Biometrics for Healthcare - Leading Technology captures Fingerprints through Gloves

In a recent article on Nextgov, Katherine McIntire Peters noted research firm Gartner’s report on 2011 Cool Vendors in IAM (Identity and Access Management). As part of the report, Gartner analysts flagged a handful of companies developing innovative identity management technologies.

Lumidigm Biometric Technology can capture fingerprint images through gloves

"These up-and-coming technology providers offer [identity and access management] products and services based on a broad range of technological approaches and delivery models. One trend clearly identifiable throughout their offerings is a serious attempt to deliver IAM components that enhance the user experience to support mission-critical business decisions," analysts wrote in an introduction to the firm's 2011 Cool Vendors in IAM. 

Mitrefinch’s biometric technology partner, Lumidigm, was listed as one of the most interesting companies having developed a new kind of fingerprint sensor that employs multispectral imaging. According to Lumidigm, unlike other common biometric sensors, performance isn't affected by moisture, dry or dirty skin, or bright ambient light. Multispectral imaging captures surface and subsurface ridge patterns, and analyses the spectroscopic characteristics of the surface, thereby making it less vulnerable to spoof fingerprints.

The report also mentions that, “a client told Gartner that one particular advantage of the Lumidigm technology is its ability to capture a fingerprint image through a medical glove. Ultrasound sensors can also do this, but they are far bulkier and more expensive, which should make Lumidigm sensors appealing to healthcare delivery organisations”. 

Other organisations in the market for fingerprint biometric devices can also benefit from Lumidigm's superior performance. Take for example; Meat Processors who operate in cold, refrigerated areas, or Construction workers with cuts and calluses on their hands, as well as dirt and dust.

In Australia, Mitrefinch is the only Time and Attendance system provider to integrate Lumidigm’s powerful multispectral imaging sensors into all their Biometric Time and Attendance units – from wall mounted clocking terminals to desktop USB devices.

For more information or to see the Lumidigm sensors is action contact Mitrefinch on +61 2 8762 7888 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au

Despite increasing adoption Biometric misconceptions still rife

A recent feature on AM, ABC Radio's flagship current affairs program, regarding a Melbourne Local Council’s plans to track employees' work hours with biometric technology garnered some interesting debate surrounding data privacy and security.

AM revealed that the City of Monash in Melbourne's south-east is considering vein scanning technology to capture time and attendance information for up to 100 library staff, including casuals.

The technology will capture the vein patterns in a person's fingers and store them as a template for future scans.

But while biometric technology like iris, fingerprint and vein scanning was once reserved for Hollywood and the stuff of sci-fi movies, isn’t it becoming more commonplace now?

With Public Sector agencies and corporate organisations around the country, such as Woolworths, already using biometric technology to check and verify the identities of their staff and record work hours. Even patrons at popular theme parks and venues, such as the Coogee Bay Hotel, are now required to present their fingers! (Read More: "You want a drink? Give us your fingerprints”)

So what’s the problem?

Judging by the feedback from the AM talk back show and the subsequent comments voiced by readers on ABC News, the vast majority are worried about privacy issues.

"They're concerned about where this information is going to be stored, what will happen with the information when they leave council, who owns the information, what's the legal ramifications," said Igor Grattan, Australian Services Union assistant branch secretary.

Indeed, this is an all to common reaction we, as Biometric Time and Attendance providers, come across when speaking to prospective clients and unions alike.

As Phil Scarfo, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at Lumidigm Inc. explains, “Though most biometrics systems rely solely on templates, or mathematical representations of the physical characteristic, the general public is not aware of this fact. It is the misperception that people are storing fingerprint images in databases that creates concerns related to privacy.” (Read More: What’s behind the biometric template?)

As such, our presales process involves educating users and management that the multi-spectral biometric technology we utilise doesn't actually collect and store fingerprints.

Instead, when an employee enrols via our biometric clocking terminal, the system saves a mathematical representations of the fingerprint and reproduces this as a template. The template is then checked against those stored by the reader, for a possible match. If one is found, the employee’s registration is accepted - otherwise it is rejected.

Contrary to popular belief, this biometric template cannot be reconstructed back to the original fingerprint image.

If you would like to read more about common biometric misconceptions check out: “Dispelling the Myths About Biometrics: Misguided beliefs about biometrics should be investigated for proper understanding of the technology")

Isn’t it time you considered biometrics?

Biometrics can significantly improve the ROI associated with implementing an automated Time and Attendance solution. By utilising this technology oganisations can:

• Enhance site security – as no one without the proper identity is admitted, misplaced cards and staff borrowing “swipes” to gain access to controlled areas is no longer an issue
• Reduce time and attendance fraud – cut out ‘buddy clocking’ practices, where one employee clocks on for another
• Eliminate costs associated with physical ID card production and proximity fobs
• Facilitate accurate reporting – in the unfortunate event of an emergency supervisors have an up-to-the-minute view of exactly who is onsite/where they are located

Visit our website today for more information on our Biometric Time and Attendance systems.

Or feel free to join in the conversation on our Facebook page and Twitter.

Eliminate Time Theft in your business with a Biometric Time and Attendance Solution

Keeping track of staff worked hours can be a tedious task for any business. Add to the fact that left unsupervised, some staff may be ‘buddy punching’ or clocking in for their colleagues, adding thousands of unearned dollars to your payroll costs each year.

Fortunately, there is an answer to all of your problems!

While your staff may have found a way to cheat your current time management system, switching to a biometric time and attendance solution can eliminate buddy punching and time theft within your organisation once and for all.

Biometric Time Clocks guarantee that your employees must be present to clock in/out of work. With the touch of a finger, they can quickly log and verify their attendance, instantly improving the accuracy of your attendance records.

By eliminating ‘buddy punching’, you will notice a signification reduction in payroll and overhead costs and a subsequent increase in employee productivity. In addition, Biometric Time Clocks can bring extra security to your business by ensuring that imposters cannot force their way onsite.

Utilising the very latest biometric technology, Mitrefinch’s Biometric Time Clocks use multispectral imaging to capture accurate and high-quality images by exposing the fingerprint surface and subsurface at the same time.

This pioneering technology ensures that Mitrefinch’s Biometric Time Clocks can capture and enrol employees even when skin surface features are absent or hard to distinguish due to age, dirt, finger pressure, and skin or environmental conditions.

The unique ability to provide universal fingerprint capture eliminates costly administrative problems and security risks that occur when employees can’t register on conventional fingerprint devices.

Think you may have a problem with ‘buddy punching’ in your business? What are you waiting for?

Contact Mitrefinch today for a free consultation and find out how our clients are already reaping the benefits of a Biometric Time and Attendance System.

Call 1300 844 831 or visit http://www.mitrefinch.com.au/

Gummi Bear Proof Biometric Time and Attendance Systems

A recent article on ZDnet.com.au (Sweet bypass for student finger scanner) suggests that students at a NSW high school may be able to cheat the school’s new biometric attendance system using lunch box lollies.

Henry Kendall High School, on the NSW Central Coast, recently made the decision to replace the school's manual sign-in system with biometric fingerprint scanners to accurately record senior student attendance.

School Principal, Bob Cox, told the ABC that the biometric system was preferred over swipe cards, which students can abuse by signing-in for each other.

But biometric systems are not without their own flaws, and as Darren Pauli from ZDnet advises “a litany of fingerprint scanners have fallen victim to bypass methods, many of which are explained publicly in detail on the internet”. He adds that, “the hacks could potentially be used by students to make replicas of their own fingerprints, or lift those of others from imprints left on the reader".

To add further fuel to the fire, Pauli refers to Tsutomu Matsumoto, a Japanese cryptographer who, “used gelatine, the ingredient in Gummi Bears, to forge a replica finger that fooled 11 fingerprint scanners during tests in 2002. Gelatine has virtually the same capacitance as a finger's skin, meaning it can fool scanners designed to detect electrical charges within the human body”.

However, while it has been proven that conventional biometric readers can be circumvented, there have been some serious advancements in biometric technology since Matsumoto’s 2002 tests.

Multi-spectral imaging sets the new benchmark in Biometrics. Pioneered by Lumidigm, multi-spectral imaging technology was developed to overcome the fingerprint capture problems conventional imaging systems have in less-than-ideal conditions.

By measuring fingerprint characteristics that are at and beneath the surface of the skin, this enhanced data capture mitigates traditional system vulnerabilities and flaws, eliminating common real world performance problems that occur when users can’t enrol on standard fingerprint devices, which often leads to user frustration, an increase in system costs, lower productivity and can breed resistance to universal biometric technology adoption.

Mitrefinch Australia have recently partnered with Lumidigm, and are now integrating their superior imaging technology into all their biometric time and attendance systems.

"The integration of Lumidigm technology greatly enhances the overall application of Mitrefinch's biometric time and attendance solutions", said Allan Murdoch, Mitrefinch Australia Business Development Director. “The robustness of the Lumidigm sensor allows our customers to have a biometric solution in environments where standard fingerprint readers were not previously feasible.”

Commenting on the partnership, Lumidigm’s Director of Business Development, Seth Miller, said, “Mitrefinch was quick to understand the value of Lumidigm technology and incorporate it into their advanced customer solutions. Time and attendance is an important market for Lumidigm and Mitrefinch is an excellent partner in that space”.

For more information on this new wave of biometric time and attendance technology contact Mitrefinch Australia on 1300 884 831 or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au

CTA evaluate Biometric Time and Attendance following an incident with an imposter

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) are currently evaluating long-term security solutions, which include implementing a biometric time and attendance system, following an incident at one of their garages on the Chicago South Side last week.

According to a release from the CTA, an impersonator wearing what appeared to be a CTA uniform, drove the bus out of the 103rd Street garage and was seen later that night by another employee. The bus he was driving struck another bus, and when the employee alerted a supervisor, the man fled.

The man is believed to be an acquaintance of a CTA bus driver and is suspected of stealing a uniform shirt from that employee. Security camera footage from the bus indicates that the suspect was familiar enough with CTA procedures to log in and start the bus, but he did not appear to be an expert driver, the release said.

“The CTA and the Chicago Police Department are working closely together to identify and quickly apprehend this individual,” CTA President Richard Rodriguez said in the release.
“The safeguards in place to keep our garages secure clearly were circumvented and that is not acceptable. Because this person was in a uniform and familiar with the CTA, we are tightening our check-in procedures.”

Bus operators are required to show their driver’s license to the garage clerk when reporting for their work assignment, at each CTA garage. It is mandatory for all employees to visibly display CTA identification at all times and they are disciplined if they fail to comply. In addition, all garage doors will be closed and locked overnight with the exception of those used to allow buses to exit and enter.

The CTA are in the early stages of implementing a biometric time and attendance system which will require employees to swipe in and out as they enter and exit garages.

For the complete story, please see the Sun-Times Media Wire or the CTA website.

Mitrefinch biometric time and attendance fingerprint readers and Access Control solutions harness the latest multispectral imaging technology, allowing organisations to tighten up security and help ensure that imposters are unable to force their way onsite.

Standard biometric readers can be circumvented, as they capture only the image of the fingerprint ridge surfaces that come into contact with the sensor. These ridges are easy to imitate using common household products and ingredients.

Mitrefinch readers on the other hand can differentiate between living flesh and non-living flesh or other synthetic materials, eliminating the threat of imposters and spoof fingerprints.

For more information contact us on 1300 884 831, email sales@mitrefinch.com.au or visit us online at www.mitrefinch.com.au

Biometric Time and Attendance Technology for the Real World

The benefits of biometric Time and Attendance systems have been well documented and the biometrics field has made considerable advancements in recent years.

Despite this there are still common environmental and demographic issues that represent significant challenges for the biometrics industry and, as a result, have limited widespread adoption of the technology for employee management purposes.

The true test of a biometric Time and Attendance system is how it performs under real world conditions. This article examines some of the environmental issues that can cause a major headache for System Administrators and how the next wave of biometric technology can help address the problem.

Damp or Cold Environments
Most biometric systems are relatively reliable in sheltered, enclosed environments. However, the reality is that many Time and Attendance systems are often required to perform outdoors or in cold, refrigerated areas. In particular, conventional biometric fingerprint sensors can struggle in damp conditions as excess moisture obscures fingerprint ridges, resulting in images of puddles, rather than fingerprints. Sweaty hands can cause a similar problem.

Dry Hands
Standard biometric readers rely on a firm and complete contact between fingertip and sensor, in order to capture accurate and reliable images. Unfortunately, the common problem of dry hands, caused by anything from climate conditions or natural skin characteristics to frequent hand-washing or air travel, means that this is not always possible.

Rough Conditions
In the rough and tumble of daily life, our hands can become worn, torn and dirty. Especially in the Manufacturing and Construction sector, it is common for employees to be working with greasy, rough or dirty hands. This in turn means that workers’ fingerprints can be difficult to pick up by conventional biometric readers that rely on quality, clean contact between the finger and the sensor.

How multi-spectral imaging can help
The core problem with conventional technologies is that they rely on clear and complete contact between the fingerprint and the sensor, a condition that is elusive in the real world.

Multispectral imaging is a sophisticated technology that was developed by Lumidigm*, a world leader in pioneering biometric solutions, to overcome the fingerprint capture problems conventional imaging systems have in less-than-ideal conditions.

Multi-spectral imaging combines multiple spectrums of light and advanced polarisation techniques to extract unique fingerprint characteristics from both the surface and subsurface of the skin which is unaffected by surface wear and other environmental factors.

This enhanced data capture capability overcomes the fingerprint capture problems conventional imaging systems encounter, as when the fingerprint ridges on the surface are marred by an injury, dirt or moisture, the subsurface information remains intact, and the multi-spectral sensors can collect it.

Mitrefinch Australia are now incorporating Lumidigm’s award winning technology into their new biometric Time and Attendance terminals. The robustness of Lumidigm’s technology will allow Mitrefinch customers to have a biometric solution in environments where standard fingerprint readers were not previously feasible.

If you would like to find out more about Mitrefinch Biometric Time and Attendance solutions contact 1300 884 831 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au. Mitrefinch Consultants are on hand to provide online and onsite demonstrations of their biometric terminals in action and can also run small pilot programs to ensure that the technology will work for your organisation.

* Lumidigm’s technology advantage is protected by numerous US and International PCT patents. They provide identity management solutions for civil ID, point-of-sale, time and attendance, physical and logical access, and portable electronic device applications.