Biometric time attendance system: structure and function
Pen and paper attendance registers are considered
primitive, nowadays! In a world, where everything is getting digitalized,
attendance sheets are not far behind. Companies, government offices, schools,
and colleges do not need to use traditional attendance registers. Biometrics
has spread its reach to attendance keeping as well. You may easily spot a biometric
time attendance system in offices. Time and attendance of the employees are no
longer tracked manually. It is done digitally with the help of biometrics.
Various human body parts can be used to track identity of an individual for
attendance keeping. Face, voice, iris, fingerprint, palm, and other parts of
the body may be used for it.
The most common biometric time attendance
systems amongst them are:
*Face recognition time attendance
*Finger Print time attendance
Face recognition time attendance works by collecting
the facial details of an individual. In this device, the software is
installed in the central server and the application
(containing a camera) is fixed at the access point. Individuals only need to
show their face to the camera and the attendance will be marked in the
software. Time is recorded in the software. Reports are generated by the face
recognition time attendance appliance that contains the details of the
individual’s attendance and time keeping.
Apart from facial detection time attendance, finger
print time attendance is also widely used. In this biometric time attendance
system, individuals need to verify their fingerprints instead of facial
details. The application is fixed at the access point and the software is
installed in the central server.
Individuals, coming and going, are supposed to
punch in their finger prints to the application. Their details are recorded in
the software and reports are generated based on these details. Finger print readers
are more used than face recognition systems. Reason behind iscost! Finger print readers are cheaper.
biometric time attendance system may also have iris recognition, voice recognition, or palm reading. However, biometric time attendance system using face recognition and fingerprint reader is in demand at present! Except for the application in use, the phenomenon of identity verification remains the same in all apparatus.
An ideal biometric time attendance system consists
of the following parts:
*Device that reads the specified part of the
body
*Software that is installed in the central server or
specified PC
*License to use the required software
*Guidance on how to use the system - a booklet or
verbal guidance provided by the vendor
The system can also be integrated with other
software. For example, time attendance system can be combined with payroll
software. This enables the system to record attendance, generate reports on the
attendance details, and also generate salary reports for the employees.
Similarly, a biometric time attendance system can also have the facility to
swipe access cards. This gives more accurate results in identity verification.
Use of time attendance applications are increasing day by day. It is convenient
and cheaper for companies. Companies are accepting it in their daily activities
because of the ease in handling it.