Biometric security products have become much more popular for businesses and government organizations in recent years, and the demand for more people to engineer and implement biometrics in business is high. If you want to work with biometric systems, you can either take an engineering education and training route or get directly certified to use biometric identification systems.

For engineering the biometrics systems being used in businesses today, you will need to have an engineering or artificial intelligence educational background. Conferences can also provide engineers and professionals with additional information about biometrics systems, while certification courses can be completed without an engineering degree privately or through the military.

Begin your biometrics systems education and training using one of the following options:

1. Get engineering coursework and lab experience through higher education in biometrics systems.
2. Attend biometrics conferences for up-to-date developments.
3. Get certified to work with biometric security products in the workplace.
   

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Learn about biometric security systems through higher education opportunities

The most advanced type of biometrics systems education and training available is to take coursework in biometrics engineering. Other types of engineering or artificial intelligence coursework may also provide biometrics training, as well as work in a university research lab.

I recommend: The SUNY Buffalo Engineering program has a center for biometrics engineering research, where people from all over the university are able to use to advance research in the field and their own knowledge. The UC San Diego extension office also offers coursework in biometric systems engineering.

Learn about recent developments in biometrics systems at academic conferences

The best way to advance your education in biometric security products on an ongoing basis is to attend conferences in biometric regularly. Biometrics conferences and events are open to academic researchers as well as professional developers in the field of biometrics research and design.

I recommend: IEEE has an annual conference on biometric systems relating to security and technology topics. The WAVE Report also offers information from past Biometrics World conferences with information presented by researchers and developers in recent years.

Get certified for working with biometrics in business

For working with biometric systems in business, you may simply need to complete a certification program for working with biometric security technologies. Once you are certified, you will be qualified to work in a variety of industries with biometric products. Biometrics certification and training can be earned in the private sector or with the military.

I recommend: The Certified Biometric Security Professional Institute offers a comprehensive course for getting certified to work with biometrics in business. The U.S. Army also provides a Biometric Enterprise Service Center with training options for working with military and other biometrics security systems.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Whatever your level of education and training, update your knowledge and certifications often to keep your skills current. The best biometric systems are constantly evolving with new technologies, so keep your education up-to-date to remain competitive.

Biometric time clocks – one of the newest time clock systems available today – provide a hand, eye, or finger scanner, which reads and recognizes the employee by his unique biological “markings.” Biometric time and attendance systems mean that when an employee “clocks in,” you have no doubt it is, indeed, that employee clocking in or out – and not his friend punching a time card for him.

Biometric time and attendance systems can:

1) Help eliminate the manual process normally associated with time clocks, and many work with your payroll system, so you can streamline the entire payroll process.
2) Provide the most reliable clock in and out system available, since biometric log-ins cannot be fraudulently entered through “buddy punching” (by a “friend” at the office).
3) Include additional features that will increase your business efficiencies and earn back your investment in no time.
4) Cost less than $1,000.

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Understand the features offered by biometric time and attendance systems

Biometric time clocks offer a wide array of advanced functionality, including payroll integration, scheduling integration, multiple employee departments (to track each group separately), and automated report generation. Know what you need ahead of time to avoid being dazzled by unnecessary bells and whistles.

I recommend: Check out Business.com’s Biometric Systems and scan through the many resources for biometric employee time clock vendors. BuyerZone lists the available systems, and after asking you questions to help pinpoint your company’s specific needs, will send you up to six quotes for biometric time clock systems, punch clocks, swipe cards, and time clock software. Buyer Zone’s Time and attendance solution pricing explains the four variables to the pricing of time and attendance software.

Types of biometric time clocks

Biometric time clocks offer many choices under the “biometric” umbrella – those that use hand scanners, retina-based biometric scanning, or fingerprint identifiers. Consider which of these would be best for your small biz before you invest. Don’t break the bank by buying the highest-tech biometric time and attendance system when a lower-tech, and much less expensive, system is what you need.

I recommend: At GHG corporation, they offer three basic choices of time clock software options: Biometric, Card, and Web. To figure out which is the best fit for your company, check out this side-by-side comparison model. I-employee’s Timesheet Solution gives you many options, one of which is a Biometric Hand Reader.

Choose best options – for your company - among biometric time clocks

Depending on your needs, number of employees, and the type of work you do, your choices for biometric time clocks will vary. A company with 10 employees will probably not want a time clock that is designed for a 500-employee business. If you run a quaint little Italian restaurant, then purchasing a time clock with cost distribution capability (the ability to bill separate clients for time spent on their projects) would be a waste of money for you. If you run a law office, that’s a must-have. Most Web sites and time clock vendors offer different options by company size and applications, so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, ask!

I recommend: Business.com’s Time and Attendance software gives you many choices of time and attendance software suppliers, applications, and specific applications. Visit TimeForce to check out their IQ600 Biometric Time Clocks, which offer secure fingerprint identification, or Qqest’s HandPunch 1000, a biometric time clock that uses hand geometry technology – perfect for an industrial workplace, where dirt and grease are a factor.

Biometric time clocks that grow with your business

Don’t confine yourself to biometric time clock offerings that you’ll be forced to replace when your company expands, and your number of employees or customers increases. Choose a system that will grow with your company, and one in which you can easily add more employees/billing accounts/customers as the need arises.

I recommend: Check out Business.com’s Biometric Time Clocks for information about biometric time clocks, vendors, and more. TimeTrak Systems offers time and attendance solutions for companies by size, particularly for small businesses that employ 50 to 5,000+ employees.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many biometric time and attendance systems automatically track employee tardiness and absenteeism and alert you to patterns.
• •  Take the time to understand the basic reporting features, accounting, and auditing tools of any biometric time and attendance systems you might purchase.
• •  Before you buy, check out any free demos or limited-time trials offered by vendors, so you can fully explore the system’s functionality and the ease with which it fits into your workplace.
• •  Make careful purchasing decisions – and don’t pay extra for a system that offers in-depth features or reporting capabilities that you will never use. Get what you need – and the features you will use the most.
• •  Keep in mind that most time clock vendors are NOT the manufacturers of the time clocks. Your job, once you find the time clock system you need, is to find a vendor whose customer service and technical support system can really address your ongoing questions, growth needs, and technical issues. Ask for references to check out the company’s service history if you don’t know much about the vendor.

Biometrics systems use a variety of methods to uniquely identify a human being. They may use physiological characteristics, such as facial recognition, DNA or fingerprints. Biometrics systems also can use behavioral traits such as gait and typing rhythm. Vocal patterns usually are classified as a behavioral trait, but may also be a physiological characteristic.

Biometric systems often are used in the information technology sector to limit access of a physical area to authorized personnel. Biometrics are becoming more common in law enforcement, where they are used to identify an individual who is under surveillance.

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Iris recognition

Iris recognition uses the patterns in the iris, which are thought to be unique for each person. Iris recognition devices have been in use for several years and their price continues to drop as the devices become more popular.

I recommend: GlobalSecurity.org provides an overview of different types of biometric systems, including iris recognition devices.

Hand geometry

Biometrics systems that are based on hand geometry use anatomical features in the hand such as bones, muscles and tendons. Hand geometry systems are not able to establish specific identifications by themselves, but are helpful in verifying or confirming identifications.

I recommend: The Electronic Frontier Foundation provides an extensive overview of the legal aspects of biometric systems.

Cumulative match characteristic

A cumulative match characteristic (CMC) is a measurement of the accuracy of a biometric system. The CMC compares the rank of a sample with the identification rate.

I recommend: Daon provides a more complete definition of CMCs as they pertain to the statistical analysis of biometric data.

Keystroke recognition

Keystroke recognition is a method of identifying individuals by the way they type. This type of biometrics systems uses characteristics such as cumulative typing speed, elapsed time between keystrokes and the length of time that a key is pressed.

I recommend: findBIOMETRICS.com describes a biometrics system based on keystroke recognition.

Retinal scan

A retinal scan is an established technology that uses the distinctive patterns in the eye's retina in order to make an identification. These patterns can be changed by disease.

I recommend: The National Center for State Courts provides a general overview of retinal scans.

False acceptance rate

The false acceptance rate is the probability that a biometrics system will correctly identity an individual. It also includes the probability that the system will fail to reject an intruder.

I recommend: AuthenTec provides a more complete definition of false acceptance rate and also offers several methods of estimating it.