Latin America. Within the framework of the ESS+ International Security Fair in Colombia, Ricardo Miralha, HID's business development manager for Latin America, presented the company's latest innovations in biometric solutions, highlighting how these technologies are transforming access control, identity verification and risk management schemes in different sectors.
Biometrics as an alternative in authentication
The physical and logical security market is migrating to authentication models that reduce reliance on physical credentials. Miralha explained that facial recognition, together with fingerprint and iris recognition technologies, make it possible to establish an inherent authentication factor, that is, impossible to transfer or lose. "With biometrics, a physical or mobile credential is not necessary; simply with the face the user can enter," he said.
This approach translates into multimodal schemes, where the same system can enable from traditional credentials to advanced biometric authentication, responding to security policies adapted to the specific risk of each customer.
Privacy & Compliance
One of the main technical challenges in the implementation of biometrics is the management of sensitive data. HID uses a feature extraction process that converts the image into a biometric template, a unique mathematical representation that does not allow the original image to be reconstructed, reducing the possibility of leaks with practical value.
This procedure is aligned with international data protection regulations such as GDPR in Europe and LGPD in Brazil, which strengthens adoption in regulated environments such as banking, health and the public sector.
In addition, HID has introduced decentralized storage models, where templates can be stored on memory cards under user control, eliminating the need for centralized databases and mitigating cybersecurity risks associated with mass access.
Artificial intelligence applied to recognition
The incorporation of algorithms based on artificial intelligence and machine learning improves the accuracy and speed of identity verification. HID integrates engines such as Paravision, ranked among the highest performing, with special emphasis on reducing bias by demographic group and environmental conditions.
These algorithms are designed to operate in high-demand environments, such as airports, financial institutions, and corporate buildings, ensuring response times in milliseconds with minimal error rates.
Impact on costs and operational efficiency
From an economic perspective, biometrics contribute to reducing operating costs by eliminating the cycle of issuance, replacement and administration of physical credentials. At the same time, it strengthens the prevention mechanisms against fraud or impersonation attempts.
"Every peso invested in prevention is equivalent to five pesos in correction," said Miralha, highlighting how these technologies allow organizations to prioritize more preventive and less reactive risk management.
Expanding into emerging markets
The commercial deployment of these solutions began in Brazil in January 2025 and has expanded to other Latin American countries. According to Miralha, emerging markets in Latin America, Africa and Asia show greater openness to biometric adoption, in contrast to the more restrictive regulatory scenarios in Europe and the United States.
HID's introduction in Colombia reinforces the regional consolidation strategy, at a time when the demand for reliable and scalable authentication systems becomes a critical factor for the security of public and private organizations.
