Biometrics Bring Out Our Innate Honesty

Friday, 27 December 2013 , , , , 0 Comments

Abe Lincoln noted the importance of letting “the angels of our better nature” prevail. Although people are generally honest, some more than others,  certain situations can suppress someone’s honesty and allow the angel of their better nature to be defeated. Different sociologists give different numbers, but the general agreed up percentage is that when people are put in a situation in which they believe they can cheat without being caught, 50% will cheat. Add a monetary incentive to that situation and the number can go as high as 70%.
An interesting observation on human nature, but what does it have to do with biometric time clocks? If people know for a fact they are being monitored, the number of potential cheats drops to less than 10%. Biometrics provide that extra incentive to behave honestly. It is insurance for that rare occasion when someone has the thought to duck out early or manipulate your time clocking software to get a few extra hours pay. Biometric employee time clock software ensures these ideas don’t become a reality. Once a bit of cheating becomes the reality, it quickly moves to becoming the norm. Think about examples in your life. Have you ever had a naïve teacher? An overly indulgent nanny? A lax camp counselor? Chances are you remember some people who acted less than honestly when given a choice.

Abe Lincoln noted the importance of letting “the angels of our better nature” prevail. Although people are generally honest, some more t...

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A Biometric Database?

Thursday, 26 December 2013 , , , , , 0 Comments

Concerns about privacy and security have keep biometric systems from being used more widely by government agencies and local municipalities. As people become more comfortable with biometric security, however, that may change.
Israel is already beginning to implement a biometric system by which citizens can opt to give two finger prints and a facial scan. The government hopes to use this biometric information database to make it easier and cost effective to identify citizens for the purposes of voting, taxation and other government functions. The program is slated to last for two years, after which its effectiveness will be rated. Some people wonder how effective such a system will be considering it is opt-in, but thousands have already enrolled.
Although there is more of a culture of personal privacy in America, biometrics is entering the national debate, first through the Supreme Court and now through the immigration debate. Biometrics may play a part in the path to citizenship, even if that part is as simple as providing an easy way to identify and organize the millions of people making their way down the path to citizenship. Some people see biometrics as the best and least fraud-prone way to identify people. Others, however, dismiss the idea as costly and intrusive.

Concerns about privacy and security have keep biometric systems from being used more widely by government agencies and local municipalit...

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My New Year's Resolutions

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I have a shorter list of New Year’s resolutions over the years. It’s simple, if you have a long list with high expectations, chances being, you’ll still have that long list of unfulfilled resolutions every yearend.

So, for 2014, I’ll settle with two resolutions. The first one is to read more; from around 50 books this year to 60 (20% growth rate, the same with my COO’s resolution on sales figure). The second one is to contribute bigger donations to charity and community.


I like reading. I hope my organization cultivates reading habit as well. Readers learn through reading, it self-motivates, it is better than training courses arranged by companies. Reading habit ensures life-long learning; keeps ones’ mind fresh to constantly absorb knowledge like a sponge.

That's why I started Academia, to encourage pseudo-academic research and study among the staff that ties up with our served industries. I made them read AND write as well. Many short theses were produced over the one-year through a lot of reading process. With better understanding of the industries and their specific and in-depth concerns, our R&D team has dawned on the direction of software development.

As for charity work, this year, we donated more than 5% of our net profit to support some non-governmental and human rights organizations, cultural activities, and charity bodies like orphanage homes. On our corporate website, we have a statement that goes like this: FingerTec Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a form of self-regulated corporate governance integrated into our business practice. The FingerTec CSR policy functions as a built-in mechanism whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of law, ethical standards, and international norms. In short, this is what Google called “Don’t Be Evil” policy.

However, by adhering to these principles in one’s business doesn’t make a saint out of you. Because, apart from achieving your own dream, the main objective in business is also to selfishly make money for yourself in pursuit of wealth. Of course, getting rich is not wrong when the money is legally your own, hard-earned or smart-earned. But it’s also good to peek into the not-so-fortunate life for a lot of other people and making some effort to contribute. As a business owner, or as someone who has more to spend, contributing some to the needy will make one more humanitarian if not a saint and make a better society for everybody to live in.

By Teh Hon Seng, CEO, FingerTec HQ

I have a shorter list of New Year’s resolutions over the years. It’s simple, if you have a long list with high expectations, chances being...

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Finger Scanners Coming to Schools

Wednesday, 25 December 2013 , , , , , 0 Comments

Schools around the country are making use of fingerprint scanners to increase their security and reign in on truants. These devices, which only cost about $30 per student (though this cost can vary depending on a school’s size), make attendance-taking more accurate and save schools money in administrative costs.
Finger scanning in the classroom is faster than the traditional roll-call of attendance. It is easy for a friend to yell “present” for someone while the teacher blusters through the attendance list. This is a problem not only in terms of kids missing class, it can be a safety issue too. If a child is missing, the school needs to know as soon as possible, and a finger scanner allows for that. Scanners also allow for tighter control the of teachers and staff, ensuring no one is entering the school under false pretense.
Schools are only starting to make use of fingerprint time clocks. The future may see the practice extended to parents entering the school, school buses and more. It is hard to argue with a technology that saves money and allows a safer environment. Some parents have, however, raised concerns about privacy and how fingerprints and other recorded information are stored and shared.

Schools around the country are making use of  fingerprint scanners  to increase their security and reign in on truants. These devices, w...

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Cloud Computing Myths? Oh Please! Part Deux

Thursday, 19 December 2013 , , , , , , 0 Comments


Nothing grinds my gears more than business users who judge a new technology based on their preconceived notions. Living in the Internet age, where information is basically at the tip of your fingers, it's hard to believe that one can't find answers to what they're looking for by simply Googling for it. Alas, I guess that's why some users have created certain cloud computing myths. 

If you've read my previous blog post, you'd already know about the report from Frost and Sullivan entitled "Cloud Computing - A Reality Check. Dispelling the Myths of Cloud Computing". I've covered the first two myths and debunked them (sort of) so it's only natural that we proceed to the two remaining ones. Read more for Part Deux!

Nothing grinds my gears more than business users who judge a new technology based on their preconceived notions. Living in the Internet ...

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Business Model

Monday, 2 December 2013 , , , , 3 Comments

In the biometrics industry, I was once introduced to this findbiometrics.com website, a portal covering news of the industry. Because its revenue model is based on sponsored ads, it publishes mostly positive business news boasted mainly by the project-based biometrics companies, rather than their journalists’ own coverage. I found the website was not of much use to me. Read more to learn why.



In the biometrics industry, I was once introduced to this findbiometrics.com website, a portal covering news of the industry. Because its r...

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