Using biometric data to secure a nation’s frontier
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- Europe
Country
- United Kingdom
Product
- IBM System x
- IBM Power Systems
- IBM DB2
- IBM Tivoli
- IBM WebSphere
Tech Stack
- Service Oriented Architecture
- Cloud Computing
- Advanced Analytics
- Mobile App Development
- Biometric Data Processing
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Customer Satisfaction
- Digital Expertise
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
- Analytics & Modeling - Big Data Analytics
Applicable Industries
- National Security & Defense
Use Cases
- Intrusion Detection Systems
- Cybersecurity
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- Data Science Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The customer is a national law enforcement agency responsible for providing comprehensive border protection for a nation of more than 60 million people. The nation's frontier sees approximately 200 million crossings annually. The agency has nearly 25,000 staff members, including roughly 9,000 law enforcement officers. It operates in local communities and in more than 130 countries. The agency was tasked with providing border security during a global sporting event that would draw over half a million visitors.
The Challenge
The border control organization of a nation with over 60 million people and approximately 200 million annual border crossings was faced with an aging IT infrastructure and an obsolete identity card and fingerprint system. This compromised border security by hindering effective analysis of immigration information. The organization was tasked with providing border security during a global sporting event that would draw over half a million visitors. The event provided both the opportunity and necessity for the organization to hasten a comprehensive transformation of its security system. The event would also provide the first major test of the system’s efficacy, when more than 380,000 participants, family members, and staff would undergo identity verification and security checks.
The Solution
The agency teamed up with IBM Global Services and IBM Business Partners Morpho and Aware, Inc., experts in multibiometric data acquisition and analytics, to design and implement a biometric and advanced passenger processing system. This system would enable border control to perform near-real-time risk assessment while travelers are en route to the country. The solution is a Service Oriented Architecture developed with IBM WebSphere, IBM Tivoli, and IBM DB2 software. Hosted on a cloud-ready IBM System x, IBM Power Systems, and IBM XIV Storage Systems infrastructure, it operates through a dispersed network of sites connected to a central operations center, with remote offices throughout the country, at the border, and in more than 130 countries. The identity verification system also features a mobile app that supports the remote capture of biometric data.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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