New Cash Cow for SIs

Biometrics is the latest technology being rigorously followed by most of the

system integrators. It is a new and rising field that people know about, and it

involves identifying people based on their physical characteristics, such as the

patterns of the iris. In movies, spies may need to use fingerprint

identification to enter places where entry is restricted to authorized personnel

alone. Now the lay man is using it frequently. ATM’s are also beginning to use

iris scans instead of numbers.

    The importance of biometric-based electronic signature

solutions in banking, e-governance, and enterprises is rapidly growing. A

biometric is a human body measurement used to positively identify an individual.

There are many biometric technologies that have been developed including

scanning of the retina and iris, thumb and palm scans, voice and face

recognition, and even DNA analysis. The range of biometrics is very vast. This

would include access control systems, radio frequency identification devices (RFID),

iris, fingerprint and face recognition systems.

The potential of biometrics in India can be judged by the number of companies

who have forayed into the filed. Pune is becoming the hub for various

biometrics-focused companies. In fact Jayakar Library in Pune is one of the

first libraries in India which has implemented an RFID-based book management

system. This system is based on a simple technique of embedding an

identification chip in each book. Every identity card issued to a student

contains a smart card and thus without any manual process a student can issue or

submit a book. As per the library authorities, this system has drastically

reduced the book loss.

"With all the benefits we have got from RFID, we will be able to regain

the cost incurred on this system in not more than one year."

Multiple Zones India in one of the first SIs to venture into biometrics, in

fact they are planning a huge growth this fiscal based on this bet alone.

Manpreet Singh, MD, Multiple Zones India is enthusiastic about this technology.

"One needs to understand the requirement and a foolproof solution can be

given to any customer. But before implementing these solutions we have to

educate the customers. These solutions are perceived to be very expensive or

fragile till date. These solutions are not only cheap but also very

sturdy."

Saurabh Nagpal, Director, Multilink Computers was also resilient about this

technology. "I already have various barcode machine customers who might

want to give biometrics a try. This can be implemented very easily and doesn’t

cost much." Ranjan Chopra, MD, Team Computers also agrees that biometrics

has great potential in India. "It has great potential. SIs will benefit

from this new technique but it is yet to grow a lot across the world."

There are large numbers of companies that have implemented biometrics in people

management, inventory management etc. Hospitals have implemented it in a big

way. SDS Rajiv Gandhi Hospital of Chest Diseases, has an attendance monitoring

system for its employees using their fingerprints, which even records details

such as their arrival and departure time. The latest ‘Smart Card Expo’, held

in the capital last month was an eye-opener for various industry people. There

were almost 25 companies displaying their biometrics capability. Few of these

companies have their manufacturing capabilities based in India. With technology

becoming ubiquitous, biometrics might just be the solution for various

applications. Still in its initial stages, biometrics might become a profit

center for many sooner than expected...

Shweta Khanna



DQWeek in New Delhi