Bert Moore

The Name's Bond...Sheila Bond

Sheila Bond? The point is, you don't have to be James Bond any more to use some technologies that, only a few years ago, were regarded as very high-tech, spooky security stuff. I'm talking, of course, about biometrics.

What made me realize this wasn't all the press releases on the latest bells and whistles on different systems. It wasn't all the hype floating around about how much easier it is to implement biometrics for access control or computer security. It wasn't all the research I've done in covering the topic and talking with vendors.

Nope. What led me to that conclusion was a ream of paper for my printer.

To get that paper, I had to go to the office supply store. And that's where I saw one of the newest gizmos you could add to your computer: a fingerprint recognition kit that would lock your computer to anyone other than you and those you authorized. So, all the hype aside, biometrics have indeed become "consumer" products.

Admittedly, what was on display was not the most sophisticated of all devices and probably shouldn't be used in a truly secure or sensitive environment. But, for everyday use, it sure beats trying to remember a different password every couple of weeks or where you hid the key to the computer.

And that's the point. Biometrics have evolved from the cloak-and-dagger, high security realm into being a convenience in everyday life. Forget your password, your key, your security badge? Not a problem any more. In today's point-and-click world, biometrics provides the same level of ease (without even having to "click").

For the security conscious, there are facial recognition algorithms that can match a face to data on an employee ID badge or stored in a local database to unlock a door; similar systems can be used to monitor who's on a computer terminal (cheap video cameras scan the user every couple of minutes to make sure Sheila is still at the keyboard and not James). Voice recognition systems (as opposed to speech recognition), while not quite so plug-and-play, can also be run on computers as security locks. Fingerprint systems as door locks, as well as computer locks, can now be cost-effectively implemented in areas that are not high security.

Security and convenience go hand-in-hand with biometric systems. Register a face or voice or fingerprint (or two) and there's no problem with forgetting a key or a code - or having them used by someone who shouldn't have them. And deleting users from the system is instantaneous. Ex-employees might make copies of keys or "borrow" codes from former coworkers. But if they've been removed from a biometric system, they're permanently on the outside.

Management of biometric lock systems is also somewhat easier. No more having to make duplicate keys; no more having to secure and manage them all; no more signing keys in and out.

There are some limitations, of course. A last-minute replacement security guard who's not in the system, for example, might have trouble doing his or her rounds. New employees or temps have to be entered into the system before being able to get into locked areas. And power or computer failures might lock everyone out (so, yes, you might still need some keys as emergency backups - and backup power supplies are always a good idea too).

But, despite these limitations, biometrics deserves a fresh evaluation for a lot of routine applications that, five years ago, would have earned you the nickname "M" for even having suggested them.