PICS Smartcard, Orcanthus France to distribute biometric readers

PICS Smartcard, a leader in biometric identification solutions, recently announced a deal with Orcanthus France to distribute the company's top ranked fingerprint reader in Canada. The agreement also includes distribution rights for the United States.

PICS Smartcard designs identification systems for public and private institutions and offers single-sign on, plastic cards and biometric solutions for its customers.

The fingerprint reader, developed by id3 Semiconductors, was put through its paces in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Minutiae Interoperability Exchange Test and received the lowest error rate compared to 20 other fingerprint companies. The product utilizes capacitive, optical and thermal sensors. According to id3 Semiconductors, its fingerprint reader was able to effectively compare and contrast images, even those with poor image quality.

According to PICS Smartcard, the addition of the latest biometric identification products will help its goal of becoming the leader in this particular field. One of the fingerprint reader's benefits is its adaptability to many environments. According to PICS Smartcard, it also offers greater security and privacy, including for the healthcare and finance industries.

"With the biometrics market growing on average over 30 percent per annum since 2005, and fingerprint biometrics being the most popular, the partnership is a major strategic move," said PICS Smartcard chief executive officer Caleb Simonyi-Gindele. "A lot of the early and most common biometric technologies are the easiest to compromise, so the need for a product with the proven strength of id3's fingerprint recognition technology is apparent."

Overall, the biometrics market is expected to increase significantly in the future. According to research by RNCOS, the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 23 percent from 2011 to 2013. There are several reasons for the rise in demand in biometrics, including upgrading from older technologies, innovative applications, such as iris, facial and fingerprint recognition options, as well as companies looking to reduce costs.

"According to our research, with continuous improvements in the technology, and increase in production capacities, prices will continue to decrease and consumers will become familiar with the technology as an improved way to prove their identity while making secure transactions," said the company in a statement.

Several industries are driving the growing demand for biometric solutions. According to RNCOS, government and financial enterprises have helped jettison the market during the past several years.