Finger Vein Biometrics Identification for Membership Management Software

John TraderSeptember 6, 20123 Replies

University of Vermont is using M2SYS finger vein biometrics for student membership management

Finger vein biometric technology for membership management

An article published today in the University of Vermont’s campus newspaper The Vermont Cynic reported that the campus recreation center has adopted M2SYS finger vein technology for student member identification. Tim Lewis, associate director for campus recreation made the decision to use finger vein biometrics for member identification after brainstorming ideas on how to eliminate students carrying ID cards. Happy to see our finger vein biometric identification system used at the University of Vermont through a partnership we have with Vermont Systems, a recreation and parks software provider based in Essex Junction, VT.

Modern day membership management software is designed to help create efficiencies that antiquated methods simply can’t provide. In an effort to eliminate ID cards, prevent identity fraud, and create a more convenient user experience, many membership management facilities are evaluating vascular biometrics (finger vein and palm vein) for identification because of the distinct advantages it offers. Specifically, using biometrics for member identification has proven to be the most effective and affordable solution for safe and secure management of sensitive information. Installation of a biometric member identification system is fast and easy, providing a convenient experience for members who no longer have to remember their ID Cards and a comforting feeling to recreation center staff who can feel confident that no unauthorized members are gaining access to the facility.

Although fingerprint biometrics is traditionally seen as the most common modality, many membership management facilities have discovered that vascular biometrics (finger vein and palm vein) are more effective in their environments for identifying members who may have skin integrity issues that would limit the effectiveness of fingerprint readers. The University of Vermont decided that finger vein biometrics, which uses near infrared light to map the vein pattern beneath a finger for identification was a preferred biometric modality for their end users. After a brief 2 – 3 minute enrollment period, on subsequent visits students can be identified in about 2 seconds.

Could finger vein or palm vein biometrics help your membership management facility to create efficiencies, save time and resources, and create a more convenient user experience? Please contact us for a price quote or membership management software provider reference.

M2SYS CEO @themizan to Speak at 2012 Biometrics Summit in Miami

John TraderFebruary 24, 2012Leave a Reply

M2SYS CEO to Speak at 2012 Biometrics Summit

Where: Miami Hilton Downtown, Miami, FL

When: February 27 – March 1, 2012

M2SYS Informational Session: Day two, 02/29/12, 3:25pm

M2SYS CEO Mizan Rahman will be speaking next week at the 2012 Biometrics Summit in Miami, FL. Mizan will be joined by James Rokosky from our partners at DSI-ITI, LLC. to dicsuss using multi-modal biometrics to enhance the public safety sector by securing the identification and tracking of inmates and visitors.

Due to increasing crime rates, correctional facilities are finding it difficult to securely manage the ever-growing number of identification records for prisoners and visitors. Proper identification of inmates prior to release is critical to public safety, and often times, over-populated and under-staffed jails may release unauthorized inmates due to human error or to inmates swapping ID bracelets with other inmates. Multi-modal biometric identification solutions provide a fail-safe way to properly manage correctional facilities. By using biometric identification at key areas throughout a detention center, the management system can track inmate and visitor movements throughout the day. Inmate and visitor whereabouts can be determined at any time, which increases accountability and in turn, increases overall jail security and safety.

Sharing experiences of how biometrics has evolved in the public safety sector, this session will focus on the functionality and advantages of using multi-modal biometric identification in detention centers for inmate and visitor management, including:

How to deploy biometric identification for prisoner and visitor identification within a facility
Why liabilities inherent with identity management in the public safety sector are virtually eliminated with biometric identification
Using accurate and efficient multi-modal biometric technology to track and control visitor registration and inmate intake, release, medicine dispersal and location

If you are in Miami for the conference, please drop in to hear Mizan speak. Hope to see you there!

@M2SYS Partners with RedPrairie to Offer PC-based Biometric Time Clocks for Employee Time and Attendance

John TraderNovember 29, 2011Leave a Reply

A biometric time clock for labor tracking, preventing time theft and lowering costs.

RightPunch™ PC-based biometric time clock

Today M2SYS announced another partnership to broaden the reach of RightPunch™ a PC-based biometric time clock designed as an affordable alternative to a wall mounted time clock or a way to augment exist time clocks. We are proud to say that RedPrairie Corporation, a leader in enterprise workforce management software and labor tracking solutions that improve employee performance will now offer the RightPunch™ biometric time clock as a complement to their existing workforce optimization tools.

Many companies are already using the RightPunch™ biometric time clock and realizing the benefits after switching from paper time sheets, non-biometric time clocks or outdated time and attendance systems. Among the long list of benefits that a PC-based biometric time clock can bring to a company seeking to lower costs, raise employee productivity and maximize return on investment with a workforce management application the following are important benefits for companies to consider that seek to control labor costs:

Increased employee productivity by eliminating time theft and speeding up punch times.
Strengthened security and efficiency over ID cards or personal identification numbers (PINs).
Reduction of payroll inflation and payroll error rates.
Ensuring compliance with labor tracking laws by establishing a concrete audit trail of punch activity.
Offline punch capture and schedule enforcement to ensure accurate data and compliance in cases of network loss.

M2SYS has developed a customized version of RightPunch™ that interfaces with RedPrairie’s workforce management platform and communicates with RedPrairie time and attendance software to seamlessly submit stored punches, enforce schedule restrictions and provide access to employee self service features. RightPunch™ also has an optional touch screen interface allowing it to run on kiosks or terminals that can be mounted to the wall just like a traditional time clock. Under the terms of the partnership, RedPrairie will market and resell the RightPunch™ biometric time clock to its customers and prospects.

We are excited for the future of PC-based biometric time clocks and the benefits they can bring to companies seeking to fortify their workforce management software solutions. Please contact us with comments or feedback on this partnership or any other questions about our RightPunch™ solution.

A link to the press release announcing the partnership between M2SYS and RedPrairie can be found here.

M2SYS Receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2011 North American New Product Innovation Award for Hybrid Biometric Platform™

John TraderAugust 2, 20116 Replies

Today, Frost & Sullivan announced that M2SYS is the recipient of the 2011 North American New Product Innovation Award for Hybrid Biometric Platform ™, the first scalable, multi-modal biometrics system that supports fingerprint, finger vein, palm vein, and iris recognition from a single server. After careful evaluation of modern biometric recognition platforms, M2SYS was recognized for its ingenuity in creating a software platform that helps end users to hedge against investment risk and lower their total cost of ownership.

Frost & Sullivan recognized M2SYS and their Hybrid Biometric Platform™ multi-modal biometrics system for the award through careful evaluation against the following key benchmarks:

Product Innovation
Leverage of Leading Edge Technologies
Value Added Features and Benefits
Ability to Increase Customer ROI
Potential for Customer Acquisition and Market Penetration Potential

Released in July 2010, Hybrid Biometric Platform™ has already been deployed in many different capacities across the vertical markets that M2SYS operates in. Many customers are already taking advantage of Hybrid Biometric Platform’s™ unique attributes by leveraging the flexibility to switch between biometric hardware devices without any additional investment in software thereby reducing capital expenditures and helping to ensure near 100% read rates for their users under any condition. We are proud of this important recognition for Hybrid Biometric Platform™and thank Frost & Sullivan for the award.

You Can’t Leave Your Fingers at Home

John TraderJuly 14, 20111 Reply

ACS church management software check-in with the M2-EasyScan Reader

Please enjoy this guest blog post from ACS Technologies, a M2SYS partner who provides excellence in information management solutions for the faith-based community.

This post was written by Eleanor Pierce, Communications Strategist at ACS Technologies. A link to the ACS Community Blog page can be found here.

Imagine the rush of people at check-in before church services on a Sunday morning. Hundreds of families, all trying to move through the process as quickly as possible so they’re not the one trying to sneak in after the sermon has already started. Today’s churches are looking for anything that can a) speed the process of checking kids in and b) assure the security of kids and c) create accurate attendance records and pickup lists.

Checking-in 350 kids in 10 minutes

Northwoods Community Church in Peoria, Ill., checks in about 800 kids every weekend, between its four services at two different campuses.

“For our 11 o’clock service, it’s probably close to 350,” said Jason Lee, Information Technology Director at the church. “We’re trying to process that many children in, let’s say a 10 minute window.” Creating a smooth check-in experience isn’t optional, it’s necessary.

“People don’t come early just to check in. We needed to create something that accommodates the attendees, because we could say sure, we’ll just put in one kiosk, but you’ve got to come 30 minutes early to church to check in,” Jason said—but of course, that approach wouldn’t won’t work for the attendees.

That’s why Northwoods has several self-check-in stations that use biometric technology. There’s a guest services desk for those who are not yet in the church’s database, or those who have brought a child that’s a guest, perhaps a cousin or neighbor. For those who are already entered in the system, there are stations where parents can check-in their kids quickly and easily, using a biometric scanner.

The preregistration requirement allows the Northwoods staff to be sure they know the kids who are being checked in and to assure that parents have signed any release forms. Once the paperwork has been handled, staff help parents pre-scan their finger so that they’re entered into the M2SYS system.

Returning parents who have been entered into the system can check-in at an express kiosk. “They walk up, scan their finger, and then it comes up and displays all the children in their family that can be checked in,” Jason explained.

Using the finger scanner with parents instead of the kids assures that parents are actually dropping their kids off in person, rather than just pulling up their cars out front and letting their child come inside alone. While it might save a parent time, Northwoods doesn’t like the safety issues for kids younger than 5^th grade.

One key benefit to biometric scanners is that there’s no way to forget what you need to check in.

“You could use a barcode, any sort of RFID, but you can forget those at home,” Jason said, “But it’s pretty challenging to forget your fingers unless you get in a fight with a lawnmower.”

Midwest dry skin = tough-to-capture fingerprints

Northwoods initially used a fingerprint scanner, but tough Midwestern weather means that there can be problems getting a good fingerprint. One problem is that cold winters and dry air can make fingerprints difficult to capture. Also, people who work outside and have calloused hands just might not have a good fingerprint at all. For that reason, Northwoods is in the process of transitioning to finger vein scanners for all check-in. They’ve already begun using the new scanners at one of their satellite campuses, and they’re getting ready to move the 1,500 parents who have been entered into their system using finger prints to re-scan using finger veins.

“The scanners are easier to use, the technology is not environmentally dependent, and it’s very accurate,” Jason said. While testing the machines with his own hand, he tried to create an error.

“I tried to get my finger to scan wrong, and unless I turned my finger sideways, it worked,” he said.

A real partnership

One aspect he’s been very happy with is the working relationship between ACS Technologies and M2SYS. Northwoods uses M2SYS in conjunction with its ACS Technolgies check-in software. It’s a totally integrated system that helps the church keep track of the families that attend the chuch.

“It’s nice to have a partner. That ACS Technologies said M2SYS is good, go work with them, and it’s not some just random third party that we’ve picked up off the shelf, that’s key for us; knowing that we have the support and backing of ACS Technologies and that they have the backing and support of M2SYS.”

Jason Lee also writes a blog called “Bytes about bits in church IT”