Facing Forward

The next move for us is face recognition technology. I’ve always known that FingerTec would diversify into other biometrics technology and I am excited to be informed that face is the choice. I’m all for face because I think face is the most non-intrusive product of biometrics. After almost a decade in fingerprint, why now?, some might ask. This is not at all an indication that fingerprint technology has fewer demands in the market; it’s just attested the increasing demands for stable and reliable biometrics technology from various sectors. Face has been in the market for quite sometimes but commercially viable products are scarce.

Shall we invite him to work in QC?

The challenge for the team and me is the marketing aspect of these products; positioning, pricing, competitiveness, marketing plan, and etc. It’s such a thrill to start all over again from ground zero with a set of new products, and I’m anxious to find out the reaction of our existing resellers about face technology. At the same time, I also have to gauge the impact of face technology introduction on our fingerprint products. Somehow I believe that face recognition could be in symbiosis with fingerprint products and tap into areas that are missed by the later. The major advantage of face recognition products is its contactless nature! No touching of things sounds so appealing to avoid transmission of anything from one stranger to another but more importantly, the feasibility of the product to user. Walk into an office, look at the machine and you are done.

Another benefit is its speed. When a door access or time attendance product can work effectively in high traffic environments, we have a hit. Contactless, fast and reliable, sounds perfect but the next challenge is the pricing and when talking about competitiveness, who are the competitions? From our market research, some are offering solutions for governments and if we are talking commercial products, only a handful and most of them are offering bulky machines. It shouldn’t make us exhale our relief yet, as there are a lot to be done. The products are scheduled to be out this year-end but between now and the launch, it’s not at all a long time.

To our resellers who are reading this, tell me your opinion about face products. If you are interested, perhaps you could start doing some market research in your area and feedback me your findings. That’d be helpful for us to strategize on our marketing plan.

by Norana Johar, COO, FingerTec HQ