Most businesses thinking of integrating biometrics into their system usually are one of two - either they tried the technology years ago and found it to be too immature for their needs, putting it on the back shelf while they wait for it to ripen, or it’s a completely new idea that they have just been made aware of because of recent events.

The government has been motivating businesses to analyze (or re-analyze) the technology in an effort to protect citizens by having everyone do their fair share of securing confidential client information. But what most don’t know is that it’s not as new to government as people think. There have been a few implementations that have been in use for years.

This includes Illinois, who has been using facial recognition with their driver’s licenses for 7 years. A detailed explaination on how they manage such a huge database is in the article.

Also, the New York City Law Department uses hand geometry for time & attendance… going on 10 years.

Fortunately, many of the challenges they faced are nearly gone by this point. Introducing such a technology to users is much easier when they are already familiar, which wasn’t the case in the 90’s.

Biometrics early adopters reveal secrets, challenges.