Time and attendance solutions provider ERS Biometrics and biometric hardware supplier ZK Software have partnered in the design of an access control and time and attendance fingerprint identification system that accurately reads fingerprints in South Africa’s and Africa’s harsh industrial and mining environments.

Fingerprint technology is becoming the preferred choice of security and biometric technology because of its reliability, says ERS Biometrics head of sales Delme Hawkins.

“With any system you implement, you want it to work 100% of the time and fingerprint technology is able to offer that,” he says.

Hawkins adds that the company has designed a fingerprint security device that is able to upload prints of all ten fingers of an individual.

The device works on a wireless basis through a general packet radio service (GPRS) system, which makes it suitable for use in remote operations such as mines, construction areas and farms, as well as chain stores where infrastructure is lacking at store level.

Because of the GPRS system, the fingerprint device is able to work on a real-time basis.

Further, the device’s software is easy to use and does not use traditional desktop software.

“The ERS Biometrics finger device works on an Internet software application and one does not need a fixed desktop to run the software. Any computer that has Internet access can be used,” says Hawkins.

The device can be charged in your car or through solar power if no electricity is available. The device also comes with a backup battery that will last for a couple of days.

ERS Biometrics has signed an agreement to supply fingerprint identification access control and time and attendance systems to a large Nigerian telecommunications company, SB Telecoms.

“The South African market is seen as the platform for Africa in terms of biometrics solutions. Africa is a bigger market into which we have begun launching our solution,” says Hawkins.

SB Telecoms information technology head Isma’il Shado says the company chose the ERS Biometrics solution because of its ease of setup and flexibility to be adapted to specified client applications.

There is huge potential in Nigeria for access control, time and attendance and shift management systems, he adds.

“The software will be marketed under the brand name Time and Management Systems. SB Telecoms staff will provide tier-one software query support, with ERS Biometrics providing on-line Internet support,” says Shado.

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