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Softworks looks to beat 'buddy punchers'
Tuesday, September 24 2002
by Matthew Clark


Irish company Softworks Computing has rolled out a new biometrics product that
could lead to the end of the long-standing tradition of cheating time clocks. 

Since the time clock was invented almost 100 years ago, lesser-principled workers
have sought ways to thwart the efforts of management to closely monitor when
staff arrive and leave the workplace. The practice of "buddy punching" has
long been a staple in such schemes, whereby employees ask co-workers to punch
their timecard or scan their ID badge if they are going to be late to work or
plan to leave early. 





Now, however, a new device being sold by Bray-based Softworks could put an end to
such schemes once and for all. The firm's new product, part of its Clockwise
suite of employee time management tools, uses a biometric scanner to verify not
only when a worker arrives and leaves but also the identity of the employee. 





The type of biometric scan used in the process is a fingerprint scan, which among
biometric devices is considered relatively secure and is quick and easy for
workers to interface with. 





According to Softworks managing director Andrew Ferguson, the company has already
rolled out the product to two firms in Ireland, one a retail chain with multiple
outlets, the other a manufacturer with two facilities and hundreds of workers. 






Ferguson noted that security concerns might be one of the primary reasons why
companies would hesitate to implement such a solution, but he tried to allay
those concerns by pointing out that the scanner does not keep any records of the
prints. Instead, the scanner measures points on the fingertip and converts that
information into mathematical points. 



"If the local Garda station came to the employer and demanded its database of
fingerprints, it wouldn't matter because the company would only have mathematical
algorithms on file which would be meaningless," said Ferguson. Such a system
would also prevent cyber-thieves from using the database.





Custom Micro is the maker of the scanners, and Softworks makes the suite of
software that is sold with the EUR2,000 devices. Softworks' software
automatically converts employee attendance statistics into payroll information
and can provide other metrics that detail the work habits of staff members. 







Ferguson said the firm is looking into the possibility of selling other kinds of
biometrics scanners with its software, but as yet the technology for facial
recognition devices is not sophisticated enough, and he claimed iris scans are
too intrusive for everyday use. Ferguson said Softworks is considering other uses
of the fingerprint scanners, such as for secure access. 



 

Softworks employs around 48 staff in its offices in England and Ireland and is
looking to expand into the US market in the coming months. With a 254 percent
growth rate over the past three years, the 12-year-old company is a Deliotte &
Touche All-Ireland Fast 50 award winner, as well as a European Fast 500 company.