ImageWare Systems has released version 2.0 of its Biometric Engine (BE).

According to the company, this will enhance its suite of server-based products targeted at the secure identification markets.

It says: “BE 2.0 marks an inflection point in the execution of ImageWare’s business plan, as the release rolls out the new version to major government clients such as LAX operator Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Veterans Administration, and offers a new entry point to the commercial sector, which is expected to benefit from enhanced identity authentication methods in the upgrade.”

ImageWare says the release also addresses the SAFE Port Act, which gives foreign shippers a deadline of 2013 by which they must not only ensure the security of cargo being shipped to the US, but also securitise the identity of employees who load the ships. Several foreign governments require the private sector to finance these security enhancements to speed up their implementation.  

Its clients are using its patented Biometric Engine as standard because of its ability to fuse multiple biometrics, identifying people by their physical traits, including face, fingerprint, iris and DNA, and thereby improving security and cutting risk.  

The company says that, as the first major upgrade of the product in five years, BE 2.0 represents an evolutionary leap in multi-biometric data management. Its new features and capabilities include:

·         Greater scalability;

·         Faster performance;

·         Improved distribution of biometric data;

·         Vastly improved support for larger identity populations;

·         Greater population filtering and watch list management;

·         Critical new patent-pending feature: anonymous biometric identity management;

·         Superior integration with existing identity management solutions and enterprise service bus technologies; and

·         Patented agnostic, open-architecture biometric recognition software solution that works with virtually all existing security hardware, software and algorithms.

"The key steps we have taken over the last few months to strengthen our internal resources and enhance our product offering clearly positions ImageWare as the leader in multimodal biometric security solutions, a position which we now intend to extensively exploit,” says Jim Miller, chairman and CEO of ImageWare.

He adds: “Within the large government market, we have turned our focus to air and sea port systems. These have the greatest need for our technology as well as the budgets to support rapid implementation. Building upon our key win with LAWA in January, we are engaged in multiple opportunities to secure identity at foreign international ports that are racing towards compliance with the SAFE Port Act deadline.”

Over the next few months, ImageWare says it plans to build on its success in the public sector by aggressively pursuing entry into the commercial market. “The opportunities in this market compared to government involve shorter sales cycles and the availability of attractive licensing partners that provide a gateway into mass-market, high-margin sales,” says Miller. “In fact, we are currently in licence negotiations with a very significant partner in the commercial sector. They are part of what has quickly become the largest client pipeline in our company’s history, and one from which we expect to deliver several client partnerships in the commercial and port markets by year’s end.”