet, as these seem to the “right ones” to use.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7226/

The Recurring Biometric Themes In 2009

The Biggest Security Contract???

A Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “4G Identity Solutions Pvt Ltd.”, based out of Andhra Pradesh, has just announced it has been awarded the largest Iris Recognition Contract ever.  This Security Contract was awarded by the Government of India.  According to the Security Contract, 90+ Million subjects will be evaluated, and it is worth an estimated $6 Million.

Here are the specific details of it:  “The contract calls for the consolidation and de-duplication of existing database of 82 million citizen demographic details with iris codes of 56 million citizens. These people were enrolled in separate regional databases over the last four years. Due to the limitations of the original enrollment application, the databases could not be consolidated, nor could they be checked for fraud resulting from duplicate enrollments. 4G ID will be responsible for performing over 6.26 quadrillion (6,262,668,889,152,840) iris matches in search of duplicate enrollments. In addition, 4G will be employing demographic matching software to search for duplicate enrollments in records where no irises were enrolled. To accomplish this task in sixty days, 4G ID will deploy a farm of blade servers, L-1 Identity Solutions’ SIRIS matching engine with the next generation algorithms by Dr. John Daugman and 4G ID’s Multi-biometric Identity Platform.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7220/).

In addition to this gargantuan Iris Recognition Project, this Biometrics/Security Vendor will also be responsible for creating an Internet based Application Process to help create and provide support for what is known as a “Citizen ID Program” to serve the needs of the citizens of the province of Andhra Pradesh, which is some 90+ Million people.  The main objectives of this component of the Security Contract are to “ . . . support enrollment, fraud screening, and management reporting . . . will be the largest unique ID management system in the world.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7220/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

From what I can discern, it appears that one of the primary objectives in the awarding of this massive Security Contract is to help reduce fraud, and to reduce duplicate Federal Government efforts when it comes out to giving social services to the citizens.  In other words, efficiency and effectiveness are the key buzzwords when citizens are applying for and receiving Federal Government money and benefits.   It is also hoped that this results of this Security Contract will serve as a model to other nations around the world.

In my years in the Biometrics Industry, I have never seen such a enormous Security Contract awarded before.  Not so much from the monetary value of it, but from the standpoint of the metrics it is set out to accomplish, as mentioned in the quote in the second paragraph. 

But, this reflects trends which are not just happening here in the United States, but now worldwide as well so far in 2009:  1)  The Federal Government being the biggest customer of Biometrics; 2)  Iris Recognition being the predominant Biometric Technology of the year so far (this is my opinion); and 3)  The recognition of the need for some sort of Secure ID Card, whether it is on the National, State, or Local levels.

Well, only 4 more months of the year to go, let’s see if these trends still continue, or new ones emerge….

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7220/

Three For The Price Of One???

Biometric Orders For The Military

A leading and major Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc.” has just announced that it has received a major Security Contract for its mobile Biometric Systems, known as “HIDE” and “PIER”.  The dollar amount is in excess of $9 Million.

Here are the details:  “L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of identity solutions and services, received new orders totaling $9.6 million for HIIDE and PIER mobile biometric recognition systems to be deployed in areas of conflict as part of existing customer agreements. Two thirds of the HIIDE order and all of the PIERs are expected to ship in the third quarter. The remaining HIIDEs will be shipped in Q4 2009. The order was received by the Biometrics Division of L-1.”  (SOURCE:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7217/).

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

The HIDE Biometric Device is actually a tri-modal Biometric Technology.  It incorporates Iris Recognition, Facial Recognition, and Fingerprint Recognition.  The PIER Biometric Device uses Iris Recognition.  These Biometric Devices are dominant in the Military Sector, with 10,000+ and 4,500+ Biometric Devices being deployed, respectively.

I have written many, many times about Multimodal Biometric Solutions.  However, I have always written them in the context of just of two Biometric Technologies being employed, and if there were more than just two involved in a Multimodal Security System, the other Biometric Technologies were configured into independent systems, but used in the layered approach.  This is the first time I have come across a Biometric Technology which offers three Biometric Technologies into one system. 

Perhaps this could be an emerging market trend.  Probably the biggest advantage I see of having a triple layered Biometric System is cost savings.  Rather than having to implement two or three independent Biometric Technologies to create a formidable Multimodal Biometric Solution, you can get three for the price of one.  In today’s Global Recession, you certainly can’t beat that.

Source for this Posting:  http://findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/7217/