A Question Of Identity

Mahesh Tharani finds out how incorporating biometrics helps to ensure better hotel security

Since the September 11th tragedy, there has been heightened security awareness, especially in public places like hotels and airports around the world. In hotels, this is obvious by the number of wired security guards one sees around the hotel premises. Although this is a more obvious occurrence abroad, India definitely seems to be getting there quick.

The goal of access control must be to control where people can and cannot go. One such technology that has been waiting in the wings is biometrics. Biometrics is a term used to describe a measurement of uniqueness of a human being such as voice, hand print or facial characteristics. Some mock-examples of such devices were visible in James Bond movies, Mission Impossible and Star Trek.

Card-based access systems have been around for a long while and control access using authorised pieces of plastic, but the problem with the card or smart chip system is that the system does not verify who is in actual possession of that card. Systems using PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) such as ATM's only require that an individual know a specific number to gain entry. Who actually enters that code - can not be determined. Biometric devices on the other hand, verify who a person is by what they are, whether it is their hand, eye, fingerprint or voice.

The hotel industry wants to keep its image as an open and friendly environment where customers can come and relax and not have to worry about their security. However, the hospitality industry is very aware that security is a top concern for those travelling. Risk management, loss prevention and fraud prevention are all by-products of the changing paradigm of global businesses spearheaded by hotels and hospitality companies that are now concentrating their efforts on increased security.

What Are Biometrics?

Biometrics uses a person's irises, thumbprints, voice and even facial features as unique identifiers to gain access to an area or a particular service or set of service as these are near impossible to forge.

Most biometric applications in use today are in the areas of law enforcement or financial services, all of which seek to prevent fraud or theft by requiring positive identification.

Fingerprints will be the most commonly used technology because fingerprint data can be easily stored inside a smart chip.

If the experts are to be believed, the utility and potential of biometrics is yet to be completely explored. The price of adopting the technology and cultural attitudes towards it remain among its strongest barriers.

How Does It Work?

When captured, a fingerprint image is converted into a digital form by extracting a set of unique characteristics. The abstract data taken from the recording is then encrypted and stored in the database as a template, to be later used as a reference for comparison purposes.

Extracting and comparing information derived from unique arches, loops, markings, and ridges of a fingerprint authenticates users. This set of information called minutia is a mathematical representation captured as a series of numbers and relationships of the whorls and ridges of the fingerprint. No actual image of the fingerprint is stored, ensuring privacy and security, the prime concern of users. But controlling high security areas or places where only certain staff members should access is only half of the game.

Benefits

With the constant changing of guests in hotels, it becomes impossible for the hotel staff to identify legitimate guests vis-à-vis well-dressed, confident trespassers who can invade the hotel security quite easily. It therefore becomes imperative to consider Biometric technology to ensure proper security.

Biometric Security calls for some non-duplicatable physical attributes of the person to permit positive identification.

Biometrics to control time and attendance of the staff is already in operation in the Indian hotel industry. One of the major groups of hotels is already using the Finger Print readers linked with back-of-the-house access control system for time and attendance management. A few hotels have introduced or are introducing the hand geometry solutions for managing time and attendance of their employees.

The next three to five years will see all top of the line hotel chains with security concerns introducing biometrics access control and time and attendance in the back-of-the-house by suitable up gradations. This would ensure that only registered hotel staff is permitted to enter the premises, as this would eliminate the security risk, which could occur due to substitution of the staff without the knowledge of the management. Once on file, the template can be used again, any time the guest returns to the hotel.

Problems

As far as guest security is concerned, whilst there have been some attempts to manufacture fingerprint operated guest room door locks, the experiment has so far proved to be a non-starter due to the difficulty involved in enrolling the fingerprint of the guests in the lock and administrating the same - specially if more than one person is occupying the room. Use of Biometric technology to ensure that the secure key handling is done for the registered guests has been tried out by a few hotels using face recognition technology. This nascent technology is improving extremely fast after the September 11 incident. Once this technology comes of age and is integrated with the hotel property management system, it could make a big difference to the way hotels function.

Of the technology available today, Biometric promises a lot for ensuring a high level of security for both guest and employees.

Applications

• Utilising biometric secure access solution for time and attendance means that only the employee given access at a particular time gets in. In addition, no one can 'buddy punch' for anyone else, and if someone steals their access card, they cannot use it.
• Access to alcohol/food storage areas and computer rooms is better controlled. Restricted access also means reduction in loss by theft with a visual event log of who entered what area at what time.
• Restricting access to the hotel key encoders
• Special VIP guest recognition and guestroom access using 3D facial recognition is currently in the works.
• The system can also be used as a security CCTV, which can digitally record everything that the camera sees.
• High-tech, non-intrusive security differentiator from other hotels. Selected ballroom access for security conscious meetings such as pharmacy companies.