FbF Live Scan has also been tested for backwards compatibility with the Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification (EFTS) 7.1 format, which is used by the Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT) programme. SWFT provides Department of Defense contractors the ability to easily transition to electronic capture and submission of fingerprints under the new specification – a process that is critical for expediting personnel security clearance background checks that impact US national security.

Currently, there are 13,300 companies that are considered “cleared facilities” and are thus eligible to access classified information under the National Industrial Security Program for the US Department of Defense. When an employee working for a cleared facility requires access to classified information, the company must obtain a personnel security clearance for that individual. This involves the submission of fingerprints and other data to the Office of Personnel Management for the processing of FBI background investigations. By December 31, 2013, all cleared facilities are required to submit these fingerprints electronically. To date, only 11% of these cleared facilities submit fingerprints electronically.

The SWFT programme enables the electronic submission of fingerprints and demographic information, eliminating the time-consuming and error-prone manual process of collecting and submitting hardcopy fingerprints. Because FbF Live Scan is listed on the FBI IAFIS Approved Product List, users of FbF Live Scan can take advantage of the SWFT program to comply with the Department of Defense directive to submit electronic fingerprints. While this standard is mandated, it also supports the goals established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and the implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12.

“We are proud to introduce this new live scan solution that enables SWFT programme users compatibility with the latest EBTS 9.3 standards,” said Ken Nosker, president of Fulcrum Biometrics. “By ensuring rapid, accurate submission of fingerprints, FbF Live Scan helps contractors streamline the security clearance process and avoid costly delays.”

FbF Live Scan has an intuitive Microsoft Silverlight user interface and features high image quality for both flat and rolled fingerprints. The interface is customisable and expandable for use in local, state and national-scale implementations. FbF Live Scan is suitable for a wide range of uses for both civil and criminal identification, such as national voter registration and identification, employee background checks, offender and visitor enrollment and identification. By combining FbF Live Scan with additional FbF products, such as the FbF bio Server (multi-biometric matching engine), FbF Live Scan can become an integral part of a more comprehensive AFIS/ABIS system but at a fraction of the cost of competing solutions.

FbF Live Scan software is currently integrated with the Futronic FS60 professional fingerprint scanner from Futronic. The high quality fingerprint images of the Futronic FS60 are certified as FBI EBTS Appendix F compliant and its high speed scanning combined with compact and robust hardware make the Futronic FS60 ideal for use with FbF Live Scan in a wide variety of use cases. In addition to working with Futronic FS60, the FbF Live Scan software can be made to work with other Appendix F certified live scan hardware on request, giving customers a selection of hardware to choose from.

FbF Live Scan supports Microsoft Windows XP or higher, Microsoft .NET 4.0 or higher and the MS SQL database. Other FbF system components include the FbF bio Server multi-biometric matching engine, FbF mobile One fingerprint accessory for Iphone, Ipod touch and Ipad devices, FbF Demographica Enrollment and Identification System, and FbF developer tools.

The mandatory window for electronic filing of fingerprint data is beginning to close. FbF Live Scan enables companies to begin an easy transition immediately with an efficient, cost-effective solution that meets the new EBTS standards.