M2SYS Blog On Biometric Technology

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Software And Hardware Installation Can Be Confusing

At times, software and hardware installation can seem confusing.  Not only do you have to spend time identifying how software can benefit your business and which software and hardware would do the best job at the most affordable price, then you have to figure out how to load the software on your server and client (PC) post-purchase so that it works effectively.  There are probably occasions where you may have to call or e-mail technical support just to get the software working properly which eats up time from your schedule and can be frustrating.  We hope that this blog post can avert problems with licensing your software and provide you with a seamless installation.

P.S. – At the end of this blog post, we assembled a Glossary of Licensing Terminology.  Words marked with a * next to them are defined in the Glossary.

Tips On A Successful Client And Server Licensing Experience

In order to use M2SYS hardware and software, a license (LID)* must be generated either for the client (PC)/server or both.  We thought it might be helpful to take a moment and explain how licenses are generated, why they are needed and how to navigate the M2SYS License Page.*

Client (PC) software can be licensed in the following ways:

1. If the client and server are running on the same PC, the client is automatically licensed by the server.
2. M2-EasyScan Fingerprint Reader – licensed automatically by the internal code within the device.
3. M2-S Fingerprint Reader – when prompted by a software license screen*, type the LID from underneath the device.
4. M2-FV Finger Vein Reader and M2-PV Palm Vein Reader – license generated on the M2SYS License Page.

Server software can be licensed in the following ways:

1. Connect a USB Smartlock.*
2. Generate a license ID from the M2SYS Licensing Page.

Here are some tips that can make licensing and your installation a little easier:

Tip #1 - Let’s start with the most important tip – make sure to thoroughly read the installation guide(s) and the license page information first before attempting to generate licenses.  Installations will go much smoother if you take the time to go over this information prior to loading the software and connecting the hardware.

Tip #2 – DO NOT plug in the hardware (fingerprint, finger vein or palm vein reader) before installing the software.  Wait until you have started installing the software which will prompt you when it is time to plug in the hardware.

Tip #3 – If you need to generate a license from the M2SYS Licensing Page, make sure that you type it correctly into the prompt during installation.  To help prevent typing errors, use your mouse cursor to highlight the installation ID* and copy and paste it into the license page.  Repeat the same procedure to get the generated license ID back into the software license form.

Tip #4 – If you rename or replace a client or a server, this causes previously generated licenses to become null and void.  You must generate a new license upon renaming or replacing a server or a client.

Glossary of Terminology

1. License ID (LID) – code used to activate M2SYS client or server software.  Can come from biometric device (client only) or M2SYS license page (client or server).
2. Installation ID – Machine-specific code displayed in M2SYS software after installation.  Used to generate license ID on M2SYS license page.
3. M2SYS License Page – Webpage which can be used to generate a client or server license ID by entering an installation ID.
4. USB Smartlock – USB dongle which will activate the software when connected to a computer running M2SYS server software.
5. Software License Screen – The form where you are prompted for license activation within the M2SYS software.  The installation ID and license ID are displayed and entered here.  In the client software, this form automatically pops up when a biometric operation is attempted and the client software requires activation.  In the server software, this form is accessible via the M2SYS biometric server entry in the Windows Control Panel.

We offer these tips to make your life easier and your experience with our software pleasant and positive.  If you are still experiencing problems, you can always call our support team or visit our support portal at http://support.m2sys.com/

Do you have any suggestions on how we can make licensing our software and hardware easier and more efficient?  Please leave us a comment below.

Please enjoy this guest blog post from our Partner, Horizon Software.  Horizon Software International is an innovative global leader in software, services and technologies for food service operations. The company, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner headquartered near Atlanta, GA, offers comprehensive food service solutions including Point of Service (POS), inventory management, menu planning, procurement, production, digital signage, temperature management, integrated vending, and more.

This post was written by Amy Huff, SNS, Vice President, Marketing at Horizon Software.

Many schools are realizing that biometric identification is no longer a high-tech futuristic concept and that it can significantly increase serving line speeds in the cafeteria.  Biometrics is a practical and affordable method of identification, removing the drawbacks associated with forgotten PINs, lost cards, and the potential for misuse due to bullying and other factors.

There are significant benefits to using biometrics for student identification:

Improve efficiency – Serving line speeds improve significantly when using biometrics rather than traditional identification methods. With biometrics, schools are able to avoid backed-up lunch lines due to misplaced cards or forgotten PIN codes.  One school system tested PIN pads versus biometrics and found that biometric identification was two minutes faster per 100 transactions.  With school cafeteria lines processing hundreds or thousands of students, those minutes really add up and make a difference in overall line speed.

Save time and money – A school’s staff no longer has to spend valuable time reissuing PIN codes and replacing forgotten, lost or stolen swipe cards.  And, it’s not just time they are saving; schools also no longer have the cost of producing the cards.

Boost security and protect privacy – Unlike ID cards and PINs, students cannot steal another student’s biometric template to gain access to another student’s account.

With all these benefits, why aren’t all districts using biometric technology?  The answer is that the biggest obstacle to using biometric technology is the misconception parents have in regard to what biometric technology is.

The misconception that students are being fingerprinted often hinders the adoption of this form of identification.  It is important to convey to school districts that particular care has been taken to ensure personal privacy.  Fingerprint images are NOT stored and the data is stored in a proprietary format, using secure encryption.

Instead of storing fingerprint images, the system stores only templates that are a numeric representation of the individual fingerprint.  Templates can be used for matching, but the actual fingerprint cannot be reconstructed.  Schools can rest assured that fingerprints are not stored anywhere and fingerprints cannot be recreated from the encrypted digital templates.

Beyond conveying this to school districts, it is even more important that the school districts communicate to parents when implementing biometric solutions.  Once they realize their children are not being fingerprinted and that this technology makes it very difficult for another student to gain access to another’s meal account, it is easy for them to see the benefits.

Fingerprint recognition is becoming the recommended method for education environments in secondary schools because it is reliable, cost-effective, easy to use, and secure.

Leading up to our participation in the National Retail Federation’s 2011 “Retail’s Big Show” from January 9 – 12 in New York city, M2SYS Technology is publishing a blog series on the top 15 reasons that biometrics is a smart choice for retail organizations to consider as an authentication technology in workforce management and retail point of sale applications.

Attending the show?  Visit M2SYS at booth #156 to enter to won a brand new 3G Kindle Reader with Wifi! Click here for details.

Reason #3 – Loss Prevention

Employee’s Are Stealing From Your Business

Back in September we wrote about the ways that biometric technology is beneficial for the retail point of service (POS) environment. In that blog post, we discussed three practical applications of the technology to help solve problems inherent in a POS environment.  Today, we want to focus on one of those applications in particular – how biometrics can bolster a loss prevention policy.

Like it or not, employees steal from their employers.  A lot.  Consider these recent statistics about employee theft:

• 75% of all employees steal at least once, half of those steal repeatedly (U.S. Department of Commerce)
• One out of every three business failures is the direct result of employee theft (U.S. Department of Commerce)
• Employee dishonesty costs American business in excess of $50 billion annually (U.S. Department of Commerce)
• 65% of IT crime is traceable to insiders (National Retail Security Survey)
• 48% of merchandise losses are attributable to employees (National Retail Security Survey)
• 20% of every dollar earned by a U.S. company is lost to employee theft (American Society of Employers)

These statistics are alarming and truly shed a light on just how critical a bulletproof loss prevention program is and how a successful program can bolster profits for a business’s bottom line.

What Do You Do?

There are many methods to incorporating a loss prevention program that prevents or drastically reduces employee theft.  Conventional programs rely on technology such as security cameras, barcode swipe cards or personal identification numbers (PINs) for inventory management and transactional purposes but there are holes in these loss prevention measures that render them less than acceptable as a solution.  For example, if you own a restaurant and have issued a barcode scanning ID card to each of your employees that grants access levels to your computer system or areas within the store, you are taking a role based security approach to your loss prevention strategy.

Role based security measures prevent employees from executing manager level transactions when they aren’t authorized.  One of the problems with this strategy is – what happens when the manager is busy and the customer is in a hurry?  Do you sacrifice service and security integrity by allowing the employee to temporarily borrow the manager’s card, perform the transaction and then return it to the manager when they are finished?  How would you know if the employee didn’t take advantage of having the manager’s barcode ID card and enter in fraudulent returns or sales to steal money?  Conventional approaches to loss prevention are less than airtight and can sometimes do a poor job of preventing the root causes of employee theft which drastically eats away at profits.

How Is Biometric Technology Different As Part Of A Loss Prevention Strategy?

As we discussed in our recent posting on how biometrics increases employee productivity, adopting biometric technology in a retail POS environment eliminates the need for logon ID’s and passwords.  An employee can’t borrow a swipe card or a PIN to perform a transaction or task that is above their permission level because a manager must be physically present to offer their biometric authentication for the authorization to be completed.

Another great example to demonstrate the prominence of biometric technology is in the area of access control.  Many businesses address the need to establish an access control system for authorized areas by simply locking a door or installing a swipe card reader that releases a door strike when a barcode card is swiped or a PIN number is entered.  The problem with this approach is that someone can steal a key or PIN to gain access to the authorized area.  If a biometric access control device were installed, then it would be impossible to gain access to the authorized area unless a person who had security clearance was physically present to open the door.

Consider Biometric Technology When Researching Loss Prevention Measures

Obviously, biometrics alone is not the sole answer to the question of how to create an effective loss prevention program.  You must also follow other best practices such as carefully screening employees before hire, instituting and communicating a zero tolerance policy for employee theft, offering incentives and rewards for alerting management to employees engaging in unscrupulous behavior, etc.  Biometric technology is not the means to the end of employee theft, but rather part of an overall strategy to curtail it to the best of your ability along with other preventative measures.

If you are just starting a business or perhaps you have been in business for years but are reassessing your loss prevention policy, please research biometric technology as an option.  You can always contact us if you have questions, need additional examples or are curious about pricing on how biometrics can be a smart solution for enhancing any loss prevention program.

What additional loss prevention policies have you found to be most effective?  How have you caught your employees stealing from your company?  Please share your stories and leave a comment.

Ok, so you’ve decided to implement biometric identification technology in your business.  Whew, the tough part is done….now, how do you decide which biometric reader is the most appropriate for you to use and will give you the best results?  Perhaps one of the most critical decisions you can make when deploying a biometric solution is what the most appropriate piece of biometric hardware is to use.  Here is a simple guide to help you to navigate the hardware choices:

Fingerprint is a good solution for many environments

Fingerprint technology is one of the most familiar forms of biometric technology. Although M2SYS provides advanced, revolutionary fingerprint software, using fingerprint biometrics is not always ideal depending on where the technology is used.

The M2-S and M2-EasyScan fingerprint readers provide virtually fool-proof fingerprint recognition. They tend to be most effective when deployed in environments like school lunch line point-of-service, youth membership management, afterschool programs and member authentication.  However, they are not always a “one-size-fits-all” solution, so here are some things to ask yourself about your end users when choosing the biometric hardware that is most effective for your needs.     

What industry do you work in?

Industries that are geared towards a blue collar demographic where workers are primarily using their hands with tools or chemicals may be considered less than ideal for fingerprint technology.  Cuts, dry skin, scars and other factors can sometimes prevent fingerprint readers from reliably enrolling or identifying a person.  These types of environments tend to compromise the integrity of a fingerprint and make it difficult for prints to be captured through a reader.

It is recommended that if you are seeking biometric technology for this type of an environment, consider vascular biometric readers (finger vein and palm vein) instead where near infrared light is used to capture the vein patterns underneath your finger or palm and the integrity of your fingerprint is not an issue.  Non-invasive, contactless vascular biometric readers scan below the skin’s surface to help ensure a perfect read every time and bypass the need to have a quality fingerprint.

What is the age range of your end users?

When it comes to additional characterizations of your end users to determine the most effective biometric hardware to use, consider their age.  It is a biological fact that as we age, our skin tends to become less elastic. Reduced skin elasticity tends to create less than ideal conditions for fingerprint scanning and is not conducive to capturing the quality images needed to successfully use biometric technology.

Similar to our previous suggestion for a blue collar workforce deployment, you may want to consider vascular biometric readers if a majority or all of your end users are geared towards an older demographic.  Finger vein and palm vein readers work very well with older users and once again do not need to rely on the integrity of the fingerprint to effectively capture a biometric image for enrollment and subsequent identification.

How is the climate?

What is the climate like where you intend to deploy biometric technology?  Is it cold?  Warm?  Humid?  Dry?  The integrity of one’s skin is directly affected by the physical environment that surrounds them so if you are deploying biometrics in an environment that is cold which may cause dryer skin and thus compromise the integrity of a fingerprint, you may want to consider using vascular biometric hardware instead of a fingerprint reader.  Also please keep in mind that the climate outdoors is just as important as the climate indoors when assessing which biometric hardware reader is best suited to your environment.

Myth – An environment where clean hands are required is ok for fingerprint technology

Consider a healthcare environment for a moment where staff is required to always have clean hands.  Seems like this would be ideal for fingerprints because everyone’s hands are always clean, and therefore would produce a higher quality scan for enrollment and subsequent matching, right?  Wrong.  Washing your hands repeatedly tends to dry out your skin, creating less than ideal fingerprint integrity which may make using fingerprint technology difficult.

Once again, consider vascular technology instead where fingerprint integrity is not a factor for ideal results.

The beauty of Hybrid Biometric Platform – a multi-modal biometrics system

Congratulations, you made it.  You analyzed all of the important factors needed to determine which biometric hardware reader will work best for your end users and environment.  You asked all of the right questions, dotted all of the i’s and crossed the t’s.  Good for you.  But, you’re not done.  Now comes the time to choose which biometric software you will need to work with your biometric hardware.

The key for choosing a biometric software package is to select one that will hedge against investment risk by allowing you to switch between biometric hardware modalities (i.e. – fingerprint, finger vein, palm vein and iris cameras) without having to upgrade your software each time.  Presto.  Hybrid Biometric Platform enables you to  tailor your deployment model based on the unique needs of your customers and/or end users, and easily switch between four biometric engines without having to install any new software. This unparalleled flexibility produces near 100% read rates for any user, under any condition, and results in the lowest possible total cost of ownership compared to other options.  How fortuitous.

What are some other unique characteristics of your end users that you keep in mind which we may have missed?

If you have been living under the proverbial rock these past 1 ½ years and have not yet heard of the social media platform called Twitter, well then just skip this blog entry because it isn’t meant to be a tutorial on the benefits for your company on using the medium.  Instead, we at M2SYS would like to give a shout out to some of the most informative media outlets and industry analysts who tweet about biometrics.

Since we established our Twitter identity over a year ago, we have witnessed the explosion of the platform as a means to distribute information and share opinions on biometric news and technology from a wide variety of sources.  Although it can be tough at times to cut through the clutter and identify Tweeps (defined by urbandictionary.com as “A person with a mutual following on www.twitter.com) worth following that tweet about meaningful articles, commentaries, blog posts and other information that is relevant to biometrics, we managed to assemble a formidable group of key Tweeps that have demonstrated their prowess as folks who share quality information about biometric technology.

So here we go.  In no particular order, here are the top 5 biometric Tweeps hand picked from those we follow on Twitter:

1.       @heidishey – A Researcher with Forrester Research who specializes in “serving Tech Vendor strategists”, Heidi does an excellent job of scouring the Internet and her sources for interesting articles and links about biometric technology while offering her own insights and opinions.  One only has to read her tweets to get a sense of her intelligence, wit and passion for biometric technology.

2.       @findBIOMETRICS – Provides up to date, relevant information on biometric news around the world.  Reports on all aspects of biometrics including technology, mergers and acquisitions, industry events, legislation and government.

3.       @Biometric_Man – The Twitter account of Mark Lockie, who operates planetbiometrics.com and tweets about all aspects of the global biometric market including breaking  news, new technologies and expert industry insights.

4.       @BiometricNews – A newcomer to the Twitter universe, this is a great Tweep to follow for biometric news from all parts of the globe.  News topics range from government biometric deployments to biometrics in consumer products to opinions on the movement of the industry.

5.       @DHSJournal – This is the Twitter page of the Department of Homeland Security.  They don’t always tweet about biometrics but often will talk about the subject as it applies to deployment of the technology to secure America’s borders and other deployments within the U.S. Government.

How about you?  Who are some influential biometric Tweeps that you follow?  Please share them in the comments below.