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Bobby Varma Jan 20, 2020 12:44:00 PM 5 min read

Biometrics for Education

Adoption of biometrics is a fast, safe and convenient way of providing high-assurance access to students, staff, and employees on campuses. Princeton Identity (PI) biometric readers start off securing a single room or building and expand into campus-wide solutions. The company has several universities who have installed these solutions, and we continue to expand our footprint for campuses. 

Our patented biometric technology offers the most secure and convenient solutions for organizations to streamline security, increase throughput, and control costs. Our solutions are ideal for authentication in markets such as campuses including universities and large enterprises. The company’s multimodal biometric solutions employ distinctive iris and facial recognition technologies designed for accuracy and convenience.

Our University Story

For many students, college is an away game, a real-life obstacle course to run without parental supervision in their transition to adulthood. Parents of prospective students assess campuses and staff seeking a safe yet open environment for their young adults. Such an ideal environment challenges administrators to balance the need for an open campus with parental expectations for comprehensive security. Biometric solutions from Princeton Identity (PI) promote security by offering seamless, contactless, high-assurance identity management starting in physical access control. PI solutions extend further to applications that provide logical access, optimize student retention and ensure academic integrity.

Pushing identity beyond simple access control

Princeton Identity (PI) provides a path to high-assurance identity management starting with seamless access control that universities can deploy quickly. Initially, students and staff use contactless biometric readers to conveniently enter campus buildings, dormitories and athletic facilities. As students get used to and adopt biometrics, these access control systems naturally transition to logical access where students biometrically glance for library or cafeteria transactions, for access to the campus network or for secure final exam check-in.

The true value of PI’s biometric solution emerges as colleges expand biometrics to detect and predict patterns of life. Specifically, a large network of physical and logical access points generates data that feed emerging technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) using access control information can harness biometric data to determine aberrations in normal movements and transactions of students and staff on campus. Significant deviations to normal patterns can prompt early intervention or proactive investigation. The advanced use of this biometric data can help support student retention, increase campus safety, and enforce academic integrity.


Getting started: Two examples of low-hanging fruit

 
Cafeterias

Students are familiar with a 'card-swipe' for food services on campus, but in post-pandemic planning, trouchless applications offer safer alternatives. Networked to the payment system, the iris and face biometric readers perform the same card-swipe function, but with a simple glance by the student. Touchless systems provide a hygienic approach for the new normal. Additionally, iris biometrics still work with personal protective equipment offering touchless identity management while avoiding the need to remove gloves and masks or fumble with identification.


Athletics

Athletics are an integral part of the college experience for many incoming students, whether casually or as intercollegiate athletes. To streamline access to athletics facilities, PI systems replace ID checks, codes and cards with a contactless, token-less biometric glance. PI recommends starting with biometric readers on team facilities and/or recreation centers where athletes don’t have to carry identification for high assurance access, then expanding to all athletic facilities such as gymnasia and pools. PI’s high throughput biometric readers process hundreds of entries per hour.

Laboratories

Science, engineering, medical and, datacenter buildings contain valuable, restricted, sometimes controversial and potentially dangerous samples, materials and equipment. Users of PI systems benefit from contactless identity management using biometrics while avoiding the need to remove gloves or masks or fumble with identification. PI biometric systems ease access to laboratories and materials supplies with a simple glance toward doors and cabinets, replacing traditional cards and codes. Enterprise users can transition card readers on exterior doors and elevators to biometric readers to ensure security throughout the common spaces of an entire building or enterprise.

Summary

Adoption of biometrics is a fast, safe and convenient way of providing high-assurance access to students, staff, and employees on campuses. PI biometric readers start off securing a single room and then transition to campus-wide solutions with future opportunities to improve student wellbeing and academic success. Princeton Identity has several universities who have installed these solutions and we continue to expand our footprint for campuses including universities and large enterprises.

Bobby Varma

Bobby Varma is the CEO of Princeton Identity.