findBIOMETRICS - Interview with Peter DiMaria, CEO Accu-Time Systems Inc.

Feature Company

Interview with Peter DiMaria, CEO Accu-Time Systems Inc.
March 2007

Since the last time we spoke the success of Accu-Time's biometric Time & Attendance area has grown. To what do you attribute this growth?

ATS continues to experience tremendous growth through biometric workforce management products. We attribute this growth to a couple of key factors: First, we have successfully launched new products since the last time we spoke which are enjoying a fairly significant rollout. Second, the biometrics market in general is growing as biometrics continues to become more mainstream which helps contribute to the growth in our product sales.

How would you rate your company's performance in 2006 and what were some of the influences on that performance?

ATS experienced strong growth in 2006. Primary contributors to this success have been the growth of biometrics and new product offerings such as the Optimus that reach into new market segments. The Optimus is in full production and is being embraced worldwide as the terminal of choice for advanced HR functionality and Employee Self Service, ESS. Additionally, ATS has cemented itself as a global workforce management leader as our wholly owned subsidiary Accu-Tech Systems and our Latin America initiatives continue to grow at impressive rates. Lastly, our unique finger geometry technology has proven to be a popular biometric option for those that, for whatever reason, are not interested in the fingerprint biometric technology.

From the work force management perspective, it is really cost saving that is driving that market isn't it -- the ROI?

Absolutely, the ROI is attained at near unprecedented rates. This primarily comes from the elimination of payroll and timecard errors. Add to that the reduction of time that management spends on day to day requests and companies are amazed that they didn't implement a solution sooner. For instance, the ESS (Employee Self Service) functionality of the terminals now allow an employee to view and sign-off on their timecards, submit a vacation request, look at time or accrual balances, and even view personal/confidential data - all in a secure fashion by using their fingerprint without having to involve management. ROI is quick and easy to justify.

You have been in the market for several years with biometric Time & Attendance solutions. What type of feedback are you getting from the end users -- the employees? They must also find it very beneficial.

Our customers benefit from the fact that ATS was the first workforce management terminal provider to incorporate biometrics nearly 10 years ago. This wealth of experience means we know what works and what doesn't work when implementing a biometric system. We are able to impart and share this experience with customers to ensure that their biometric implementations go smoothly. As for the end-user, we are finding that they are more and more willing to embrace technologies such as biometrics. As Gen-x'ers and y'ers make up more and more of today's workforce they bring with them an open- minded view of new technologies including biometrics.

So your new terminals specialize in providing information. If I want to check my holiday schedule, how much holiday time I have left, etc. I can do so at any time.

Anytime -- immediate -- and accurate!

What other trends are you seeing in the biometric industry and how might they be affecting your business?

One is on the homeland security front related to biometrics -- for instance biometrics in airports for officials, dignitaries and VIPs to allow for express processing. Another trend is biometrics in consumer products -- from cell phones to home door locks, home safes and the like. The proliferation of biometrics is just continuing to reinforce to the market that biometrics is a viable technology in the workplace.

We were speaking with the CEO of Sequiam who just launched a new biometric lock with Black & Decker & Home Depot...so you are absolutely right -- biometrics has started to really hit the mainstream market! In our last interview we discussed convergence and how that was affecting your business. Can you provide us with an u

ate in that particular area?

The entire human asset management marketplace, which has to do with not only Time & Attendance, payroll and HR but also access and entry control -- physical entry to areas at a facility and virtual entry as in access to secure data on a PC -- is converging. Having three disparate systems for Payroll, Time and Attendance and security is cumbersome for any business. Being able to rely on one vendor to provide seamless integration of all of these solutions has tremendous benefit.

What are the challenges you still face as you launch new biometric products?

While diminished, there is still some resistance to biometrics in some workplace environments. More often than not the resistance stems from an uncertainty regarding what personally identifiable information is being captured and how that information may or may not be abused. These concerns are easily alleviated through education about how the technology works and demonstrating that there is no possible way for the information to a) fall into the "wrong hands" and b) be reconstructed into any personally identifiable information.

Do you think that this privacy issue is something that will start to disappear over time as more and more commercial biometric products, like residential door locks, hit the market?

It still comes up now and then, but we are seeing less and less of it. So, I would agree with you, I think as biometrics continue to become more mainstream, it is just like any other once-new technology such as using an ATM or paying-at-the-pump!

In terms of new product development, what can we expect to see from Accu- Time in the near future?

We have several initiatives that will result in product launches mid-year 2007. The new products will build on the success of the Optimus. Two of the new products that will launch this year are complementary products to the Optimus focused on smaller enterprises, whereas the Optimus was designed with the needs of larger enterprises in mind. These new products will, like Optimus, provide immediate and accurate data for both the enterprise and the manager/employee. Also, ATS continues to expend its offerings into complimentary markets such as financial institutions and international industries. As I alluded to, we have had great success growing our business globally. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the needs of the global marketplace don't always mirror that of the United States, as a result some of our new offerings are tailored for these varied needs.

To follow up on the global aspect of your business, I know that you have expanded and launched offices in UK and elsewhere. How is that part of your business doing?

Very well -- we have expanded the UK office into mainland Europe. This, coupled with our Latin America presence has afforded us the opportunity to grow the business in these areas as well as surrounding regions. An important distinction for ATS internationally is that all of our products are RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) compliant and thus able to provide products virtually everywhere. Additionally, ATS is ISO9001 certified in Europe. As the world flattens, ATS is there.

Thank you very much Peter for taking the time to speak with us. I wish you continued success.

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