The worldwide revenues from the biometric market is set to treble to $14 billion by 2015 as the governments and homeland security agencies turn to technology to combat terror threats across the globe, said an expert.

'As the threat perception grows, security agencies are investing in cutting edge technologies to preserve a safe and secure environment. The growth in the biometric security market is remarkable,” said Ahmed Pauwels, chief executive officer of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organisers of the upcoming Intersec, a premier safety and security trade fair and conference.

'The use of biometrics as a fool proof means to verify identity in an attempt to weed out criminals with false documents is not a new phenomenon.  However, a growing trend has been identified within both governments and the private sector to increasingly harness this powerful tool in order to keep home and corporate environments safe,' Pauwels noted.

'Both the public and private sector in the region are increasingly interested in incorporating biometric technology as part of their overall security environment. We have seen the growth in finger scans, eye scans and facial recognition technology in airports and security-sensitive sites across the region,' he added.

According to Pauwels, the latest in biometric security devices and machinery from the world’s leading manufacturers will be on display at Intersec, which runs from January 16 to 18 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Currently it is government and homeland security agencies who are the largest users of biometric technology globally with widespread deployment of finger/eye scanning and facial recognition devices at airports, sea ports and border posts across the region, he revealed.

'However, recently there has been an increase in those interested from within the corporate world too, not just in perimeter security and access control, but also as a means to protect access to corporate networks, PCs and classified information,' he added.

Stewart Hefferman, chief executive officer of Omniperception, and speaker at the 'Commercial Security in a Changing Economy Conference,' said, 'Historically, governments led the adoption, and use, of biometric technologies. Today, this is no longer the case.'

'Yesterday’s biometric technologies have become today’s biometric products and it is these products that are now commonly used in mission critical corporate environments. We continue to see an increasing demand for biometric products in the corporate sector and we cannot see this trend reversing anytime in the near future,' he added.

In addition to the conference, companies such as Al Aqili Future Technologies, Avigilon, L1 Identity Solutions Bioscript, Enterprise, Locktronix, Screen Check Middle East, Suprema, Integrated Systems, Virdi and ZK Software will unveil the latest solutions and technologies in the biometrics industry at the expo.-TradeArabia News Service