A guide to understanding the various components of a biometric system architecture and how Fulcrum Biometrics can help.

1. Biometrics Primer

2. Fulcrum Biometrics
Introduction
Fulcrum Biometrics was founded 10 years ago as a
biometrics consultancy. Today, Fulcrum offers the
largest selection of biometric hardware and software
solutions in the world, including Fulcrum’s own brand of
FbF® interoperable biometric solutions.

3. Biometric System
Architecture
• Developer Tools
• Biometric Capture Devices
• Biometric-Enabled Client Applications
• Integration Software
• Biometric Matching Engine
• RMS Database
• Deployment Options

4. Developer Tools

5. Developer Tool
Guidance
There are three major ways that our customers create a biometric systems.
1. The first is to use Fulcrum’s development services to build a solution.
2. The second method is to use products from the Fulcrum Biometric Framework. The Fulcrum Biometric Framework is a suite of
interoperable ready-to-deploy products manufactured by Fulcrum. There are no complex SDKs to learn and there is no need
to create a biometric matching engine from scratch. All of the FbF products were designed to reduce the complexity of
development, integration and deployment of biometric-enabled applications.
3. The third method is to build a system from scratch utilizing a very robust software development kit (SDK) to create the
solution. There are different types and manufacturers of fingerprint SDKs, but each has distinct pros and cons.
• Device Manufacturer – Many of the fingerprint scanner manufacturers make their own SDK so that customers can
create a solution using their scanners. It’s important to remember that these manufacturers are really interested in
selling scanners instead of creating SDKs. These SDKs are typically best for 1:1 verifications and not 1:n
identifications, because they are not scalable. Also, it’s important to remember that once you make a decision to use
a device manufacturer’s SDK, you are locked into that manufacturer’s devices and can’t deviate from it should there
be a need to in the future.
• SDK Company - Fulcrum sells and utilizes in its own Fulcrum Biometric Framework an SDK from a company called
Neurotechnology. Neurotechnology’s algorithms have won numerous awards and honors in the biometrics industry,
because of its speed, accuracy, flexibility and scalability.

6. Developer Tool
Guidance
• If you have a relaxed development cycle and you need your
own proprietary (built-from-scratch) solution, choose an SDK.
• If your development cycle is urgent, short and you don’t need a
proprietary (build it yourself solution), choose ready-to-deploy
solutions that are award winning and certified by the highest
level of government standardizing organizations.

7. Biometric Capture
Devices
Fulcrum has the largest selection of biometric capture devices from
these manufacturers (including Fulcrum’s own FbF-branded hardware).

8. Biometric Capture
Device Guidance
When deciding on which fingerprint scanner to use, you have to
take into consideration the cost, value relationship.
•There are single finger, dual finger, and 4 finger slap scanners but which one to use depends on what you are
trying to accomplish. A vast majority of applications in the marketplace utilize a single finger scanner connected
to a pc by way of a USB connector. Many law enforcement agencies use the 4 finger scanner. The single finger
scanners are typically the least expensive and the 4 fingers are the most expensive.
•There are different methods of constructing fingerprint scanners and each has some unique characteristics that
make them better than others for various applications. There are optical scanners that use light to differentiate the
valleys and ridges in a persons finger. There are capacitive scanners that use silicon and electrical current to
map the fingerprint. You also have multispectral scanning devices which use multiple light sources. These
multispectral scanners are excellent in capturing fingerprint information from those individuals that are difficult to
capture images from such as the elderly, young children, and manual laborers. There are other technologies out
there but these are the most common and widely used in the marketplace.
•When considering a fingerprint scanner you also need to take into consideration how much information you want
to obtain from the fingerprint to create the biometric template that is used for comparing. There are full finger
scanners and swipe scanners and scanners that have been designed to meet certain FBI and law enforcement
standards. Understanding which standards you do or don’t have to adhere to and understanding whether you are
going to do 1:1 verifications or 1:n identifications will help you determine how much data from the finger has to be
captured and which scanners will work best. Swipe sensors are the least expensive but capture the least amount
of information.

9. Biometric Capture
Device Guidance
If your subjects have hard to read fingerprints,
consider the biometric capture devices from
these vendors.

10. Biometric-Enabled
Client Applications
Build your own
- or -
FbF Demographica
(browser-based enrollment, identification, Integrate with one of Fulcrum’s
authentication developed in Silverlight)
web-based or mobile
applications
FbF
mobileMatch
(mobile device-based
enrollment, identification,
authentication
developed in X-Code)

11. Integration
Software
A key challenge in developing any
biometric application is the
integration with a variety of
biometric sensors.
The FbF Listener overcomes this
challenge, providing rapid client to
server integration.

12. Biometric Matching
Engine
You can develop the matching
engine yourself using one of our
Neurotechnology SDKs
- or -
you can choose a ready-to-deploy
FbF bioServer (multi-biometric
matching engine).
Easily scales from hundreds
of images to millions of
images.

13. RMS Database
Best Practice
Keep your Records Management
Database (RMS) separate from
Biometric Database.

14. Putting it All
Together
Biometric Client-side Server-side Server-side
Capture Application Biometric RMS
+ Integration Matching Database
SW Engine

15. Deployment
Options
• Premise-Based with Perpetual Licensing
• Identity-as-a-Service (Fulcrum Hosting)

16. If You Need Help
Fulcrum Biometrics is available to help you the following ways:
•Architectural Guidance
•Biometric Solution Selection
•Application Development
•Product Sales and Support
•Identity-as-a-Service Hosting
Contact us in the US at +1-800-430-4601 or via email
sales@fulcrumbiometrics.com
Contact us in India at +91-124-4145414 or via email
indiasales@fulcrumbiometrics.co.in