Report author and analyst at IMS Research Justin Siller comments, "Fingerprint recognition devices have been around for a number of years but they were initially commercially unsuccessful, primarily due to their high price. Over time pockets of opportunity have emerged where fingerprint biometrics have started to find real traction".
Siller continues, "The government sector is getting behind biometrics. Live scan devices are being used by law enforcement and prisons to collect data on criminals. In governmental buildings the use of fingerprint recognition for access control is increasing as governments worldwide seek higher levels of security. With certain areas of the government sector finding success with fingerprint devices, additional opportunities for the use of biometrics have emerged. The government sector has started to use biometrics for new programs including e-passports, border control, visas, national identification, refugee programs, welfare programs, voter cards, benefit fraud, and food programs".
With government agencies continuing to benefit from the use of fingerprint devices, other industries have started to follow suit as the interest surrounding biometrics grows. Fingerprint solutions are now becoming more commonplace within airports and for border control applications. Within healthcare they have found a niche in the protection of patient records while in more industrial areas, such as manufacturing, there is an increasing requirement for fingerprint biometrics in time and attendance applications. Siller summarizes, "Biometrics is no longer a dream of the past and truly has a bright future ahead".
06/06/2009