Biometric product specialist, Ideco, has announced the launch of a 'rugged' fingerprint reader for outdoor and industrial environments locally.
The MorphoAccess SIGMA Extreme, according to the company, is the successor to the previously launched Outdoor MorphoAccess fingerprint reader. The reader was initially launched last year in US and is only becoming available in SA now.
"Used for access control and security in industrial-type environments, such as industrial, mining manufacturing and marine environments, construction sites and sports stadiums - the MorphoAccess is ideal, as speed, accuracy and reliability are crucial, says Ideco Biometrics CEO Marius Coetzee. "The reader, with face detection, card and NFC support, responds accurately, in a short space of time. It also has storage capacity of up to 250 000 IDs in an authorised user list ideal for industries such as the mining sector where thousands of miners need to clock out at the end of a shift."
"At the same time, industrial fingerprint readers have to be able to withstand the harshest environment imaginable - wind, sun, underground humidity and more. It is covered in a polycarbonate housing to protect the wiring and electronics, and the wall mounting features are able to withstand loads of up to 50kg both vertically and horizontally," he adds.
According to Coetzee, the reader is also available in a weather-resistant design and also has an embedded Web server which allows administrators to manage the device remotely. "Industrial-type environments, speed and accuracy with large databases is crucial, for example in the mining sector where thousands of miners need to clock out at the end of a shift. At the same time, industrial fingerprint readers have to be able to withstand the harshest environment imaginable - wind, sun, salt spray, underground humidity and more.
The use of biometric solutions in environmental areas is gaining traction locally and abroad. A predictions report from virtualisation company Citrix predicting that a wide variety of authentication methods will be introduced that will replace passwords including biometrics, behaviour analytics and the like.
"Biometric technology has been integrated into a number of different business applications and processes, resulting in more efficient authentication. We have also seen new modalities entering the field, such as voice and facial biometrics, among others. Of course, these modalities have also been around for a long time, but they have only recently advanced to the stage where they are viewed as reliable and trustworthy in different situations," stated the report.
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