How Biometric Scanners Can Be Useful For Small Businesses

Small businesses require protection and security to operate efficiently. Today, as more and more of our business is conducted online, security of your computer network is more important than ever. It’s no good assigning each user a complex 30 character password that takes a month to memorise, and five minutes to input to the terminal, no matter how un-crackable it is. Equally, there’s no sense in giving users simple passwords and expecting them to be secure. In the past, these issues were resolved through laborious password changes every three months and tedious hours trawling through log files to identify any unusual activity. Biometrics, though, can save your hours of time by streamlining the way your employees interact with your computer systems.

Types of Biometric Scanners

Biometric devices come in many flavours, from high-tech 3D face scanning cameras, all the way to retinal and palm scanners. Although these devices confer a staggering degree of accuracy in terms of the level of detail recognised, the simplest fingerprint scanners often provide a much greater level of accuracy than standard user name and password systems, and are usually relatively cheap.

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Removing Password Protection

Despite the initial set up cost, attaching a biometric device to each of your machines prevents the problems associated with forgetting passwords, or passwords being cracked by a customer or cyber criminal. By enrolling each of your employees’ fingerprints, previous employees could be prevented from accessing the system by simply deleting their fingerprint data from the network. Adding this extra layer of security to your systems, as well as removing the need for a user to laboriously type a user name and password, can save you a fortune in terms of both security systems and man-hours. Printing staff ID cards complete with bar codes and scanners, or the more modern RF chips and detectors, can be a costly business. This vast expense, though, is eliminated by fitting your workplace with biometric scanners.

Keys and Coded Locks

Biometric systems are also being utilised more and more in place of keys and coded locks. Keys get lost, and codes become compromised or forgotten, but a simple biometric fingerprint scanner attached to an electronic deadbolt or alarm system will allow you to tightly control who gets into the staff only areas of your business. These scanners have the potential to be fully configurable, letting the computer technicians into your server room, the sales personnel into the stock room, while only letting the CEO into the executive office, for example. This fantastic investment prevents the risks associated with lost keys, or stolen pass codes; nobody can steal your employees’ fingerprints, giving you the ability to control what happens at your company with confidence and precision.

Fingerprint Scanners

Fingerprint scanners on cash registers prevent hassle with employee ID cards, and allow your staff to quickly and easily sign into a till to make a transaction. This is an indispensable tool when customers flood the sales desk and speed is of the utmost importance.
With the price of biometric devices dropping all the time, why not invest in a network of these handy gadgets for your small business? You’re sure to be astounded at the savings of time and energy stemming from allowing your employees to sign into your systems and open doors with just a fingerprint, so why not give it a go?

This piece was written by Roger Thomas a keen technology enthusiast and blogger at document options. Roger enjoys experiementing with science and gadgets, and is a expert in Brighton scanning services and 3D printing.