Page 57 - Security Today, March 2018

Upon arriving at work, employees stand in front of a reader that compares the iris against those stored on the database. By using mul- tiple readers, employers can eliminate the long lines associated with standard time clocks.
When most people hear about an iris recognition system they might think of it being used at a military base, pharmaceutical manu- facturing facility or a high-rise office tower, but iris-based time and attendance systems are being used around the world, often in very surprising locations.
A Case Study
Here’s an example of how systems are being used in remote Turkish fruit farms owned and operated by Anadolu Etap, one of Europe’s largest juice providers.
Time and attendance is a major challenge in an area where em- ployees arrive daily looking for work. If hired, they might work a few days then leave before returning a week or more later. Traditional time-keeping systems are virtually impossible to manage.
The grower’s security integrator recommended trying smart cards. But that wasn’t much help as authorizing, printing, distributing and tracking cards for thousands of on-and-off workers continued the human resources nightmare. Improper use of the cards, such as bud- dy punching, threatened to cut into the company’s profits.
Next, Anadolu Etap tried fingerprint and facial recognition read- ers. Scars, facial hair, glasses and protective gear ruled out those tech- nologies. This is when iris recognition technology got its chance, but there were still challenges to overcome.
The system had to be easy for workers to learn and use. It had to work in bright sunlight and in the wide temperature extremes found
in open fields. Those fields suffered frequent power blackouts and the system needed to send daily time reports to Anadolu Etap’s Istanbul headquarters.
During field tests workers had no problems using the system. Small, three-sided shelters protected readers from direct sunlight. The integrator installed heaters for the occasional cold morning. The installation of uninterrupted power supply (UPS) units eliminated blackout concerns.
In the Field
A wireless wide area network installed in each field communicates with company headquarters via satellite. Using the WAN and the biometric system’s integrated software, daily reports were received and linked with the grower’s human resources module to automati- cally calculate payroll.
Once a worker is in the system, it doesn’t matter how often he leaves and returns. The system immediately recognizes him. Anadolu Etap now has more than 10,000 enrolled workers, with more being added almost daily.
Iris recognition systems still remain a top choice for protecting sensitive locations and national identity, voter registration and bor- der crossings around the world, but recent reduc-
tions in both product and deployment costs have
made using the technology a practical time and attendance investment for organizations of al- most any size and in any location.
Mohammed Murad is vice president, global devel- opment and sales for Iris ID.
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