Hyderabad|India|September'2010: Compugra Systems Inc. (CSI), New Jersey and Hyderabad based new generation company delivering IT consulting, enterprise-wide software solutions and enterprise support services by leveraging valuable experience and cutting-edge technologies now implements IRIS based Enterprise Systems and solutions in India, USA, The Bahamas, Europe and Brazil.

Announcing this Mr. Ram Vedantam, President & Managing Director - Compugra Systems Inc. said IRIS Access Management (IAM) is the third generation of the world’s number one deployed iris recognition platform. Offering increased application versatility and integration flexibility, enrollment and recognition is easier than ever.

The need for secure methods of authentication is becoming increasingly important in the corporate world today. Passwords, token cards and PINs are all risks to the security of an organisation due to human nature. Our inability to remember complex passwords and tendency to write these down along with losing token cards or forgetting PINs all contribute to the possible breakdown in security for an organisation.

Iris Technology to Drive Global Biometric Market. With the identity management market growing at a rapid pace, biometric identifiers are recognized and accepted as integral components of identification process in the public and private sectors.

The iris recognition technology market in India is still in its nascent stage. The rapid acceptance of biometric technologies for providing enhanced security by both government and private sectors has opened the floodgates of opportunities to the biometrics market in India. The Indian biometrics market is currently dominated by the fingerprint technology, while iris recognition is expected to be the technology of the future.

There are a lot of drivers that are fueling the growth of biometrics in general and iris in particular. On top of the list is Unique Identification Project. The project that is going to be the largest biometric database in the world and has authentication as its backbone. Apart from this other government projects like MNREGA, PDS and e-district are also expected to utilize identification technologies in a big way. Over and above these various departments like passport, PAN cards are also using biometrics. Though the base of the Indian market is still very small, biometrics is set to register over 200% growth over the next couple of years.

Amongst other reasons, iris scanners are also seen as more reliable since fingerprints can be manipulated but that is not the case with iris recognition.

Global biometric market will grow at a CAGR of around 18% during 2010-2012 owing to the rising usage of key biometric technologies like hand geometry, iris technology and finger recognition by governments worldwide. According to latest market research reports, the Iris recognition technology market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of around 30% between 2010 and 2012 to reach around US$ 900 Million by 2012.

In the mid 1980s when two ophthalmologists, Drs Leonard Flom and Aran Safir, proposed that no two irises are alike, even in twins, thus making them a good biometric. Iris recognition technology is used to identify individuals by photographing the iris of their eye. It falls under a category of technology known as biometric-based authentication, also called biometric security. Iris recognition technology has become popular in security applications because of its ease of use, accuracy, and safety. Its most common use is controlling access to high-security areas.

Intuitive visual user interface enables users to quickly position themselves for enrollment or recognition as images of both eyes are captured virtually simultaneously. Audio prompts improve speed of enrollment and recognition performance while motor-driven auto-tilt mechanism makes adjusting the camera for proper height a simple ‘one touch of a finger’ proposition. What’s more, every model of the IAM contains a camera supported by dedicated illumination that makes badging for credentialing a snap.

IAM can detect fake eye, i.e. eyes made of plastic/glass will not be detected, and it only uses the natural eyes for detection. It has a door control unit feature only activated when remote unit is registered. Enrollment report, Access report, and System reports are provided. Holidays’ list can be specified in the IRIS4000 for setting up additional access rules.

IAM can be implemented in Banks for safe deposit lockers, ATMs, Nuclear/ high Security locations, Airports security, border clearance, ticketless air travel, transportation and remote manufacturing plants for effective monitoring etc and others.

Historically, identity or authentication conventions were based on things one possessed (a key, a passport, or identity credential), or something one knew (a password, the answer to a question, or a PIN.) This possession or knowledge was generally all that was required to confirm identity or confer privileges. However, these conventions could be compromised - as possession of a token or the requisite knowledge by the wrong individual could, and still does, lead to security breaches.

Biometrics is a strategic investment that offers a number of significant indirect benefits said Ram Vedantham and added that these benefits include reduction in business risk, enhanced employee experience can be ensured by accurate and fair application of labour and payroll practices and policies. Biometric time clocks can be linked to access control systems, providing a foundation for more comprehensive and integrated enterprise security. Mobile workforce management integrity can be enhanced by integrating biometrics into devices that capture time and labor data for mobile employees.