?Biometrics? is the science that uses unique physiological characteristics to verify the identity of an individual. The term ?biometrics? is originally Greek, ?bios? and ?metron?, literally meaning ?measurement of life?. All individuals can be identified by measurable physical characteristics and such characteristics are the basis of all types of biometric identification.



The techniques that are successfully used in the biometric field include: digital fingerprints, voice recognition, retinal, signature, hand geometry, face geometry and genetic DNA; among others that are in different stages of development and evaluation.

Differing from physical objects related to security like keys or magnetic badges, or other logical objects such as passwords or security codes (which can be stolen, lent or copied with relative ease), all the biometric characteristics are unique and cannot be transferred: no one can borrow someone's finger prints, eye retinal or genetic code, or at least not with any consent.

This makes this technology more adequate to solve control access problems to physical installations (buildings, laboratories, confined spaces, security boxes, etc) or solve information security problems (user identification, access to restricted documents, etc).

Additionally to this there exists another point of economical importance: biometrics is used for ?controlling time and attendance?, with this companies no longer need to use passwords or employee badges that can easily be borrowed or forgotten.

How do biometric applications work for time and attendance?

The most commonly used method for biometric identification for these types of applications is the fingerprint. You can collect all of your employee's fingerprints on the system and they can register themselves inserting their fingerprints each time they check in and out of the installations.

This type of solution makes registering more exact, time wise, and prevents fraud assistance which consists in registering entrance and exit of other employees. It also reduces the cost of printing identification badges or the need to remember password or personal identification numbers.

The main benefit: Saving Money!

The first main reason why companies are deciding to switch to biometric applications is to save money. According to the American Payroll Association, (an American organization specialized in education, training and publications related to payroll process), estimates that the benefits of using biometric systems surpasses 10% of the total payroll.

A study indicated that ?fraud in attendance? or time robbery, all together with audit mistakes on the register badges and the human resources plus materials needed for this task, represents high expenses for a company in one of the most important factors, the payroll.

Also it isn't easy to imagine why: if your company doesn't have security next to the punch clock, the employees surely will check in or out for other employees, affecting the company. On the other hand, after auditing the badges there are mistakes that benefit the employee, they rarely would report this to you: ?my pay is wrong? I'm being paid more?.

There are also employees that stay on the company premises after check out time and benefit to surf the internet, chat or use the phone lines with ease without anyone around. The employer is the one not benefiting having to pay extra time.

All these problems can be solved implementing a solution using ?the biometric clock?. This type of system prevents time and attendance fraud through digital fingerprints saving us time on auditing badges and giving us precise and trustworthy information at the click of a button.

How much will this cost me?

This is the best part: the technology and mass production makes these types of applications accessible to all.

There are solutions like the ?Biometric Employee Punch Clock? VeriTask Software that has a complete solution for small and medium companies that has a price of $399. This solution includes a semi-industrial digital fingerprint reader and a license to administrate the time records of up to 50 employees.

The software supports several languages. Plus it's easy to use: the installation, configuration, and the register of 5 employees can practically be done in 15 minutes. The system also has a series of additional functions that allows you to administrate employee schedules and inclusively notify you automatically by e-mail when an employee arrives late or doesn't show up at all! This type of functionality we find very attractive especially for a business that has multiple locations.

So if you belong to the SMB group that wants to use the ultimate technology to benefit your business, you already know: the technology is at the reach of your hand or better yet, your fingerprint.