A little while back, I was part of the millions of television viewers who tuned into the show ‘24’, where the hero Jack Bauer fights terrorism on a local and global scale. During one of the final episodes, Jack identifies one of the terrorists using biometric facial recognition. Not too long ago, we would have thought that idea to be a little far-fetched, but in today’s world of modern technology and cutting-edge innovation, facial recognition is becoming a part of our lives.Just today, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) announced that it has launched a facial recognition system as part of its Next Generation Identification system. By 2015, the system expects to crank out more than 55,000 photo searches a day to help aid in investigations. The FBI will also keep photos it receives as part of background checks which it conducts for job candidates.
Biometric Facial Recognition Technology in the Workplace
While many may argue against the use of facial recognition as an invasion of privacy, the other side of the coin is that it can be used to protect individuals and organizations. While I may not be Jack Bauer (as cool as it may be to have that on my résumé), my goal is to help protect organizations’ investment in its people and resources by using innovative technologies that today’s modern age offers.Biometric facial recognition isn’t just for the Jack Bauers of the world. Leading-edge companies are using facial recognition technology to control one of its biggest expenses – labor – and turn it into a strategic advantage. According to Nucleus Research, in an average company, 19% of the workforce participates in buddy-punching at least once annually, with companies experiencing related losses of 1.5% to 3% of gross payroll. Facial recognition technology virtually eliminates ghost/buddy-punching. As an employee, I want to make sure that my time is properly captured so that I am fairly compensated for my work. And as an organization, you can take the data captured and turn it into true business intelligence, using real-time information to make better business decisions.The fact is that facial recognition technology is here to stay; smart companies will embrace this technology within their organization and fight to protect their bottom line.Learn how Asure Software uses facial recognition technology to help companies curb buddy-punching and gain operational efficiencies with AsureForce(R) GeoPunch(™) and AirClock.
About The Author
Tom Loveland, Global SVP of Product StrategyTom joined Asure Software as part of the acquisition of FotoPunch. While Tom has just recently taken his seat as the Global Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, his relationship with Asure dates back to 2012 as a partner, enabling the development of GeoPunch. Tom founded and served as the CEO of FotoPunch before joining our team. Now that Tom is an in-house member of the team he’s focused on the integration of AsureForce and AsureSpace offerings that will allow us to better serve our existing customer base and new customers. Tom graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors Degree of Computer Science.