Princeton Identity at ISC West 2021: Iris and Face Biometric Identity Technology
Princeton’s open API and wide array of integration partnerships make it easy to incorporate biometric identity as part of many different solutions.
ISC West 2021 will be held July 19-21 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas. Ahead of this year’s show, SSI heard from Princeton Identity CEO Bobby Varma about what the company will be showcasing at ISC West, its value proposition and more.
What is the top product or offering your company is showing off at ISCW this year, and what makes it unique or special?
Princeton Identity (PI) will be showcasing a range of solutions that utilize iris and face biometric identity technology to enhance the onsite convenience, remote flexibility, and overall security of the hybrid post-COVID workplace. These include applications for remote network security, as well as visitor management solutions that incorporate self-enrollment capabilities.
As companies seek to enforce heightened levels of security while reopening to the public, there is great interest in touchless visitor management technology that tightly regulates visitor traffic while maintaining an open and inviting experience for employees and their guests. PI’s biometrics identity systems can accomplish this and, when paired with automated self-registration kiosks, also eliminate the need for a security officer to match visitors to their photo ID before issuing temporary credentials.
Permissions are set for enrolled visitors to enter specific areas for one-time or recurring timeframes based upon their scheduled appointments. By glancing at readers placed at doorways, elevators and stairwells, they can enter authorized areas unescorted. Furthermore, our solution allows repeat visitors to bypass the registration desk or kiosk during future visits. Because the iris and face are unique to each individual and cannot be shared, only enrolled, preapproved visitors can be admitted.
Bobby Varma
PI will also be presenting a novel solution called “Remote Safely.” With heightened awareness of cyber threats, many IT departments are instituting “Zero Trust” policies that require employees to verify and authenticate their identity as they interact with the corporate network. Repeated verification is particularly essential for remote workers who have not had to identify themselves when entering a physical workplace. Requiring remote workers to enter a password each time they open a file, edit a file, save a file, or send an email is impractical.
With Remote Safely, their computer’s camera or an attached encrypted biometric reader can verify their face or iris as they work. Should someone take their place or join them, the computer will alert supervisory staff who can investigate the incident in real-time and if needed immediately shut down or close the application. This solution has been developed in collaboration with our newest technology partner, EPAM.
Biometric solutions, including PI’s, have been on the show floor at ISC West for decades. What makes our newest solutions unique is that they demonstrate innovative ways that this trusted technology can move beyond access control to support new applications that align with the priorities of the evolving, post-COVID workplace.
What other products or offerings would you like to highlight, and what are some of their unique qualities?
Cloud solutions have replaced thin-clients as the dominant security software platform, and PI’s offerings are no exception. Cloud deployment of PI’s biometric solutions allows enrollment databases to be shared and accessed across multiple locations. A single, centralized Cloud database eliminates duplicate enrollments, provides continuity of record-keeping, reduces errors, and simplifies system management. Cloud biometric solutions also streamline integration with other cloud technologies.
For customers who prefer not to store biometrics on their server or in the Cloud, PI also offers a “biometrics on the card” option. Enrolled users must present a smartcard that contains their encrypted biometric signature when passing through OSDP multi-technology readers. A “match” is required for entry.
Also, system integrators now have the option to offer PI’s Cloud software, along with accompanying hardware, as a “Software-as-a-Service” model, thereby creating a lower barrier to entry for new customers. The SaaS option is particularly advantageous for large-scale deployments with many connected devices.
What else is new or noteworthy about the company for 2021?
PI has always prioritized offering added value through integration partnerships. So far in 2021, we’ve announced two partnerships that will open new opportunities and expand our footprint in Time & Attendance and Cybersecurity markets.
Through a collaboration with Future Trend of Abu Dhabi, we’ve introduced a touchless time and attendance access and tracking solution. The system includes integrated iris scanning devices and temperature sensors from PI and Cloud-based human resources management. It is currently available in the United States and throughout the Middle East; there are plans to offer it globally.
Also, as previously mentioned, PI has partnered with EPAM, a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and development services. This relationship expands our presence within the realm of cybersecurity. Remote work is here to stay, and Remote Safely is compliant with industry best practices and reliant on proven, top-tier technologies. The value of such credibility can’t be overstated.
What is your company’s overall value proposition to installing security dealers/integrators? Why should they do business with you?
Integrators have an opportunity to differentiate themselves and win more business by offering unique and superior ways to address customers’ security challenges. Managing identities is at the heart of almost all security operations. Without a highly accurate and trustworthy means to control who is enrolled and is engaging with a client’s systems or networks, all other security precautions become moot. For this, nothing beats biometric identifiers, and particularly the iris, or face and iris, which are incredibly unique, stable, and reliable.
PI’s open API and wide array of integration partnerships make it easy to incorporate biometric identity as part of many different solutions, heightening the security each system delivers and the ease with which users interact with them. Installation is straightforward. Our solutions can be scaled up or down with ease. Flexible pricing, including CAPEX and OPEX options, make the cost of PI systems surprisingly competitive.
In addition, PI works closely with customers and integrators to design custom solutions as needed.
What do you see as some of the top opportunities in the marketplace right now?
Since the pandemic began, everyone has been talking about touchless solutions for a touchless workplace. PI’s iris and face biometrics are truly “the original” touchless security technology. For example, long before COVID-19, Auburn University installed our touchless readers outside their student locker rooms so that their athletes could go in and out without having to carry a phone or fob onto the field or push a keypad while their hands are full of equipment. Our technology has one of the longest track records around when it comes to frictionless technology.
However, opportunities for biometrics have moved far beyond traditional access control applications and are now being implemented – rather than just talked about hypothetically. For example, as we move toward a cashless society, biometric readers integrated with point-of-sale kiosks can eliminate the need for credit cards and facilitate more secure financial transactions. Many vendors at this summer’s Olympics in Japan will be using this technology. Office cafeterias may not be far behind.
Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, uses PI’s solutions to improve the screening experience for travelers. Individuals enrolled in the government database speed through security checkpoints, in many cases without even having to stop. Biometric readers verify their identity as they walk through specially equipped passageways. Their eyes are their ticket. PI technology also streamlines the processing of international travelers through border security.
Enrolled travelers may use automated e-gates that read their passports while scanning their face and irises. If their biographic and biometric information match the system’s database, they’re admitted. The entire process takes seconds. These two examples demonstrate why any venue that wants to speed up the processing of visitors will be looking at biometrics.
And, of course, there is the convergence of physical and cybersecurity concerns. As I already mentioned earlier, biometrics are the most secure means for verifying and authenticating who is accessing a company’s networks. Biometrics makes zero trust possible with zero hassles. The market opportunity for solutions like Remote Safely is incredibly strong.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The iris is an ideal biometric. We’ve seen fingerprint and palm-based systems used most frequently in the past, but iris identity is now competitively priced and superior in many ways. It is so unique that a false match occurs only once in one million events. It remains constant throughout a person’s entire adult lifetime. Reading it is fast and touchless. Any PPE including masks or glasses don’t need not be removed. Accuracy remains constant across all ethnicities. Combination of face and iris allows more flexibility and convenience for the end users.
PI has the longest history of any when it comes to iris identification technology. We are a commercial offshoot of the research organization that invented the technology. Our solutions are trusted by industry leaders in finance, banking, higher education, healthcare, government, airports, and border control.
Deciding to invest in a biometric identity solution is the first step toward improving a company’s overall security posture. The next steps — choosing the most appropriate modality and the best company to deliver the solution are equally critical. For all the reasons just presented, customers should look no further than Princeton Identity.
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