Biometric Accesses: What They Are, How They Work and Which One You Need

In just a few years, biometric access has become one of the most secure access control options around. 

As technology advances and provides greater security along with more affordable prices, the adoption of biometric control in companies is also developing. Furthermore, the figures for the biometrics market value are growing at a very remarkable rate: it is estimated that it will advance at a CAGR of 13.3% between 2022 and 2031, according to  Global NewsWire, mainly driven by its application in biometric access control.

What exactly is biometric access, which technologies are currently the most secure and how do you know which system to choose for your project? At NÜO Planet we have put together the following guide with everything you need to know about biometric access. Let’s begin!

What is biometric access?

Biometric access can be defined as the set of technologies that, based on the physical characteristics of a person, can identify them. 

Thus, biometric access control uses various techniques to detect unique and non-transferable characteristics of an individual and compare them with the database. In this way, it manages to identify the user and determines if the person can access the facilities or not.

How can biometric access control help you?

Biometrics transforms the unique physical features of people (fingerprints, voice, iris…) into a unique identifier that makes it 
 possible to establish the identity of a person with a degree of certainty that is much higher than other identification methods.

This represents a series of advantages for companies that have decided to implement a biometricaccess control reader in their facilities: 

Advantages of biometric access control

Let’s delve into some of the main benefits of biometric access control for the company.

In general, it is a system that manages to speed up, make more flexible and increase the reliability of the identity verification process for various purposes. Some of the advantages include:

• Use of biometric access control.
  It offers great levels of security and reliability both in the capture and in the detection of data when it comes to identifying authorized personnel.
  
  
• A fast and reliable record of employee movements around the facility.
  Prevent both users outside the company from gaining unauthorized access to the company and prevent employees themselves from accessing areas requiring greater protection. Biometric access is most frequently being used for the protection of offices, server rooms, confidential document filing, high-value product warehouses, etc.
   
  
• Reports and data archiving.
  Information is automatically archived and stored in the system, which allows it to be much more efficiently managed by the responsible department.  
  
  
• Fraud prevention.
  Unique biometric features prevent a worker’s identity from being impersonated, so that access is not granted to unauthorized personnel. For example, with access cards or keys, this certainty does not exist since the cards can be lent to colleagues, they can be lost, or they can be stolen. 
  
  
• Sustainable method.
  It boosts the efforts of companies in this area, since the use of plastic IDs or access cards is avoided.
  
  
• Simple method to use once installed.
  And it is simple for both parties, who do not have to remember complex passwords to gain access. Furthermore, the key or the card can’t be forgotten because biometrics is inseparable from the user and complicated processes are avoided since the way it works is highly intuitive. 
  
  
• Low maintenance costs.
  The most advanced biometric readers are ultra-resistant and have been designed to minimize maintenance requirements, simplifying operations for any security project, and providing a long-lasting system.

Most common biometric access systems

 Fingerprint

The fingerprint is a unique and immutable parameter for which what are currently, considered the most secure biometric access systems have been developed.

Thus, the most advanced options for fingerprint systems include:

Multispectral optical technology Capable of penetrating under the superficial layers of the epidermis and, therefore, identifying users even in complex situations (users with latex gloves, dirty or wet fingers, outdoors in adverse weather conditions, etc.). These types of advanced systems can identify users almost immediately, granting or denying them access with high levels of precision and speed.

Contactless technology Included in readers such as the NÜO Fly, which won the prestigious Red Dot design award in 2022. This unique technology allows fingerprint identification to take place without the finger having to come in contact with the surface of the reader.

Voice recognition Biometric access based on voice recognition recognizes the vibrations associated with the way a person speaks and uses them to grant or deny them access.

Reconocimiento de iris The iris (the colored part of the eye) has become another option for biometric access control, although it is a method that is not widely implemented at present given its high cost and the feeling of a lack of privacy among users. Using high-resolution cameras and infrared lighting, images of the iris structure are captured and then compared with the database to determine whether to grant access to the individual.

How to know which biometric reader is the right one according to your needs? 

At NÜO Planet, we work hard to ensure that companies have access to the most secure access control systems that best suit their project requirements.

For this reason, we have positioned ourselves as leaders in the design and implementation of biometric access control systems through different options based on the most secure and efficient technology that currently exists: fingerprint recognition. 

	Lu Our high-end biometric reader NÜO Lu is a miniature size (ideal for installation in unusual places such as narrow metal profiles, glass doors, drawers or showcases) for the management of up to 250 users.
	Lu W NÜO Lu W is our high-end biometric reader with a capacitive sensor and an advanced biometric algorithm that responds in a secure and agile way to manage access for hundreds of users.
	Awa NÜO Awa has an optical sensor with multispectral technology that, as we have explained above, can penetrate the deep layers of the skin to identify users even with wet, dirty fingers or those covered with latex gloves. Equipped with anti-impersonation and live finger detection algorithms, it provides outstanding results in all the measurements described above.
	Fly NÜO Fly, winner of the Red Dot Award for its innovative design, has been developed 100% in-house by NÜO Planet to generate contactless fingerprint access control with all the security guarantees.

Want to find out more about biometric access and how to pick the reader that your facilities need? At NÜO Planet we can help you. Contact us to receive personalized advice and request a Demo adapted to your project.