Facial recognition systems are more attainable than ever, with a lower financial bar to entry that makes facial recognition indispensable for businesses of all sizes, in all industries. As the demand for streamlined, frictionless authentication systems rises among both customers and employers, having a dependable, cutting-edge facial recognition system in place is essential for remaining competitive.
Choosing a facial recognition system requires careful consideration of several crucial factors. In this guide, we outline the key factors that all businesses should consider when integrating facial recognition technology:
Facial recognition technology detects faces, extracts features, and creates a facial template to compare against an existing database to verify a person’s identity. It’s becoming increasingly more commonplace in modern businesses, as facial verification can authenticate employee identities, help customers access accounts, and enhance security measures.
Facial recognition is an accessible way for businesses to identify and authenticate both customers and employees. It’s more affordable than other authentication methods while still providing an impressive level of precision and accuracy thanks to technological advances. Because facial recognition is supported by simple camera feeds, it’s easy for any business to integrate facial recognition solutions into their operations.
Facial recognition is being adopted at a wide scale, everywhere from national retail chains to airports to hotels. Facial recognition can authenticate identities for access to restricted areas, help people check in to their flights, identify banned shoplifters from retail stores, or even simply make it easier for them to log into their reward accounts.
There are several facial recognition solutions available on the market. Cutting-edge options like FaceMe® make it possible for businesses of any size to leverage top-tier biometric identification technology within their operations. Finding the right option for you starts with assessing your organizational needs and researching the performance of top providers.
The facial recognition software you select can have a direct impact on your customer service, business security, and operational efficiency, so it’s critical to select a well-rounded option that exceeds industry standards. When researching and evaluating potential solutions, keep these key characteristics in mind.
The effectiveness of a facial recognition solution is highly dependent on its accuracy and precision; an unreliable system wouldn’t be able to securely authenticate your employees or customers. There are two types of facial recognition accuracy to keep in mind:
Accuracy is a critical aspect of a facial recognition system because it protects and monitors access to secure facilities, confidential data, and even controlled substances. The most accurate facial recognition algorithms require substantial storage and processing power, significantly increasing the total cost of deployment. For this reason, we recommend considering solutions from vendors who regularly update algorithms and are vetted and ranked highly in industry testing such as those defined by NIST.
Some of the most popular use cases for facial recognition will not require a 99% level of accuracy, but we recommend utilizing solutions that perform at no lower than the 95th percentile.
For example, at stadium turnstiles, flow of movement and reliable hardware are more critical than perfect precision, although facial recognition systems should be able to identify visitors making multiple entry attempts. Meanwhile, banks and large-scale smart factories heavily rely on accurate authentication to protect their assets, personnel, and equipment.
Each facial recognition solution offers specific features, but every solution should provide at least two essential components:
Advanced facial recognition systems such as FaceMe®, also include enhanced features like:
Choosing Between Advanced and Basic Features
Even with a high level of precision and access to advanced facial recognition features, not all tools provide the same level of speed and performance. Many factors affect the performance of a facial recognition system, including:
Your hardware and software will also impact the performance of your facial recognition tools. When researching your options, identify which chipsets and software tools you’ll need to optimize system performance.
Whether edge or cloud-based, architecture impacts the security and performance of your facial recognition system. Edge-based systems operate faster because information does not have to be sent back and forth to the cloud, which can add several seconds of transmission time. However, not all businesses require instantaneous support, and they may benefit from the lower operational requirements of a cloud solution.
Edge-based systems offer significant benefits for high-pressure environments, including:
However, the cloud can be a better option for use cases with specific characteristics:
Advanced tech developments have made it easier and easier to deploy facial recognition systems, with servers, PC workstations, and IoT devices like kiosks and smart vending machines all offering facial recognition compatibility. However, the level of hardware support you need can vary depending on your organizational goals.
Determine which software options are compatible with your existing tech infrastructure and other devices you may want to incorporate into your tech stack in the future. You may be able to leverage your existing hardware and supplement your systems with extra devices or higher-performing hardware as your facial recognition needs expand.
Facial recognition software processes information extracted from video feeds to detect faces and determine matches. Let’s compare the two approaches available: plug-and-play solutions and software development kits (SDKs).
Until recently, facial recognition technology solutions existed only in the form of an SDK. Facial recognition SDK tools are generally flexible and facilitate perfectly tailored solutions, but they require significant programming and integration work. Plug-and-play software is now available on the market, offering a quicker deployment timeline in specific and well-defined use cases. Software solutions like FaceMe® Security are preconfigured to target typical security scenarios including access control and video monitoring.
Plug-and-play solutions have the software infrastructure needed for easy implementation. They are highly scalable, and can be deployed in single-camera, multi-camera, and multi-location scenarios. They can connect with existing cameras and networks, and superior solutions can even connect with other systems such as VMS, door locks, time and attendance software, and more.
SDKs are highly flexible for unique scenarios where you want complete control of the facial recognition algorithm. SDKs allow organizations to leverage facial recognition in existing workflows and processes, but it’s important to note that you will need robust internal computing and substantial IT talent to integrate the SDK into your existing software infrastructure.
Deploying facial recognition can streamline countless aspects of your business to offer long-term payoff, but it also involves some up-front deployment costs and ongoing expenses, including software licensing and subscriptions, server maintenance, and hardware replacement. Despite these budget items, however, facial recognition is one of the most affordable and cost-effective biometric authentication options available to modern businesses.
One of the key advantages of facial recognition over other authentication options is its high integration potential. You can use a wide range of existing cameras to support your facial recognition solution. Instead of having to purchase kiosks and biometric scanners directly devoted to facial recognition, you can leverage cameras you already have in place, such as laptop, IP, and security cameras; through mobile integration, guests can even use cameras in their own personal cell phones to authenticate their identities.
Meanwhile, other options like fingerprint scanning and iris recognition require their own specialized tools. To deploy these methods, you’d need to make a much more significant investment in equipment, not to mention replacement and upgrade costs as biometric measurements advance. Facial recognition systems allow you to securely assess biometric data with your existing infrastructure at a fraction of the cost.
Here are some examples of costs relative to deployment size to give you an idea of what to expect:
When integrating facial recognition into your operation, start by exploring different deployment options that make sense with your existing infrastructure. If you already have systems and devices in place that can support facial recognition tools, integrating a seamless plug-and-play option with FaceMe® can help you quickly deploy facial recognition in your organization. You may also want to leverage the FaceMe® SDK engine to develop your own bespoke, high-powered solution.
Regardless of which option you select, work closely with your provider to develop an implementation, testing, and launch timeline that makes sense for your business. Consider how FaceMe®’s tools would stack up in different scenarios and adjust your system to maximize their effectiveness. As you roll out your new facial recognition processes, continually monitor your systems to make ongoing improvements and ensure that your facial recognition tools remain on the cutting edge of your industry.
To learn more about choosing the right facial recognition system for your company, please visit the FaceMe® official website or contact our sales team today!
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