Biometrics Standards

There are many different types of biometric systems available on the market. Explained what makes a good biometric for network security. Once the decision has been made about which biometric system to use, it needs to be implemented in the company. Since this particular implementation will impact the daily use of the network and the applications on the users' desktops, it cannot be done without planning and testing. The stages in accomplishing this include:

·         Preparation for the proof of concept (POC) and vendor selection

·         Pilot design and implementation

·         Final deployment and roll out of the biometric system

The origination of a project can affect how the project is managed and put together. It can also clearly define what group in the company should lead the effort. If the project is being driven by regulations or risk management, it can succeed in being driven by IT as long as the IT group can find a lead business unit. This lead business unit should be the one being regulated or risk-managed. Additionally, IT needs to have a global vision that the project will likely be rolled out to the rest of the company.

For the successful overall deployment of a biometric solution, there must be a driving business need or objective. Without this, it will be difficult to set performance goals and objectives, money spent on the project will be tough to justify, and finding an internal sponsor will be next to impossible. Some of the main business needs or objectives should include:

Now that we have identified the lead business unit, the internal sponsor will probably come from this group. The internal sponsor should be a mid- to senior-level manager, and not necessarily an executive. The mid- to senior-level manager is normally in a good place in the company management chain to have interactions with both workers in the business unit and the senior executive responsible for the business unit. By having a foot in each camp, the sponsor can act as a point of contact for the project and can direct the flow of information. If the sponsor hears that senior management may want to reduce or eliminate the project, the sponsor can gather positive feedback to pass on to the senior executive, or can give the project a heads-up of what is to come. Mid- to senior-level managers, who are normally in the thick of the political ebb and flow of the company, are usually able to direct resources and give advice that can help the project. They may even redirect subversive actions. Awareness of the subversive undercurrents that surround a project can help the project thrive and continue. In addition, when internal group conflicts arise during the pilot, the sponsor can help smooth ruffled feathers or grease the rails to make the tough work easier.

To ensure success in a project, the selection of stakeholders is important. The stakeholders represent all the interested parties in the project. The stakeholders should be drawn from the following areas:

Based on the objectives that were defined earlier in the process, clear goals and success criteria in obtaining the goals should be defined. The goals should be milestone and built on previous wins; they should not take large leaps in technology or project scale. The success criteria are defined so that in striving to be successful, the goals are met. The success criteria are what the different phases of the project will be measured against when they are completed. This will be used to make a go/no go decision. Where possible, the success criteria should be objective and well-defined. For example, a success criterion stating that the end-users must accept the technology is subjective. A success criterion which states that the end-users should show a greater than 95% willingness to continue with the project based on a standard survey is a measurable objective. In addition, it is important to set early expectations of what error rates are acceptable for the project. Setting success criteria supports the goal of having a deployable and usable biometric system. To assign values to these success criteria, the chosen vendor needs to provide some guidance. Usually, the vendor will provide a more positive range of values than what will actually be seen. Knowing this ahead of time will allow the project team to set reasonable expectations.