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Biometric Monitoring System

Term Paper

Tamara Williams

Management of Information Systems

Professor Marco A. Villarreal

Texas A&M University - CT

Introduction

Many companies and businesses need to adopt efficient employees’ monitoring systems. The management of these entities should have the ability to check that employees are within the designated working areas within the stipulated time. Therefore, the internal staff monitoring system should be operated in such a way that it ensures that it eliminates the possibility of an employee lying about their location and what times they are there. The company’s policy and system should deny the staff the ability to backtrack time and location, and the system should not give the employees capacity to perform relocation editing earlier than it was stated in the system. Firms in the past have adopted various manual systems as a way of ascertaining the whereabouts of staff at any given time, for example, the physical clock-in and clock out the system. In these systems, the employees should just register their presence by filling in their names and credentials on an attendance sheet.

Business organizations, schools, and training facilities have experienced significant challenges as the system allows for members of an organization to lie about their presence at any given time. A common problem is when employees form cliques in which co-workers sign for their colleagues who arrive and leave their designated areas of work. Whether its later and earlier than expected, their clock-ins and clock-outs will have the correct time stamp even if they are not there. The manual staff monitoring system offers cheaters a creative series of challenges. An employee who tends to leave their workstations more frequently, and the other employees that leave their work areas before their stipulated time, all of which the management will not detect because of anomalies in the system that will show the correct time. The overall effect of such weak and easily-to-manipulate systems in an organization lead to low staff output and a general decline in the efficiency of the company.

Going forward, there is a need for business entities, learning institutions, and premises which requires access from authorized personnel only to adopt a system which will ensure that the right person is checking I or out at the right time. The firms should implement a monitoring system which will seek for employees’ physical presence whenever one is checking into the system. Currently, one of the available options for institutions which need to implement a real-time employee monitoring system is the adoption of the biometric tracking system. A biometric system will seek to resolve the problem of voluntary wrongful reporting over time as the system requires the presence of the person to sign in or sign out (Nerlikar, 1997). In this paper, the discussion covers the concept of the implementation of the biometric monitoring system in institutions, the objectives of such a step, and the adoption process. The paper also examines the application process for a biometric system considering the stakeholders and procedure, merits that accompany the implementation of a biometric monitoring system as well as the demerits.

. Biometric technology

The world has been seeking for better ways of managing access and unique personal identification. Attempts have been made by scientists towards establishing identification system which will enhance security and time-correctness. It started with the use of physically filled charted forms hen the use of key cards and personal identification cards (Wayman, et al., 2005). Even though the improvement from the manually filled papers to the utilization of the personal cards enhanced security, the system had shortcomings and could still be manipulated for example a different person using the card no designated to him. In staff monitoring, it is possible to carry another staff’s card and sign in or sign out for them though the named cardholder may have left the premises before them (Wayman, et., 2005). The shortcomings of the past security and personal identification systems called for the development of biometric technology and biometric system.

Biometric technology is the application of biometrics coupled with technology. Biometrics is a collection of measurable units about human characteristics. Technologists have applied scientific knowledge by developing biometric authentication premised on biometrics as a unique way of managing and controlling real-time identification and access (Nerlikar, 1997). Biometric technology offers the requisite scale of uniqueness in individual identification through measurable entities called the biometric identifiers. The human identifies connected to biometrics often have precise and consistent identification attached to each person. Using the biometric identifiers, scientists specializing in biometric technology and surveillance have the ability to build a database that holds the personal information (Nerlikar, 1997). Currently, the applications of human biometrics in personal identification and access restriction have so far categorized the biometric identifiers into physiological and behavioral identifiers. Whereas the two have a great potential for application, the physiological biometric identifiers have received more attention from the biometric system developers than their behavioral counterparts.

The process of building a biometric system suited for a customer or an institution will examine the various requirements before customizing it. Once the user of the biometric system has been determined, the developers now have the opportunity to explore appropriate biometric measuring technique (Wayman, et al., 2005). The choice will be guided by the customer’s needs, the developer's design, and the total available finances at the disposal. The biometric measurement technique application in building surveillance and monitoring system may include.”

Fingerprint reader

Looking at the magnificence of creation, every individual has a unique fingerprint. What constitutes a fingerprint? A fingerprint comprises a set of ridges and furrows unique to a person. The biometric examine the ridge endings and points of ridge split. Biometric technology uses various techniques to capture the formations of the fingers and store them as fingerprints (Wayman, et al., 2005). Scientist uses ultrasound technologies and optical scanning to capture and store the finger formations for identification.

Iris recognition

Science has been able to determine that the human iris has unique features specific to individuals. Among other characteristics, the human iris color has been fundamental in creating uniqueness among people. However, biometric technology captures and stores close to 200 iris features.

Facial recognition

Biometric technology also uses the face as a unique indenter. The system takes a photo of an individual and stores it. However, when it comes to identification, the face is scanned and cross-referenced in the system. The unique features in the face examined by the biometric system include the size, shape, proportion, and the distances between the facial organs, for example, the nose, eyes, jaw, and mouth. It may also examine the wrinkle patterns.

Voice recognition

The voice projection by an individual has two entities that can be applied in the unique identification of people. The biometric system developers have two voice components the voice track which examines the physiological component and the voice accent that establishes the behavioral composition (Nerlikar, 1997). A combination of a speech accent and track creates an identifier which makes voices unique.

Other biometric measuring technique includes the use of person DNA and veins patterns.

The implementation of a biometric monitoring system will require a set of software and hardware. When choosing the hardware, the customer should examine the size of the business entity in which the system will be installed, the level of sophistication required, and the financial capability. Software needs will greatly depend on the developers and customers design of the monitoring system (Weaver, 2006). One the system developer and the client agree and acquire the necessary software and hardware. The building process will move to the next phase of system design. The market currently operates two main biometric monitoring system designs dependent on the number of biometric identifiers employed in the system process. The system design can be unimodal or multimodal.

One the client and the developer make a choice of the monitoring system design, the availability of the required software and hardware leads to the next stage of system establishment. The developer will lay down the hardware components for example scanners, computer systems, and cabling. Subsequently, there will be the installation of system software. On completion, the developer will sample a set of data and carry out a system testing which if successful; the system is commissioned to the client (Weaver, 2006). A section of the developer’s system administrators and the client’s IT team then move on to capture and store the relevant biometrics. It will involve capturing employees’ facial images, fingerprints, voices and any other necessary biometric identifier depending on the design and decision. The team should ensure that all the biometric of all the people who should have been monitored or have access are captured (Weaver, 2006). Completed, the biometric monitoring system will be ready for use.

The users of the system, who is this case are the business employees, will use the monitoring system for the first time in a process dubbed as enrollment. The system captures the user's required biometrics and creates their template in the system database (Rattani, 2010). The system database user biometric templates will form the basis of operation of the entire system. Biometric monitoring system works through two primary cycles called the system operational modes. The two ways include the verification and identification which works sequentially to ensure system success (Weaver, 2006). In the authentication process, there is a parallel comparison between the biometric captured and the biometric data stored in the system database. It begins with the creation of reference models from the entire user database which are subsequently stored in the model database. The reference models form a basis for comparing selected samples (Rattani, 2010). The results of the matching process are a set of genuine and imposter scores which are tested using a code or a pin that has been assigned to the person identified in the system.

The biometric monitoring system may also operate in the identification mode in which the system runs a one-to-many comparison analysis of the biometrics of the individual seeking aces against the database. The acceptability and rejection of the captured biometric data depend on the predetermined rejection and acceptance level in the system (Weaver, 2006). The two operational modes seek to ensure that only designated personnel use the system. The difference in the working of the two modes emanates from the idea that identification is independent of user additional input, unlike verification in which the system asks the user to confirm his or her identification through other data.

Due to the high dependence of the system on the quality of the initially captured biometrics, the enrolling process should be managed carefully and if necessary should be checked for errors. The system administrator should ensure the Hamming distance is appropriate for voice recognition, clean fingers devoid of distractors for fingerprint recognition. It is also important for the organization to entrust the system administration and database security to ethical employees to curb the possibility of sneaking in wrong identification into the system and identity theft (Weaver, 2006). The management of the organization through the IT personnel should communicate the working procedures of the system, its shortcomings, and the readily available solution. The team should acknowledge the challenges that are likely to arise during the initial stages of the system deployment. The communication strategy can include staff training and publishing of user manuals to help the employees adapt as quickly as possible to the new system.

Relevance of the Biometric monitoring system

There are various organizational, legal, social, and moral concerns which the management need to be wary about when implementing a biometric tracking system. However, a biometric monitoring system has sufficient features to address the concerns. Using biometric data as a way of monitoring employees’ serves to the management concerns of identification. The system requires the physical presence of an employee when signing and signing out (Nanavati, Thieme, & Nanavati, 2002). Therefore, it eliminates the instances witnessed when using the manual system in which friends have the chances to record attendance for friends and proxies. The uniqueness of biometric data used in a biometric monitoring system, for example, an employee’s voice cannot be shared among friends. The system has been proven as foolproof and hence enhances the management’s ability to monitor the movement of their employees.

Employers have been grappling with ways to credibly and accurately measure the working hours of their employees. Complaints and conflicts have been reported arising from inaccurately recorded hours worked due to the organization inability to record working hours real-time. Now, the adoption of the biometric monitoring system gifts the management and worker’s better ways of maintains employees’ data (Nanavati, Thieme, & Nanavati, 2002). The biometric tracking system can be linked automatically to the human resource department to assist in the preparation of employee records. The printout from the biometric monitoring system can be presented in court in the case of an employee-employer conflicts which lead to litigation.

There are concerns regarding the applicability of the system to all employees given the possibilities of various physical impairments. Among the staff, there may be problems with fingers or facial images; however, the biometric monitoring system offers more than one biometric identifiers (Nanavati, Thieme, & Nanavati, 2002). The system, therefore, will have other options for staff with certain impairments. The system developers will create a complete database for all the employees to enhance the monitoring process. Its adoption will address the possible concerns for example discrimination and bias. The use of a biometric tracking system will reduce the use of paper in human resource management. Unlike when the office must prepare and collect employees’’ attendance sheet, the use of automated system replaces paperwork with technology. The organization will be relieved of the task of purchasing large caches of papers for the daily attendance usage.

When an enterprise access points are fitted with biometric monitoring systems, the management will have an increased ease of tracking employees’ movement as the employees will have to punch in the system to exit and enter the premises. Therefore, when the human resource department sets out to carry out an assessment of staff concentration and dedication to designated work, they will have ready data for analysis and recommendation (Feng, et al., 2010). The management will also have the ability to profile the workers regarding their movements and work commitment. With such information at their disposal, the management has the chance to address employees’ problems and shortcomings before it weighs down on the overall work of his/her team and eventually the entire organization.

Impacts of Biometric monitoring system to the functionality of the organization

Employees need a certain level of management to devote their time adequately to work. Mostly, a section of the human resource continuously examines the vulnerabilities of the monitoring systems which it exploits. Without proper control and tracking, employees tend to walk in and out of the work premises. It results in the workers dedicated very less time to perform their designated work (Jain, Bolle, & Pankanti, 2006). Away from the time lost due to the movements, the staffs who frequently leave their place of work encounter a lot of distractions which eventually reflects in their work in the form of low quality work and reduced output. When an organization installs a biometric monitoring system, the management will deter irresponsible and unnecessary movement of employees during working hours. It results in increased workforce dedicated to working and minimizes the level of distractions among the workforce (Nerlikar, 1997). The organization is henceforth able to channel employees’ energy in productive work amidst reduced disturbances which will lead to increased output. The output will also be of high quality and promptly.

The daily and timely employees’ entry and exit data generated from the biometric monitoring system forms a sound basis for the management to enforce accountability concerns. The organization with have sufficient data to ensure that workers are only paid for the time-of-service rendered. The readily available data on employee work attendance will minimize causes and cases of employer-employee conflicts. The organization will, therefore, cultivate the principles of accountability and justice (Nerlikar, 1997). In addition to managing the employee movement, the biometric monitoring system will create a favorable environment for the organization to track their employees closely. Such allows the human resource managers to address personal employee problems early in the stage of development.

Biometric monitoring system enhances the accurate identification of employees seeking access to organization premises. Given the specifications of the biometric systems, there will be reduced chances of unauthorized access that would otherwise compromise the security of the firm and its resources. The biometric systems also use unique personal identifiers embedded in or on people who reduce the possibility of impersonation and theft of the access credentials (Weaver, 2006). The idea that login and access credentials are no longer carried separately is of great convenience. It eliminates the need to carry along badges and identification cards. The biometric monitoring system has a high versatility as the organization will have many options of biometric scanning devices depending on the area and target of application.

Challenges faced in having to apply the Biometric Monitoring System

The decision to deploy a biometric monitoring system encounters different problems some general to the adoption of the technology while some are unique to business. The organization faces legal, social, and economic challenges (Mordini, & Tzovaras, 2012). The deployment of the biometric system in an organization is subject to government regulation. The client implementation the system must adhere to and uphold a series of the rules and laws. The government agencies often than carry out sporadic checks to ascertain compliance. The rules seek to ensure that the deploying organization has complied with all relevant rules and sort certification. One area of concern is the susceptibility of the system to bias and information theft (Mordini, & Tzovaras, 2012). Therefore, the institution's implementation process may be halted or delayed by the government. Companies implementing a monitoring system with biometrics as the unique identify usually face the challenge of poor finances to install the best possible system (Weaver, 2006). In such cases, the company misses out on specific benefits and efficiency which would have otherwise accompanied the superior designs. A company may which to establish a biometric system which uses three or four biometric identifiers. However, it settles only on a two bio-identifiers due to less funding. The implementation of a biometric monitoring system also puts users at risks of information leakage.

The personal information gathered in the course of designing the system may reveal serious health problems which should not be shared without authorization. Concerns have arose questioning the security of network premises and structures protected by the biometric monitoring system. Security experts have cautioned managers to be wary of possibilities staff abduction and subsequently being forced to access the business premises against will. Another concern which has been raised about biometric monitoring system is the inability to cancel and replace access authorization (Mordini, & Tzovaras, 2012). Unlike cards and pins which can easily be changed and reissued, biometrics remains constant with no allowance for modification.

The initial stages of system deployment in the organization will result in delays, interferences, and uneasiness among the employees. The thought of being constantly monitored by the management may irk some of the employees hence create unnecessary fear. In general, the deployment of a biometric system will face some challenges both internally and externally. Whereas the problems may have adverse effects on the operation of an organization If not addressed in time, the management can tackle them with little effort and personnel deployment.

Conclusion

Organization management has the role of managing the human resource to ensure proper labor output. The organization should be able to check on the employees’ arrival time to work and departure time from work. Just checking on the time in and time-out of the employees is not enough; the management needs to establish the actual time their staffs spend on the designated work. The use of manual monitoring systems has been marred by some challenges which informed the transition to the biometric monitoring systems currently employed in many organizations. Biometric monitoring system, unlike manual systems, uses biometric identifiers in establishing and tracking the performance of employees. The system monitors employees’ time at work keeping track of arrival and departure times. The automated system improves human resource management through enhanced accountability and responsibility. The staff will tend to dedicate more time to work and avoid disruptions which result in increased output both in quality and quantity. The adoption of the biometric monitoring system is relevant and timely for organizations as it solves the challenges organizations face regarding human resources management especially regarding tracking. However, the implementation of the biometric system faces the challenges of cost, reliability, security concerns, and effective in attaining better employee output. Despite the challenges enumerated, careful planning, deployment, and use of biometric monitoring systems will soft enhance efficiency within the organization.

References

Feng, Y. C., Yuen, P. C., & Jain, A. K. (2010). A hybrid approach for generating secure and discriminating face template. IEEE transactions on information forensics and security, 5(1), 103-117.

Jain, A., Bolle, R., & Pankanti, S. (Eds.). (2006). Biometrics: personal identification in networked society (Vol. 479). Springer Science & Business Media.

Mordini, E., & Tzovaras, D. (Eds.). (2012). Second generation biometrics: The ethical, legal and social context (Vol. 11). Springer Science & Business Media.

Nanavati, S., Thieme, M., & Nanavati, R. (2002). Biometrics: identity verification in a networked world (Vol. 20). John Wiley & Sons.

Nerlikar, V. M. (1997). U.S. Patent No. 5,629,981. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Rattani, A. (2010). Adaptive biometric system based on template update procedures. Ph. D. dissertation.

Wayman, J., Jain, A., Maltoni, D., & Maio, D. (2005). An introduction to biometric authentication systems. Biometric Systems, 1-20.

Weaver, A. C. (2006). Biometric authentication. Computer, 39(2), 96-97.