Page 84 - Security Today, November 2017

BEST PRACTICES
BIOMETRIC IDEAS
What every integrator should know about the solution
o best leverage the advantages of biometrics, integrators should follow the tips outlined below to take advantage of the primary benefits of biometrics, which
are enhanced security and convenience. These two benefits are very important, as security prevents unauthorized access by someone misusing an authorized ID badge, and convenience prevents accidental lockout when a user forgets or loses their ID badge.
While fingerprint readers are becom- ing more accurate, there still may be times when some users’ fingerprints cannot be recognized. This is most often due to chang- ing environmental variables and/or lack of user-training. Here are some useful tips to improve fingerprint recognition.
Be mindful if a user successfully enrolled their fingerprint, you should be able to match that same fingerprint 100 percent of the time. If however, a previous successfully enrolled finger cannot be subsequently matched, then assume something has changed since you last successfully enrolled that same user’s fin- gerprint. There are several possibilities.
• The finger has become dirty. (Washing it
should solve the problem.)
• The finger has become scratched. (Try
enrolling a different finger.)
• The fingerprint sensor has become dirty.
(Try cleaning it with a lint-free cloth.)
• There is insufficient moisture on their fin- ger. (They should rub their finger against their forehead or cheek to obtain oil from their skin and try again. Fingerprints are just like rubber stamps. If a rubber stamp has too little ink, then it makes a poor image. Rubber stamps need ink. Finger-
prints need moisture.)
• The biometric reader has become dam-
aged. Contact your supplier to have the reader fixed or replaced.
If you are unable to enroll a user’s finger-
prints, try lowering the threshold setting on the reader, which desensitizes the fingerprint scanner, or change from 1:N fingerprint- matching to 1:1 fingerprint-matching*.
It is possible the condition of the work-
place (i.e. dirty/dusty), weather (very cold/ arid) or employee demographics (ages younger than 10 years or older than 65 years) may contribute to less than optimal fingerprint recognition results. If this is the case, then consider other biometric tech- nologies that are not obscured by working conditions, such as face recognition, vein- pattern recognition or iris recognition.
Lastly, it’s possible that based on your environment, users and/or budget that a tra- ditional card-based access control system is best suited for you.
Biometrics is a “credential,” just as metal keys, access badges or PIN codes. Each cre- dential has its advantages and disadvantages. Under certain circumstances, every type of credential can fail or have difficulty, includ- ing a metal key that wasn’t copied precisely and can’t open a door lock easily. Likewise,
biometrics requires the cooperation of us- ers. If they need access, they will learn how to “cooperate” with the biometric reader. But, unless the owner/manager ensures their employees are “cooperating,” employees will not often cooperate and claim the biometric reader doesn’t work.
Biometrics does provide the highest level of security and convenience. But just like a slightly imperfect metal key, biometrics re- quires the cooperation of users to make it work.
Larry Reed is CEO of ZKAccess.
*Note that 1:1 matching requires the user first enter their User ID# prior to presenting their fingerprint. Although 1:1 matching is a 2-step process, 1:1 actual “matching process” is faster and more reliable than 1:N matching.
By Larry Reed
DS10
1117 | DEALER STRATEGIES
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