Q: What do you mean by the term "biometrics"?

A: Biometrics (bio = life, metrics = measurements) are measurements of an individual's unique physical, behavioral, and biological qualities. Biometrics are also automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic.  Among the features measured are; face, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice.  In practice, biometrics are used to determine a person's identity from a physical characteristic (e.g., fingerprint, handprint, face, scent, thermal image, voice or iris pattern), or a behavior pattern (e.g., voice or handwriting signature).

Biometric technologies are becoming the foundation of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification solutions. As the level of security breaches and transaction fraud increases, the need for highly secure identification and personal verification technologies is becoming apparent. 

Biometrics are automated methods of identifying a person or verifying the identity of a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. But to do so, there is a process involved to compare the you, you say you are, to the you the biometrics have on file. Only when the "YOUs" match up will you be granted access to proceed with your task or required action.

Q: What is voice biometrics?

A: The only biometric that provides the benefit of high security, can be used remotely and requires no investment of a specialized biometric device is voice biometrics.

Voice is the only biometric authentication that relies on behavioral as well as physical characteristics. Everyone's voice consists of a unique combination of features that make it distinct from all others. It's not just the shape of your vocal cords, larynx, mouth, tongue and lips, but also how you use them that creates a unique voice signature. Computer analysis of the digitized voice signal can produce a very specific, quantifiable, and reliable verification of an individual's identity.

Voice analysis technology has been around for years and the technology is improving each year. Todays voice biometric technology has improved upon the problems associated with yesterdays voice recognition products such as background noise, voice quality and mediocre performance. Recent improvements have allowed voice biometrics to be considered a preferred choice of security in terms of its high performance and ROI.

Q: How accurate is voice biometrics?

A: Under ideal conditions, similar to other biometrics, voice biometrics can achieve accuracy scores in the 99+% range. Various variables such as the input devices (e.g. telephone), the quality/quantity of the initial voiceprint sampling and the solution itself are very important to achieving high accuracy scores.

Q: Are your products/solutions ASP-based or turn-key?

A: The majority of XBiometrics solutions are ASP-based.

Q: What type of equipment is necessary or required to purchase to use your solutions?

A: The majority of our solutions require no capital investment of equipment at all; all that is needed is a telephone (with local service) and a Pentium II or III-type computer (and monitor) with access to the Internet.