Biometric technology advances have brought high-tech fingerprint scanning out of the realm of sci-fi and security applications and into the world of the consumer.
However, for use in server cabinet or data center security, the upside of top-notch protection is being seen as more beneficial than any overriding concerns in the private sector.
Implications for industry security
As Minnesota senator Al Franken (D) and other members of Congress along with financial and health care industry executives debate the privacy issue, various industries continue to discover how protect their physical and intellectual properties and not wade into the privacy morass. Biometric News recently discussed the pros and cons of biometric security and how successfully the technology can protect an industry’s assets. Logical access instead of password protection is seen as a more secure way of controlling both a company’s physical plant and their logical and proprietary applications. This discipline ultimately contributes to an increased infrastructure protection and an enhanced bottom line.
Customization of the technology also can make it more user-friendly and companies are able to tailor-make their security operations to dovetail with the biometric technology they choose. For example, a multi-modality system, explained the article, gives a company “the ability to customize their application and have it based upon environmental and/or ethnicity factors, as well as a host of other variables which are required by the deployment environment.” This allows a company to concentrate their security dollars and efforts specifically on targeted areas.
Biometrics can make mandated changes easier and more effective
Another concern of many companies is the current mandate that all paper records must be digitized and made electronic by the end of 2014. Biometric security looms large as a technology that can effectively collate the information and make the switchover happen as is evidenced by the recent changeover by one company in the UK. an article at Findbiometrics.com, showed how a major British company made the changeover. This company is using its technology to track employee comings-and-goings and, according to the article, is simple to use.
“Employees simply touch the scanners while checking in for work as the system compares the submitted print to a template.” “Successful matches have their punch-in and out data sent to central control software which can be mined for department specific employee data reports.” This eliminates most threats of fraudulent behavior and allows companies to more accurately manage performance, employ quicker sign-in procedures and to streamline payroll.
By streamlining their electronic security more companies are turning to biometric technology because the high-tech answer to asset protection is also a means of saving money and that is something every company strives to do. Working to secure their data centers and information in a safe and efficient manner will have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line because potential loss cost is reduced.
Biometrics give providers and job seekers more options in the marketplace and allows executives to say they are protecting their proprietary information along with patient data in a practical and cutting-edge manner. Washington is working on protective guidelines for biometric technology. Cutting-edge companies are also starting to employ and install biometrics to great success and acclaim.
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