The document discusses moving AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. Some key benefits mentioned include reducing IT support costs by outsourcing hardware and software maintenance, gaining scalability through on-demand provisioning of cloud resources, and improved security and reliability with data centralized across redundant cloud sites. Operational needs for AFIS like fingerprint searches and case management could be provided as cloud-based services. Cost is a main driver for SaaS, which can shift capital expenses to operating costs while avoiding hardware/software upgrade costs. Multi-tenancy of cloud resources also improves efficiency and uptime.

1. Are you Ready for AFIS in the SaaS?
Ben Bavarian,
Principal Consultants
AFIS and Biometrics Consulting Inc.
Centennial IAI Educational Conference
Sacramento, California
August 5, 2015

2. According to Wikipedia:
SaaS is a software licensing and delivery model
in which software is licensed on a subscription
basis and is centrally hosted.
Sometime it is referred to as “on-demand
software”.
SaaS is typically accessed by the users using a
thin client via a web browser.
Software as a Service - SaaS
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3. Enterprise software industry SaaS sales for
2015 is estimated to be over $21 billion and
growing - a very strong market driver which will
lead to continuous development and
enhancement of tools and infrastructure
supporting the SaaS delivery.
SaaS Delivery Model is Growing
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4. The term “software as a service” is considered
to be part of the nomenclature of cloud
computing, whereby shared resources,
software, and information are provided to a
user as a metered service over a network –
typically the internet or secured private
network.
SaaS is part of cloud computing
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5. The mostly mentioned selling point is to
reduce IT support costs by outsourcing
hardware and software operation.
We will explore this promise in the context of
AFIS application in the following slides.
IT support
hardware
software
SaaS Selling Points
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6.  AFIS application runs on distributed
computers and servers on a backbone
network. The computers have typical life
time of 7 years.
 There is a 2 to 3 - year release cycle for
the suppliers AFIS application software
and the core technology (algorithms,
accuracy additional functionality).
AFIS is a software application
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7. Currently:
We buy AFIS as a turn-key solution – a combined computer
hardware and software product and we buy and pay yearly
hardware and software maintenance
With SaaS:
We will not buy the hardware;
We will not buy the software license;
We will not need to buy the hardware and software maintenance;
We will not need our agency, or department IT support anymore
We will be free to buy what we need and want without the IT
folks meddling in our crime solving process requirements.
The AFIS as SaaS Question
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8. Operational needs and requirements as AFIS services:
1. We enroll / book a person; which includes two sub-tasks:
a) Run tenprint searches to find if the person is in our AFIS
database under another name - TP to TPF;
b) Run the reverse search to solve a previous case – TP to ULF;
2. Run crime scene latent to solve a current case and/or
relate to a previous case – LP to TPF and to ULF;
3. Forensic Services Department tasks – prepare exhibits;
record management; user management; double blind
verifications; etc.
4. Operational workflows – or our daily work business
processes – interfaces with other systems.
High level AFIS functional needs
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9. We will buy / upgrade our new AFIS as a
service not like what we did last time – i.e.
bunch of computer hardware and software
products!
Saying it differently:
We will buy AFIS as an on-demand service via
SaaS, as compared to traditional turn-key
solutions.
New Procurement Business Strategy
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10.  Cost is often stated as a key driver for the move to
cloud and it has many attributes beyond the saving
on capital equipment (and subsequent maintenance
and upgrade costs):
– Capital investment cost to operational cost item;
– Eliminate the cost of the periodic upgrade;
– Reduce the utilities bill;
– IT/Computer use efficiencies;
– Reduce the department IT personnel requirements – shifted
to the central secure government agency server-farm.
Why AFIS on SaaS (1)?
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11.  Multi-tenancy of the secure server farm shared
resource provides:
– Centralization of infrastructure in locations with lower
costs, reliable and renewable electricity, and better physical
security.
– Peak-load capacity increase as needed by users and
organized between the agencies.
– Utilization and efficiency improvements for systems
that are often 10% to 20% utilized.
Why AFIS on SaaS (2)?
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12.  Reliability is improved with multiple redundant sites ensuring
24/7 availability and disaster recovery. Furthermore the failures
of the server nodes, disks and network are assumed and
accounted for in the cloud architecture.
 Scalability via dynamic – “on-demand” – provisioning of
resources, near real time, and effectively accommodating
various agency peak loads.
 Security will be improved due to centralization of data,
increased security-focused resources, management of sensitive
data, improved data privacy and both logical and physical
authorization access security.
Why AFIS on SaaS(3)?
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13. Ben.bavarian@afisandbiometrics.com
800-351-9604
949-644-8195
Questions/Comments
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14. Dr. Bavarian is one of the pioneers and industry leading authority in the field of Automated
Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and Biometric Identification with over 26 years of R&D
and management experience in industry and academics.
He founded the AFIS and Biometrics Consulting Inc. in 2007, providing subject matter expert
consulting and strategic management services in Biometrics Identification Industry. The company
has successfully completed more than two dozen contracts in the last three years.
Prior to ABC Inc. Dr. Bavarian was the Vice President of Motorola Biometrics, where he led the
business turn around and four fold increase in Sales by directing the development of the industry
leading Automated Biometric Identification System products with over 100 large scale
deployments.
Before moving to the industry in 1992, Dr. Bavarian was a professor in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, where he conducted
original research in image processing, computer vision, intelligent systems and published over
120 technical papers and received several awards for outstanding research and distinguished
teaching.
Dr. Behnam (Ben) Bavarian received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The
Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio in 1984.
Author Biography - Dr. Ben Bavarian
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