For example, an employee at the company couldn't use a fingerprint reader successfully because his hands shake too much. A facial recognition tool simply couldn't see an employee who has very pale skin, and it malfunctions sometimes due to changes in lighting.
Moreover, companies must take into account that shifting identification systems to biometrics often implies an increase in costs, not just related to buying the equipment but also to operating it. Transferring a user's biometrics template over a network and storing it is much more costly than transmitting and storing that same user's personal ID number (PIN). Likewise, the maintenance and replacement of biometric devices can often be expensive.
Currently, Fidelity has several biometrics projects in pilot phases, and one very large project slated for deployment at some point during the second or third quarter of this year, Watson said in an interview after the presentation.
