Biometric devices measure a person s physical or behavioral characteristics, such as iris patterns, hand measurements, voice patterns and fingerprints, to ensure that the person accessing a device or location is who he or she claims to be. Security concerns, of course, apply not only to computers and networks but also to physical access to facilities. And biometrics can be used to authenticate people for both applications. The government is taking notice. In fact, the National Security Policy Board, through the Facilities Protection Committee, has chartered a Biometric Consortium to help develop, test and evaluate biometric devices on behalf of the Defense Department.
Several factors play a part in deciding what kind of biometric security to implement.
For example, if all PCs on a network have cameras attached to them, the infrastructure for face recognition is already in place. Similarly, PCs with microphones are easily outfitted for voice-recognition technology. If your department s computers have no cameras or microphones, you may be more inclined to use stand-alone fingerprint scanners. Buyers should also consider future security needs and whether the system they are considering can meet those needs. Next, environmental factors are important to weigh.