If you are in the market for advanced security that is relatively secure from conventional lock-picking techniques then you might consider going with a biometric solution. In a security context biometrics involves the measurement of a unique organic sample that is difficult to fake and comparing it with a record of the same sample on file. This includes DNA testing, a retina scanner, voice-recognition and, most importantly, a biometric fingerprint door lock. While the first two examples largely remain within the realm of science-fiction, a fingerprint door lock is readily available and affordable with modern engineering.
Simple fingerprint door locks start at less than five-hundred American dollars and even these basic models ensure a reasonable level of security and will resist basic picking attempts. What they will not have is the rich set of features and redundancy that a more secure arrangement would require. If your security requirements call for a more robust solution you may be looking at fingerprint door locks costing more than a thousand dollars. Such a lock will have the ability to record more than just one door lock fingerprint, will have a sturdier construction, a heavier striker, and may include other important features like voice instructions, to benefit the disabled, more persistent analysis of the door lock fingerprint, combined mains-power with battery backup, and integration of a combination code keypad and key-card.
A Fingerprint door lock has many advantages over conventional security. One advantage is simply the impression you make when you choose to go with what is still thought of as high-tech security: Clients, associates, and suppliers will notice something like an electronic fingerprint door lock, and will be suitably impressed.
No discrete door lock, regardless of how advanced it is, can be expected to withstand the punishment of a sledgehammer or crowbar. However, anyone who may be considering vandalism or theft will probably be deterred at the sight of your biometric fingerprint door lock. After all, if you have electronic fingerprint door locks, won't there also be other electronic security, like alarms and cameras? Even if you don't actually have additional security, a high-tech solution is enough of a deterrent to give you more additional security than you might have otherwise been afforded.
Electronic Fingerprint door locks also have obvious advantages over other forms of biometrics. The first thing any manager considers when employing new strategies is the cost and the return they get for the outlay. Voice-recognition technology has advanced leaps and bounds in recent years with the exponential growth of computing power. However, it will never escape the limitations of its techniques: Imagine being locked out of your building in winter, simply because you have a sore throat from a cold! Conversely, consider how easy it would be for someone to covertly record your voice, and thereby gain unauthorized access to your secure area. Retina scanning infrastructure, while typically more secure, is far more expensive and more invasive on the privacy and comfort of employees. Alienating one's workforce is hardly a good approach to security, is it?
Most fingerprint door lock systems do not record an actual image of the fingerprints on record. They record the crucial biometric points of reference used to gain access. Thus, it is usually not possible to reconstruct a fingerprint from records, which has the dual advantage of alleviating privacy concerns of employees, and any concerns that your Security Officer or consultant may have of an employee being able to harvest key fingerprints from electronic fingerprint door locks and thereby gain access.
