Fingerprint Scanners

The emergence of the Internet as a necessity and not just a matter of convenience has propelled biometric advancement to the forefront as a means of security for our computers and laptops. So much of our daily routine, intimate business, and personal transactions are done via the Internet services that it has become almost mandatory that access to our computers be secured through the identification of that user and only that user. Biometric applications have now made it possible that the use of a personal computer can begin only through the personal identification and authentication of the user of that computer through fingerprint scanners and fingerprint readers.

Biometric applications can take a fingerprint of the user/owner and, only upon authentication, can the computer be accessed. This is a tremendous advancement over the utilization of passwords or keys. In those instances, the person is not identified by who he is, rather, by what he has. It is too easy for unscrupulous individuals to steal identification when the older security systems are being employed. That is why the development of fingerprint readers/scanners coincidentally with the development of the Internet has been heaven sent. The fingerprint reader is readily adaptable and it can be installed into a computer system, thus restricting access to only those whose fingerprints are authenticated by computer login application.

The uniqueness of the human fingerprint has been the distinguishing characteristic which has always made the fingerprint useful as the prime means of personal identification. As society matured and grew in sophistication, new technology made it possible to use fingerprinting in creative ways. Fingerprint identifications are now being utilized by financial entities to prevent fraud, and fingerprint readers and scanners now play a major role in the high level of security in information technology departments.

In fingerprint scanning, features on the finger called minutiae are extracted from the fingerprint. The minutiae are usually observed where ridge lines terminate or where a ridge line splits into two. Scanner systems employ algorithms to analyze and identify the minutiae that are extracted and processed. To obtain a match, the system needs to produce two matches that have a considerable amount of minutiae in common without reviewing the entire pattern of minutiae.

The fingerprint reader has now entered the commercial arena and is now in use in high volume environs such as in large business office buildings with thousand of employees. The fingerprint reader ensures a consistent image scan every time despite the remarkable number of scans that might be taken. The fingerprint readers/scanners have achieved tremendous success in post 9/11 security where there are large numbers of people gathered for business. The computer login authentication is a welcomed relief for those people working on computers on sensitive, confidential, or financial issues in those high security risk buildings, and the tightened security is a testament to the reliability of the fingerprint readers/scanners that are in vogue and much in demand in the world today.