Starr Computer is partnering with the United States firm BioTrack in a move to significantly upgrade the security culture in both the public and private sectors here by introducing a range of biometric solutions.
BioTrack specialises in the production of fingerprint and facial recognition technology for time, attendance and access control and at the formal launch of the partnership on Tuesday, the company put on display a range of equipment which it says it will be seeking to market in various public and private sector business houses including state-run establishments, commercial enterprises and the banking and retail sectors.
Starr Computer President Michael Mohan told Stabroek Business that his company will also be seeking to engage state entities, including law-enforcement agencies in discussions relating to the infusion of biometric technology into their respective time management and security regimes. He said Guyana had long reached a point where “our level of development, crime challenges and the need to provide the country as a whole with more security assurances” necessitated the introduction of enhanced security technology. “We at Starr Computer believe that the time is more than right to introduce this level of technology. We need to have solutions that match the challenges that we face,” Mohan said.
Under the partnership between Starr and BioTrack the local company will focus on providing biometric technology that enhances time and attendance control at workplaces, access controls to homes, offices, factories and restricted areas and a fingerprint mouse that regulates computer access.
At last Tuesday’s formal launch of the Starr/BioTrack partnership the company introduced two of the US-based firm’s employees who, along with Mohan and Starr General Manager Rehman Majeed, will be spearheading the initial training and marketing initiatives that will target Starr technicians and maintenance staff as well as potential buyers.
The company also displayed several pieces of biometric equipment which it is introducing in Guyana.
Mohan told Stabroek Business that in the course of the current week Starr hoped to engage groups ranging from high-level corporate officials to state functionaries responsible for security with a view to making them aware of just how the biometric technology can serve the security sector in Guyana.
The science of biometrics is concerned with authentication techniques that rely on measurable physical characteristics that can be automatically checked. These include facial characteristics, fingerprints, hand geometry and unique eye characteristics.
While the field is currently on an ongoing developing trajectory, proponents of the discipline believe that it will play a critical role in the future development of computer technology and in electronic commerce.
Meanwhile, Mohan told Stabroek Business that he was keen to provide local businesses with access to BioTrack’s Time Attendant Systems since he expects that full and effective application will improve the productivity of their employees by accurately scanning the employee’s face or fingerprint when they report to work or move within departments. “Considerations of time as this relates to attendance at work can be of critical importance to both government and the private sector at a time when there are major projects unfolding in the construction, road-building and several sectors. Here are cases in which biometric technology has a direct relevance to the management of financial resources. More than that, the technology allows special software that can be integrated into payrolls.
That makes it ideal for other types of business enterprises including retail stores and hospitals,” Mohan said.
