FbF® LiveScan is a new EBTS 9.3/Appendix F certified electronic fingerprint system that is compatible with the Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT) program. FbF LiveScan provides a Department of Defense compliant path for government contractors to submit electronic fingerprint images for the purpose of background screening for government security clearances.

San Antonio, Texas – December 4, 2012 – Fulcrum Biometrics, a leading international provider, distributor and integrator of biometric systems and devices, today announced the availability of FbF® Live Scan. The FBI has certified that FbF LiveScan meets specifications listed in the Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification (EBTS) 9.3 Appendix F Live Scan Specifications of the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (IAFIS) Image Quality Specifications. FbF LiveScan has also been tested for backwards compatibility with the Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification (EFTS) 7.1 format, which is used by the Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT) program. SWFT provides Department of Defense contractors the ability to easily transition to electronic capture and submission of fingerprints under the new specification – a process that is critical for expediting personnel security clearance background checks that impact US national security.

Currently, there are 13,300 companies that are considered “cleared facilities” and are thus eligible to access classified information under the National Industrial Security Program for the US Department of Defense. When an employee working for a cleared facility requires access to classified information, the company must obtain a personnel security clearance for that individual. This involves the submission of fingerprints and other data to the Office of Personnel Management for the processing of FBI background investigations. By December 31, 2013, all cleared facilities are required to submit these fingerprints electronically. To date, only 11% of these cleared facilities submit fingerprints electronically.

The SWFT program enables the electronic submission of fingerprints and demographic information, eliminating the time-consuming and error-prone manual process of collecting and submitting hardcopy fingerprints. Because FbF LiveScan is listed on the FBI IAFIS Approved Product List, users of FbF LiveScan can take advantage of the SWFT program to comply with the Department of Defense directive to submit electronic fingerprints. While this standard is mandated, it also supports the goals established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and the implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12.

“We are proud to introduce this new live scan solution that enables SWFT program users compatibility with the latest EBTS 9.3 standards,” said Ken Nosker, president of Fulcrum Biometrics. “By ensuring rapid, accurate submission of fingerprints, FbF LiveScan helps contractors streamline the security clearance process and avoid costly delays.”

FbF LiveScan has an intuitive Microsoft Silverlight user interface and features high image quality for both flat and rolled fingerprints. The interface is customizable and expandable for use in local, state and national-scale implementations. FbF LiveScan is suitable for a wide range of uses for both civil and criminal identification, such as national voter registration and identification, employee background checks, offender and visitor enrollment and identification. By combining FbF LiveScan with additional FbF products, such as the FbF bioServer (multi-biometric matching engine), FbF LiveScan can become an integral part of a more comprehensive AFIS/ABIS system but at a fraction of the cost of competing solutions.

FbF LiveScan software is currently integrated with the Futronic FS60 professional fingerprint scanner from Futronic. The high quality fingerprint images of the Futronic FS60 are certified as FBI EBTS Appendix F compliant and its high speed scanning combined with compact and robust hardware make the Futronic FS60 ideal for use with FbF LiveScan in a wide variety of use cases. In addition to working with Futronic FS60, the FbF LiveScan software can be made to work with other Appendix F certified live scan hardware on request, giving customers a selection of hardware to choose from.

FbF LiveScan supports Microsoft Windows® XP or higher, Microsoft .NET 4.0 or higher and the MS SQL database. Other FbF system components include the FbF bioServer multi-biometric matching engine, FbF mobileOne fingerprint accessory for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, FbF Demographica Enrollment and Identification System, and FbF developer tools.

The mandatory window for electronic filing of fingerprint data is beginning to close. FbF LiveScan enables companies to begin an easy transition immediately with an efficient, cost-effective solution that meets the new EBTS standards and is backward compatible with existing standards. For more information, contact Fulcrum at +1.800.430.4601 x110 (International +1.210.348.3687 x110) or email info@fulcrumbiometrics.com.

About Fulcrum Biometrics

Founded in 2002, Fulcrum Biometrics is a leading provider, distributor and integrator of biometric identification technologies and devices for commercial, civil and military customers in more than 88 countries worldwide. Fulcrum’s offerings include industry-leading biometric software development tools, fingerprint scanners and other biometric sensors as well as custom software development for multiple platforms, custom integration and implementation of identity management applications and access control systems. Fulcrum is the developer of the Fulcrum Biometric Framework (FbF®), a rapid biometric application deployment suite which includes the FbF bioServer, FbF LiveScan, FbF mobileOne, FbF Listener, FbF Silverlight Client Library and FbF iOS Library.