Technology

The identification of persons has increasingly become an important aspect for both commercial and conventional security. To enter a building, open a box, or withdraw money from a bank requires some process of identification which verifies or authenticates the valid person. For enhanced security, the verification of individual using biometric systems should be employed in order to minimize cases of impersonation in commercial organizations (Woodward, 2001). This paper focuses on different biometric systems used in commercial organizations and compares the applications to the conventional security measures and their reliability. Key elements such as the cost, benefits and public acceptance are addressed in the paper. The paper concludes giving weight to the use of biometric system in entering premises, obtaining employee passes, and accessing secured facilities through the use of the physiological and behavioural features.

Keywords security, biometric system, conventional security measure, mode of verification

Using Biometric Systems and Conventional Security Measures in Commercial Organizations A Comparison

Biometrics technologies are automated techniques that utilise computer systems in the verification and identification of individuals taking advantage of the physiological and behavioural human characteristics (Woodward, Horn, Gatune,  Thomas, 2003). Computer systems have the capacity to recognise behavioural features such as signature dynamics and keystrokes to accurately identify individuals. In addition, biometrics can utilise different physiological characteristics such as veins network, fingerprints, speech, and human eye features such as retinal and the iris examination.

Identification using biometrics is achieved using physical and behavioural patterns and comparing the obtained features of the person under examination with the features already in the database. Instead of availing personal identification cards, keys, or passwords, biometric systems can be used to identify fingerprints, palm prints, as well as signature for efficient verification. Face recognition is also a powerful tool to verify the identity of humans (Collin, 2006). Biometrics is the most reliable and simplest solution when it comes to online-based business and the frequent need for accurate identification when accessing information.

Storing and comparing are the two main modules of biometric system. The system stores a person s information and then uses this stored information for comparison and verification. For example, if thumb biometrics is going to be used as a mode of verification, the thumb will first be taken in film form compressed and then stored in the biometric database. If it is a face biometric mode of verification, a person s face will be photographed first in various angles and stored in database systems (Woodward, 2001). The same procedure applies to voice and eye mode of verification.

On completion of storing process, the comparison process is carried out when necessary. For instance, a company that uses finger print biometric system installs a finger print reader at the employees  entrance so that they put their fingers on the finger print reader which will take their finger print and send the data to the biometrics system. Comparisons are made by biometric system using finger print with the finger print previously stored in the database. If both finger print matches, one is authenticated.

In sci-fi movies, an actor may be seen placing his hand on the doors of a building or ordering a door to open using his sound. This is an example of the applications of biometrics which was once fiction but now a reality. When a customer goes to the bank to withdraw money, he has to fill the withdrawal forms appropriately sign it and hand it over to the cashier. The signature and identity card are the ones which verify the identity of that customer.

Nowadays, the use automated teller machines are frequently used by customers for getting quick and efficient banking services (Andress, 2003). However, there have been increased cases of fraudulent persons presenting themselves to banks and they end up withdrawing money. Signatures can be learnt by any person, photographs changed in the identity cards, as well as passwords accessed, making customers lose their money very easily. The answer to the above scenario is biometrics. The thumbs, face, eyes, and voice of every person are unique. Therefore, it is wise to make use of these unique features for identifying individuals.

When people go for shopping, they do not carry money with them, but they use their credit cards in paying their bills (Mccabe, 2003). While settling their bills, they are identified using the photograph on the credit cards as well as the signature on the credit card. It has been outlined above that this type of information can be easily accessed as well as changed. Therefore, a different person can easily use this credit card without the knowledge of the owner. To do a way with all these, the use of biometrics is the only solution.

In big companies, employees are given employee pass with their photograph on it in order to access the premises of the company. This is an exercise carried out within the company premises as one of the internal control systems to check for attendance and security within the company. However, employees have discovered a loophole as they give their colleagues the pass card and clock in cards to gain access to companies  premises. Many companies using clock-in cards and pass cards as one way of checking their employees have recorded fewer profits, and others have even incurred losses. On the other hand, western companies which have adopted biometrics as one way of monitoring their employees have recorded tremendous profits since there are on loopholes for employees to skip their duties (Koslow, 1997).

The ridges and valleys patterns on a person s hand are totally unique to that person. For many years, many government law enforcing agencies have been verifying and determining the identity of a person by comparing key points of ridges and valleys. These are the conventional uses of biometrics and have shown significant success. Even the fingerprints of identical twins are totally different and unique from each other. In conventional biometric systems, fingerprints can be used for recognition when individuals want to access their own laptop or desktop computers or their own premises.

With the biometric system, users of this device do not need to memorise passwords instead, their body features gain them access instantly. The biometric system is able to recognise the owner of the laptop or desktop computer or the owner of the premise by reading the body features. In many occasions, individuals forget computer log-in passwords or confuse the password because of use of more than one password. Further still, an intruder can easily know a person s password by using key-loggers or other tools which allow hackers to get unauthorised access into machines and still passwords. The hackers will then access the confidential information as well as alter the system for their own benefits. Therefore, the only solution to this loophole is the use of fingerprint biometric technology.

Voice recognition biometric system also has contributed greatly to the security in tight and restricted places that need to be accessed by a specific person (Sullivan, 1997). Many companies in the western countries have employed this mode of biometric system in ensuring that only the right persons can enter places that are not supposed to be accessed by other persons. Compared to other conventional security measures, voice biometric system has proved more effective since a voice of a person is also unique and cannot be impersonated (Baird, 2002).

Unlike the conventional securities, for instance, keys and clock cards can be stolen by the people one is working with hence, the restricted place stands jeopardised. Although this mode of biometric system is becoming more widespread, the public argues that what if one loses his voice or changes his voice due to ageing The response to this argument is that he or she can no longer access the place.

Theft of cars is becoming so rampant in societies today. Tracking systems are being used to trace stolen vehicles. To register in tracking companies, one incurs huge costs, and in some cases, stolen vehicles are not recovered (Adler, Bell, Clasen,  Sinfield, 1991). These thieves are very fast and before the tracking companies start their task, the vehicle is dismantled and changed completely even the tracking company ends up losing the tracking ability of that particular vehicle.

It has been reported that fake tracking companies have been fraudulently registering vehicles, but in the real sense, they do nothing like offering tracking services. Thus, the only option is putting in place the biometric technology to curb the theft of vehicles. Thumb biometric system should be employed in vehicles so that only the owners can access the vehicle (Amoruso, 2005). Although this mode of biometric security is secure, it restricts the use of the vehicle to the owners only not even the family member can use the vehicle if the owner is not there.

Hospitals have been having problems of keeping patients  medical information private. Since passwords can be shared or known by other people working in hospital, fingerprint biometric has proved effective in this area. Cases of doctors being prosecuted in courts have increased in the recent past because they are not keeping patients  records private. Junior staff can also access the patients  information without the knowledge of the doctor and they may disclose the information to the public which is unethical in medical profession (Helen, 2005).

To do away with these scenarios, doctors should switch to fingerprint biometric systems to be on the safer side as well as reducing court fines costs due to negligence of keeping private patients  information. Doctor s fingerprints cannot be shared since they are unique hence, complaints about the difficulties of constantly resetting and recalling passwords have been put to rest. Not only is this more convenient for doctors, but it is also more secure than using passwords. Only the authorised staff can be in a position of accessing patients  records, and this enables the hospitals to protect the patients  privacy which is one the professional ethics in the medical field (Helen, 2005).

Banks have been losing a lot of money due to fraudulent persons using automated teller machine cards to withdraw money from auto cash around them. This shows that people have become more knowledgeable in technology to the extent of making their own ATM which they use in committing fraudulent practices in our banks today. Therefore, in the near future, banks may be forced to employ fingerprint biometric technology whereby a customer is not required to carry ATM cards but uses his or her fingerprints in accessing bank services such as withdrawing cash from ATM stands (Horn, 2008). However, in countries which have put in place the biometric system in banks, such cases have been completely eliminated and those banks have reported tremendous growth in their profits.
Furthermore, there have been cases wherein a person presents someone elses documents in supermarkets and manages to get expensive items on hire-purchase. The person whose document has been used to secure hire-purchase items carries the burden of paying the cost for items he never took (Marcus, 2004). In contrast, businesses which use biometric technology have not experienced such cases since the person taking items on hire-purchase is the one who claims to be.

In few occasions, there have been cases whereby the system identifies an individual when someone else s biometric (finger) is presented for verification. In this situation, the software falsely identifies someone as another person. Also, a system may refuse to accept an individual s fingerprint as the software fails to match the biometric with the ones the software is comparing with (Harper, 2006). These situations embarrass the customers who want to access the facility or getting services. At the same time, employees get frustrated when they cannot clock in and out efficiently using their fingerprints. If a person gets accident and loses his fingers, he cannot utilise the fingerprint biometric facilities.

The cost of installing and running biometric systems in businesses is not huge compared to conventional securities. Theft will be minimised in business, and as a result, higher profits will be reported (Amoruso, 2005). The cost of putting in place the biometric system is a little bit higher compared to the conventional security measures, but it becomes cheaper in the long run because of the minimal cost of running and maintaining the system.

In developed countries, the biometric system has been employed in various activities especially in businesses, and this has improved security compared to conventional security measures. This is so because biometric technology is simple to use as the employers do not need technological skills to use them. Whether a business is small or large, biometric has become beneficial as it is convenient to log in access without using passwords (Orr, 2000).

In conclusion, using of passwords and written signatures is no longer as secure as it was in the past. To enter companies  premises, employee passes will also no longer be needed as the biometric systems fast replace conventional ways of ensuring security. Using some parts of the body, the biometric system can easily identify a person. Therefore, it is high time for businesses that are still using conventional security measures to shift and embrace the biometric systems for security purposes.