NORTH CANTON, Ohio - Diebold Inc. on Sept. 6 announced the release of a new biometric-security solution that verifies accountholders' through fingerprint profile.
Diebold identiCenter, powered by US Biometric Corp., is an integrated system for identity verification and branch-traffic management that's built around fingerprint-reading hardware and software. It's designed to identify consumers who enter a financial institution and increase efficiencies within the branch.
"IdentiCenter is part of Diebold's vision of the 'branch of the future,'" Dennis M. Moriarty, senior vice president of Diebold's global security division, said. "Diebold is working closely with financial institutions to transform their branch operations to meet the needs of tomorrow's retail banking consumer by streamlining operations, personalizing customer service and enabling faster, more secure transactions. IdentiCenter is a significant part of that effort."
IdentiCenter is touted by Diebold as providing added protection for FIs and consumers against identity theft during branch-based financial transactions.
At its basic level, identiCenter links an individual's identity and account information to his or her unique fingerprint profile. When initiating a transaction at the teller station, enrolled consumers place their fingers on optical-scan fingerprint readers to verify their identities. Once verified, their account information automatically appears on the teller screen.
Participating consumers must first enroll by having three fingerprints scanned. Fingerprint images are then converted to algorithmic values based on the individual's unique minutiae point vectors. The values are then stored in an encrypted, compressed database. To protect the accountholder's sensitive information, the original fingerprint images are deleted from the host FI's records, leaving algorithmic values that cannot be converted back into fingerprints.
Streamlined service
Adding an optional kiosk and monitor enables identiCenter to streamline branch traffic, Diebold says. The self-serve kiosk allows an enrolled customer to "check in" upon entering the branch by verifying his or her identity and selecting a transaction before reaching the teller. The FI provides accountholders approximate wait-times, and tellers have time to prepare for upcoming transactions.
