Precise Biometrics’ partner community continues to grow with Thursby partnership

Precise Biometrics today announced a partnership with Thursby Software, further enhancing Thursby’s security initiatives with the integration of a smart casing solution for mobile devices from Precise Biometrics. Thursby will use the solution with its PKard™ suite of iPad and iPhone apps to provide highly secure and convenient access to websites requiring strong authentication on mobile devices for the commercial and government sector.
“We are very excited to announce our partnership with Thursby,” said Precise Biometrics’ CEO, Thomas Marschall. “We are expecting that the mobile security market will see a triple digit market growth for emerging authentication technologies in 2012. With this surge, we are seeing more and more potential for partners such as Thursby taking advantage of our solution’s secure platform and smart casing with its built-in smart card reader and fingerprint sensor.”
The smart casing solution fulfills a need for users who want to access secure networks or services using their mobile device, but are restricted from doing so because they cannot authenticate as required. The smart casing fit seamlessly over the device, filling a void in the mobile security arena by enabling developers to build smart card, fingerprint authentication, or both, into virtually any type of app for the most popular mobile devices. At the same time, the smart casing solution makes authentication easier and more convenient for users.
Thursby has been pleased with the exciting possibilities of the smart casing solution and can now offer apps leveraging its capabilities for secure mobile computing.

App developers can access information on the smart casing solution and its toolkit by visiting www.idApps.com/developers.

 

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Mandatory ePassports for ICAO countries by 2015 to boost adoption of eGate systems

Travel documents are for terrorists just as important as weapons, according to the key finding from the 9/11 Commission Report. This is the reason border control systems based on biometric applications have become the solution of choice in identifying potential threats. There is also considerable emphasis on the identification of immigrants using e-Passports and e-Visas to channel biometric data to destination countries to reduce illegal immigration.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan Global Border Control Market Assessment, estimates that the market will earn revenues of $8.74 billion by 2019, comparing to $1.97 billion in 2010. As the growing mobility of people necessitates the use of e-Passports, e-Visas, e-Gates and infrastructure to support the systems, the border control market is expected to earn a double digit CAGR of 17.6 per cent from 2011 to 2019.

The universal penetration of e-Passport, e-Visas and e-Gate systems is in response to the efforts of biometrics associations, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, governments and border control application vendors to develop international standards for the adoption of biometric technologies.

“The mandatory implementation of e-Passports for ICAO member countries by 2015 and rising passenger throughput will trigger wider adoption of e-Gate systems,” says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Dominik Kimla. ”The e-Gate system adoption will partially be an outcome of the successful implementation of e-Passports and e-Visas and it is vital for managing passenger flows more efficiently at border check points.“

Although the e-Passport segment is likely to remain the largest in the total border control market, the e-Gate segment will be the fastest growing between 2011 and 2019. While the e-Gate segment’s total share is anticipated to increase from 14.2 per cent in 2010 to 37.7 per cent in 2019, e-Passport’s is expected to decrease from 69.2 per cent to 51.6 per cent during the same period.

With international arrivals expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by 2020, end users are appreciative of the need for border control. However, the complexity and cost of border control systems implementation and privacy concerns could deter several users from deploying this solution.

The negative association of fingerprint identification with criminal investigations have slowed down the adoption of this form of identification. Further, they have indicated a reluctance to adopt the technology due to privacy and civil liberties concerns regarding data storage, the vulnerability of the data to theft and abuse and the implications of false positives and false negatives.

It is essential for the market participants to not only identify and assuage privacy concerns in the public and private sectors but they should also present attractive return on investment.

“Suppliers must demonstrate how their border control solution can reduce operator costs in the long term,” notes Kimla. “This is an important factor since in the current post downturn environment; operators are looking for ways to maintain a high standard of security at low costs.“

 

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US: NEC to modernize multistate criminal ID system by 2013

NEC Corporation of America announced that it has been awarded a multiyear contract with the Western Identification Network, Inc. (WIN) to modernize WIN’s multistate criminal identification system. The updated system will include advanced identification capabilities (such as high-resolution palm and fingerprint matching and other emerging biometric functions), disaster recovery facilities, and enhanced system performance.

WIN is a nonprofit organization that provides reliable, effective, leading-edge identification services to the law enforcement agencies and citizens of its member states – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and California (as an interface member). Its members have access to approximately 28 million fingerprint records of the Western United States.

“WIN has served for nearly a quarter of a century as a cooperative law enforcement venture that helps apprehend criminals that could otherwise effectively disappear across state lines. We’re excited about the potential our future holds with NEC, and look forward to providing continued first-rate biometric identification services to our membership,” said Kenneth E. Bischoff, WIN CEO.

This contract will move the existing WIN system to a highly fault-tolerant architecture supporting the most advanced biometrics technology available today. Further, key elements of NEC’s cloud-based offerings, such as FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) -compliant data centers, Network Operations Center, remote managed services, and server virtualization, are used to increase system security, reliability, and maintainability. Compliant with the FBI’s latest Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification, this contract will also position WIN to take advantage of identification services being implemented by the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) system.

“Use of WIN’S operating budget virtually eliminates the need for upfront capital investment,” said Raffie Beroukhim, Vice President of Biometric Solutions for NEC. “We believe this services-based model is a much more cost-effective way to help law enforcement organizations implement and maintain biometric identification systems, and ultimately keep criminals off the street.”

“This updated system will provide our members with a more accurate search engine that will save investigation time,” said  Julie Butler, Records Bureau Manager at the Nevada Department of Public Safety and chairperson of the WIN Board of Directors. “And with NEC’s service-oriented architecture members can expand their identification services to include other biometric modalities such as facial recognition.”

Mr. Beroukhim added, “NEC is pleased to have earned the opportunity to continue its relationship with WIN and to provide a critical service to law enforcement agencies of the Western United States. Selection of NEC following a competitive procurement process that included benchmark and site visits, once again confirms NEC as the leading provider of IT‑centric, service-based ABIS solutions in North America.”

WIN’s enhanced system is slated to launch in fall 2013.