Until recently you had a better chance to see a biometric security system in science fiction movies or high level military compounds then you were in regular offices. These days’ technological advances have allowed high-tech security units to become more common. Biometrics are widely implemented in a number of offices and business across the globe as a means of security and access control.
Biometric devices offer a high tech form of identification. These systems verify an individual’s identity through either physical or behaviour characteristics that may include hand geometry, retinal scans, voice prints or facial characteristics. A unit that is integrated into an office’s security system requires staff to give their biometric information which is then stored on a hard drive. Each time an employee attempts to gain access to a protected area the biometric system will access the information stored on the hard drive to see if the individual has permission to enter the area. Due to the fact that it is impossible to duplicate individuals biometric information these security systems are widely considered the best security systems in the world.
There are a few kinds of biometric protection units that various companies have been working on. The first and most used type of biometric security systems is fingerprint recognition. These units measure the various ridges and valleys that are unique to an individuals finger print to figure out an individual’s identity. A second type of technology is facial recognition. These units identify individuals by analyzing certain facial characteristics such as the distance between the eyes or the length of the nose. Another form deals with the analysis of the shape of an individual’s hand. Iris recognition is a biometric security system that has been dramatized in many science fiction films. In this system the coloured ring that surrounds the pupil is measured to determine the identity of an individual. The last type of biometric technology is voice recognition. These machines are based on software that measures the tone, pitch and cadence of an individual’s voice.
