Biometrics is an authentication system that is utilized for uniquely recognizing human beings based on one or more physical or behavioral traits. In Information Technology, biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and access control. The different modes of recognition range from fingerprint, DNA, face recognition, hand and palm geometry, iris recognition. These might also include behavioral recognition that includes typing rhythm, gait and voice recognition.

A biometric time clock is a device used majorly in workplaces like high profile companies, government institutions, banks and other such places where the business involves a lot of security and confidentiality. Although the basic use of the biometric clock is to check the time of entry and exit of employees into the company. This keeps a systematic track of their attendance and a log of all details regarding their working schedules. It saves a lot of time that used to be unnecessarily wasted in making entries into registers at the reception or having some sort of a punching card. This system prevents irregular and unpunctual employees from decreasing the productivity of their work due to improper surveillance or supervision.

Biometric clocks allows automated payroll processing, helps easily produce accurate reports employee time/attendance to the HR  and eliminates buddy-punching, early punch-ins, time cards, unauthorized overtime, hours of payroll calculations. The fingerprint is not the only means of accessing employee attendance using this device. Retinal scans and voice recognition are also being used by some companies in the effort of being in the process of being up to date with employee information in a more secure and efficient manner.

These forms of identification can eliminate various obsolete security problems for different companies as well as eliminate terrorist activities. If you are in an industry where large amounts of cash or armory is distributed then biometric time clock are one of the safest bets to perform transaction activities in such environments. Places like the Pentagon and the White House have been using these biometric time clocks for many years now to prevent unwanted security risks and to keep a check on the influx of the kind of people that enter and exit round the clock. Many defense force bases also use this security system.

Thus, gradually as this technology finds a vast amount of usage and saves a lot of time that normally would slow down the company’s productivity, this would be more in demand even in small scale institutions. Owing to the rapid growth in the workforce it is very difficult to keep track of everything one does, manually. Hence, Biometric clocks that have proved to be a boon already to various limited number of large scale institutions will soon find use universally on a wider scale.