Epilogue

Abstract

This book is primarily about biometrics and yet we have travelled through a broad ­landscape of systems and related issues. This is necessary as biometrics and identity ­management do not exist in isolation, but are a component part of larger systems, whether computer based or not. They should therefore be considered in context. And yet, in the early days this was not the case as a disproportionate focus was centred upon the biometric capture device and the associated matching algorithms. Biometrics, initially, were considered predominantly as a mechanism for automated physical access control, as a replacement for the cards and tokens then widely in use. No wonder it took a long time for the technology to gain a wider acceptance, but note the link between this wider acceptance and a defined purpose, in this instance heavily influenced by law enforcement and border control. The situation represents an interesting example of the need to have the requirement clearly defined before applying the technology to it. Even so, the manner in which biometrics was applied to this perceived requirement left something to be desired. The technology, hyped beyond its natural capacity, tended to be bolted on as an afterthought and, consequently, many lessons were learned the hard way. The plethora of overnight biometric experts has slightly given way to a more reasoned appreciation of the technology within major systems integrators, although the transition is incomplete and one still hears an awful lot of nonsense being propagated by ill-informed entities posing as specialists. A brief trawl through the Internet will expose a good deal of such nonsense and unsubstantiated claims around the technology and its capabilities, surprisingly, sometimes from organisations that are otherwise considered to be well established. It is pertinent therefore to take a step backward and reconsider the use of such technologies within the broader operational context.