adminScience and technology have advanced significantly in past few decades. It has simplifies life to a considerable level. One of the major breakthroughs in the field of technology is biometrics. It is a tool to identify human beings through their traits or characteristics. In the field of access control and identification, this tool is increasingly used in computer science. It is also used by law and order authorities to identify individuals as a part of group under surveillance. For labeling and describing individuals, biometric identifiers are used that are measurable and distinctive characteristics.
There are two categories in these identifiers-behavioral and physiological characteristics. Body shape that includes DNA, fingerprint, hand geometry, Palm print, retina recognition, iris recognition and odor are the focus in physiological characteristics while behavior of an individual is the focus in behavioral characteristics. The application of this software is seen in many fields. Time and attendance software based on this technology has brought about a remarkable change in the day to day operations of many organizations. This software has not only helped in reducing a lot of time and energy but has also proved to be environment-friendly. Using this software, organizations can put a check on the practice of falsifying time and attendance records. This way, an organization knows about the actual work hours put in by an employee.
Other areas where biometrics have been applied is identification systems based on token, for example, passport, driver’s license and identification systems based on knowledge like persona; identification number or password. These identifiers are unique for every person; therefore, they are totally reliable when identity needs to be verified in comparison to knowledge and token based identifiers. The only downside of this technology is ultimate information use causing privacy concerns.
When authenticating something using biometric tools, a wide range of aspects chemistry, human physiology or behavior can be taken into consideration. Several factors need to be weighed when using biometric tools for a particular application. There are several factors that are used when trait suitability is accessed in biometric authentication, the first one being Universality. It implies about a trait that should be common in every person. Uniqueness is another factor that implies that a trait should be easily distinguishable in different individuals. The manner through which a trait changes over a period of time describes permanence, the third factor taken into consideration for checking trait suitability. Measurability refers to the ease in measuring a trait. Performance refers to speed, accuracy and robustness of this technology. The degree of acceptability of this technology is referred to as acceptance. The last one is circumvention that is related to the imitation of a trait using a substitute or an artifact.
Time and attendance software is a popular biometric tool. For adding an extra layer of accountability, efficiency and security, these devices are usually used. Using this device, employers can manage employee scheduling, attendance and associate payroll tasks. This software has helped in reducing the number of man hours that were earlier used for this task.
