Latin America. HID Global announced the integration of the company's Lumidigm biometric technology with its popular Omnikey smart card proximity readers.
This addition simplifies identity validation in citizen identification applications and numerous financial, healthcare and commercial service delivery applications. With Lumidigm's® V-Series V371 fingerprint reader, program administrators can verify users' identities by requiring them to present a card, their fingerprint, or both on the reader. The solution is designed to simplify registration and transactions, while preventing the use of fake fingerprints.
Latin America is one of the regions that has most integrated the use of biometric technology into its security solutions. "Different countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Peru or Chile have a citizen identity document that includes the fingerprint templates stored in a barcode or chip, while in Brazil there are more than 90,000 ATMs with integrated biometric technology, in which more than 120 million financial transactions are made monthly," said Juan Carlos Tejedor Luna, Sales Director for Latin America of Lumidigm.
The executive adds that many other public and private programs make massive use of biometrics technologies in the region, as a tool to reduce the risk of fraud, streamline procedures and provide a better service. "In Latin America, biometrics is the most accepted method for identification, there are no rejections and people understand that it is safe, does not threaten privacy and offers high security," he concluded.
Paul Butler, Vice President and General Manager of HID Global's Biometrics Division, said: "As the first HID Global solution to integrate Lumidigm technology, the V371 reader provides the best biometric fingerprint performance on the market in those applications with proximity readers where it is extremely important to know the identity of customers. The V371 optimizes cardholder access and eliminates fraud stemming from shared or stolen ID cards. Although other methods have been employed to prevent card counterfeiting, and the resulting fraud, the V371 is the only one that ensures that authenticated users are the same people to whom the cards were issued."
Originally designed for a national id program, the V371 is a perfect tool for any identity verification application in which users record their fingerprint information on a proximity card. Validation is achieved by matching the person's fingerprint with the biometric data that was entered into the card during registration. The following are some of the applications of the solution:
Citizen Identification: Provides a simple method to verify the identity of citizens when they cross borders, vote, and receive financial, health, and other government benefits through public distribution programs. All that is needed to validate a trusted identity is a biometric national ID card, which replaces the old process that involved using ID log books, passports or utility bills.
Health Services: Validate identity to register patients, prescribe online, and determine eligibility for benefits.
Financial Services and Other Business Transactions: Solves the challenges involved in authenticating high-value financial services transactions and account access. It can also be used for gym memberships, phone SIM card registration, customer loyalty programs, among other uses. With this solution, companies can validate a person's true identity before offering them a service.
Typically, card and fingerprint readers require the user to use both hands, one to hold the card and the other to locate the finger and capture the fingerprint image. With the company's V371 reader this drawback disappears, thanks to the fact that it comes equipped with a cavity that holds the card and emits an LED indication during its use to ensure the proper location of the card. Reader performance is optimized thanks to the incorporation of Lumidigm's multi-spectral imaging technology, which ensures crisp and clean fingerprint images, even if skin features are absent or difficult to distinguish due to age, dirt, finger pressure and/or skin or environmental conditions.
This technology also provides protection against fingerprint counterfeiting, as it uses patented detection features that are based on physiological properties to distinguish between authentic and false traits (liveness detection). As with antivirus software, these features can be updated on a regular basis at their place of use, as new threats are identified.
HID Global's V371 Lumidigm reader is now available in Latin America.
