NEC Maintains Top Rank in 2022 NIST FRVT Report

NEC Maintains Top Rank in 2022 NIST FRVT Report

Posted by Kathleen Kiernan on Posted in Analytics, Biometrics, Cloud, Events, Government, Law Enforcement, Security Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

NIST Ranked #1 Globally

  • #1 in Mugshot Identification
  • #1 in Border Security Identification
  • #1 in Mugshot Identification over age differences

At NEC Corporation, we take great pride in our legacy of creating the best technology in our field and our biometric authentication algorithms are no exception. Our #1-ranked National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) algorithms are trusted every day to provide accurate and secure results across sectors including commercial aviation, hospitality and the United States government.

Adding to this legacy, we are excited to share that NEC’s facial recognition algorithm earned the top ranking from NIST’s most recent Face Recognition Vendor Test across multiple categories.

NEC earned top recognition in the categories of Mugshot Identification both globally and in the United States, Global Border Security Identification, and Global Mugshot Identification over age differences, as well as Mugshot to Webcam Identification here in the U.S.

These rankings match the very real, positive impact our technology has on society every day. For example, U.S. CBP Deputy Commissioner, Troy Miller, recently shared in an interview1 that facial recognition technology, including our algorithm, has identified more than 1,000 imposters attempting to enter the country with false documents since 2018 – decreasing potential crime and creating safer communities.

For more than two decades, NEC has consistently surpassed competitors’ algorithms in the categories of accuracy and speed. This remains true even when demographic differentials including race and sex are accounted for and when subjects wear protective face masks. Our algorithm passed internal tests with a rate of over 99.9% in 1:1 verification when face masks of various colors and patterns were worn by individuals – ensuring security and supporting public health.

The latest NIST results showed NEC’s algorithm outperformed the entire field of 329 entries submitted from all over the world on mugshot identification. Our NEC-005 algorithm demonstrated a False Negative Identification Rate (FNIR) of just 0.0017 at a False Positive Rate (FPIR) of 0.001, respectively.

This same algorithm outperformed a field of 289 entries on Mugshot to Webcam identification with an FNIR of .0120 at a FPIR of .001.

NEC’s facial recognition algorithm is called upon by professionals across a diverse range of use cases in critical moments and is counted on for its reliable and accurate results. These use cases include criminal investigation, immigration, military security and national identification within the entertainment industry.

We have implemented more than 1,000 systems with our top-ranked fingerprint and face recognition technologies in more than 70 countries and regions around the world.

Our team works to create the most accurate and reliable product possible to ensure safe, accessible and enjoyable experiences for every person who uses our technology. While navigating access points can often be a hassle, we see a touchless and frictionless future made possible through our first-ranked biometric authentication algorithm.

To read more, you can access the full NIST report, here.

Learn more about our #1 ranked algorithm’s use cases here.

1. https://about.bgov.com/news/facial-scans-catch-impostors-at-border-as-agencies-embrace-use/

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How Prepared Are You For An Emergency Call?

How Prepared Are You For An Emergency Call?

Posted by Joe Salisbury on Posted in Intelligent Call Routing, Unified Communications Tagged , , , ,

Don’t wait for a problem to find out

It’s concerning enough should someone within your organization or facility find it necessary to dial 911. It’s even more worrying if there’s any uncertainty about your company’s ability to handle such a call.

Recent legislation has made improving onsite safety a company matter. Whether it’s Kari’s Law for direct 911 dialing and personnel alerts at locations using multi-line phone systems or the RAY BAUM’s Act that requires dispatchable locations of 911 callers, organizations must be confident in their compliance with such regulations.

Of course you can verify that your communications system supports a flexible dialing plan. Or you can check that your communications platform is upgraded with the necessary software or hardware. But perhaps the most important question is … is your carrier the best in supporting emergency situations? Are they equipped to handle Dynamic E911 calls quickly and efficiently? What’s their plan should a network issue occur when it’s needed the most?

If there’s any hesitation to these questions, then we have something for you – NEC NETWORK CONNECT. This intelligent carrier call routing solution is ideal for day-to-day business communications and collaboration. But for emergency situations that demand urgent E911 assistance, it’s unmatched in reliability and control.

So how does it work?

With NEC NETWORK CONNECT you gain open access to a network of Dynamic Emergency Service Providers with built-in automatic failover, re-routing capability and carrier diversity. We use M2M and AI algorithms to automatically route calls – including those to emergency services – through the network with the best quality service for optimal accessibility and performance. If a network issue exists, calls are simply rolled to the next preferential network in real-time, putting an end to possible carrier downtime and outages.

There are other benefits too

With NETWORK CONNECT you work with just one provider – us – for carrier service and support, as we consolidate over 375+ U.S. and global carriers into a single consumable provider-neutral service. No more relying on a single carrier or juggling multiple ones instantaneously. Call traffic and activity becomes totally transparent while billing gets consolidated into one monthly invoice. If you have more than one location, our Global Orchestration service can combine your multi-site, multi-vendor network for greater oversight and simplified management.

Explore the advantage of NETWORK CONNECT with the following short, informative video:

NETWORK CONNECTThen there are the cost savings. Standard carriers use retail pricing, rates that are rounded up and there might even be hidden costs. Not NETWORK CONNECT. We offer wholesale pricing, with no hidden costs. Our usage charges are accurate to the second for cost efficiencies. Plus, our services are quick and easy to deploy with minimal upfront costs … so you can get started and begin saving and feeling confident in E911 responsiveness quickly.

Let us show you how our global presence and unmatched carrier diversity can help ensure E911 compliance in the routing of emergency calls while improving carrier billing and cost savings.

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Schedule a no obligation assessment with one of our NETWORK CONNECT experts NOW.

How Today’s Touchless Technology Gives Customers Options and Control

How Today’s Touchless Technology Gives Customers Options and Control

Posted by Allen Ganz on Posted in Biometrics, Customer Experience, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Security Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Creating a digital profile streamlines online shopping in significant ways. The convenience promotes future orders and customer loyalty. Imagine how delightful it will be when brick and mortar stores enable the popular option for in-person shopping. Today, creating a Digital ID is possible with NEC’s I:Delight platform.

For example, when a shopper saves their preferences and payment information to a personal profile accessible from their mobile device and provides authorization with rapid and accurate facial recognition, stored customer loyalty information can be instantly applied. Thus, empowering customers to control their digital data and how it is used, while their customer experience is enhanced with fewer touches and less risk.

All of this can be achieved with NEC I:Delight, a highly secure and scalable Digital ID management platform. Using NEC’s award-winning face recognition algorithms, this robust, cloud-native platform streamlines ordering and payment at quick service restaurants; facilitates check-in at next-generation hotels; and provides expedited entry and payments at entertainment venues and stadiums.

NEC I:Delight also enables touchless passenger checkpoints from curb-to-gate at airports, provides streamlined access to office buildings, and verifies patients and authorizes staff at healthcare facilities. The platform is interoperable, scalable and can be used by many industries to provide long-term value, transforming the customer experience.

Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance, which includes a coalition of 26 member airlines, uses NEC I:Delight to power its growing biometric passenger processes and modernize its entire travel ecosystem. In addition to curb-to-gate verification, passengers who opt-in through the Star Biometrics app will be able to use their Digital ID for VIP lounge access, wayfinding, airport purchases, transportation fares, hotel check-in, attraction passes and more. All without showing a boarding pass or opening their wallet.

With NEC I:Delight, the customer maintains control of their Digital ID and its uses. Customers can change profile settings as needed and opt-out just as easily.

For more detail check out this three-page preview our whitepaper that provides more in-depth information about NEC’s Digital ID platform.

Click here to learn more or fill out the form below to download the entire whitepaper.

See how Digital IDs can work for you. Take a guided virtual tour and discover the frictionless, touchless capabilities of I:Delight by visiting our Virtual Customer Experience Center.

Hitting the Customer Journey Fairway with NEC I:Delight

Hitting the Customer Journey Fairway with NEC I:Delight

Posted by Micah Willbrand on Posted in Biometrics, Customer Experience, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Security Tagged , , , , ,

It was exciting to join Dan Shube on the “Golf and Travel Show” to talk about the latest innovations making travel safer and airport security more effortless.

Most golfers enjoy traveling to take on new challenges at golf courses in the U.S. and around the world. Unfortunately, air travel has been chaotic and challenging the past couple of years, which has impacted these avid golfers’ ability to enjoy their favorite activity.

Safe and seamless air travel

i:DelightDan and I discussed advancements in Digital ID management, biometric technology and touchless transactions to make traveling safe and seamless.

Instead of fumbling with bags, tickets and passports, NEC’s biometrics and Digital ID management elevates the customer experience from curb-to-gate. Frequent flyers can eliminate paper boarding passes, as well as reduce wait times at airport security using our opt-in advanced face recognition technology.

NEC is continuously upgrading the biometric algorithm to meet health and safety guidelines, including face recognition while wearing masks. On the show, we shared a laugh about the innovations enhancing the customer journey and leaving the tech from “Star Trek” and “The Jetsons” in the dust. So, while air travel may never be “fun”, we are working hard to make it as stress free as possible.

Specifically, we talked about NEC I:Delight, a complete Digital ID management platform that enables touchless traveler verification and secure transactions. Using I:Delight, airports and airlines increase:

  • Privacy controlled by passengers who opt-in and choose how their Digital IDs are used.
  • Safety for travelers and employees, verifying identity with face masks in place.
  • Efficiency enabled by processing passengers faster with fewer touches and interactions.
  • Interoperability with existing technologies at airports, as well as iOS and Android apps.
  • Scalability to expand capabilities, including retail and restaurant purchases at the airport to car rentals and hotel check-in.

Listen to our conversation on the Golf & Travel Show here.

Learn more about the ways NEC is reshaping the aviation experience with a seamless, safer customer journey.

See how Digital IDs can work for you. Take a guided virtual tour and discover the frictionless, touchless capabilities of I:Delight by visiting our Virtual Customer Experience Center.

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10 STRATEGIC DRIVERS THAT WILL RESHAPE BUSINESS IN 2022

10 STRATEGIC DRIVERS THAT WILL RESHAPE BUSINESS IN 2022

Posted by Paul Kievit on Posted in Cloud, Enterprise, Unified Communications Tagged , , , , , ,

Digital Transformation is redefining business models and changing the way customers and employees function, altering entire industries. Social and business values surge when people, devices, and resources are connected. The pandemic has been a tremendous catalyst for organizations worldwide to embrace digital transformation in support of business continuity, dynamic service delivery, and realizing the new normal of hybrid working.

As an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) leader with over 120 years of expertise and experience, NEC is sharing its views on leading and emerging trends and technologies to navigate through these changes to simplify your organization, realize workforce efficiencies, and gain competitive advantages.

In this blog, we will explore the Top 10 Strategic Drivers that NEC distinguishes will shape an organization’s operations the coming year and beyond:

Digital Transformation

The integration of new technologies is changing the business world and has altered not only how businesses are seen, but also how they operate and deliver value to customers. It’s also a cultural change that requires flexibility and creativity in revisiting business models and operational processes.

Digital Transformation is key for enterprises to enrich their operations in 2022 with innovative solutions and technologies like cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, mobile internet, artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and application convergence. In doing so, they recreate their business model, enhance customer and employee experiences, and realize the always-on enterprise.

Connectedness

Making staff omnipresent and ‘always on’ is key for smart enterprises to operate efficiently and effectively in today’s business environments. Successful organizations are capitalizing on mobility solutions to enable employees to get work done no matter their location.

Mobile technologies extend communications, data, and business applications to mobile devices, ensuring employees remain fully integrated with their organizations, colleagues, and customers.

5G and LTE connectivity will transform laptops into ACPCs (Always Connected PCs) to ensure tasks can be performed anywhere on the go. 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technology will drive factors in wireless growth, bringing increased bandwidth and higher internet speeds along with more reliable networks.

Collaborative Workspace

The global pandemic has made companies rethink their workspaces and in 2022, we will see more investment in technology that allows distributed workgroups to communicate and collaborate easily, regardless of location.

Hybrid work has become the preferred model and makes tools that support a more flexible, open, and agile way of working, like Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C), a mandatory part of running a successful business. These technologies are dynamic, flexible, and user-centric, and provide easy access to tools like click-to-call and video conference capabilities, file sharing, and digital whiteboarding while driving productivity and reducing latencies across organizations.

At the office, touchless access and integrated environmental control, digital signage, motion sensors, people counting, desk and room scheduling, and voice activation will all support the ‘New Normal’.

From Experience to Engagement

The battle among enterprises for tomorrow’s customers is fought and won on Customer Experience (CX). Companies are pushing hard to deliver connected CX across channels, processes, and departments – making contact easy and pleasant, lowering thresholds, and ensuring swift response. Smart enterprises will reinvent their customer engagement models to deliver customers a unique, personalized experience and ensure a long-lasting relationship.

New tooling is introduced to enhance the Employee Experience (EX) for better business outcomes. Applications and workflows become user-centric instead of device-centric, tools become intuitive, and interactions are swift and simple.

Dynamic Delivery As A Service

Today, people acquire information, products, and entertainment instantly and on-demand. Accustomed to immediate accessibility, this “On-Demand” generation is forcing businesses to be agile and responsive, changing business dynamics dramatically.

Deploying As a Service model dramatically reduces CapEx investments in equipment, space, and resources. Modular services allow businesses to invest in just what is needed now, trimming up-front costs with full options for future expansion. In 2022, more companies will deploy programmable communications to embed voice, messaging, and video into business applications and workflows via simple-to-use APIs.

Cloud-Centric Accelerates

Cloud computing has redefined IT and software system delivery, making it easier than ever for users to signup, access, and draw on solutions available on-demand and within minutes. Adopting new technologies, functionality, and driving innovation is much easier and faster with cloud-based deployments.

Edge computing will help IoT systems to significantly lower connectivity costs and reduce bandwidth requirements, which in turn will boost the widespread availability of services and insights across businesses and society.

While cloud-based deployments can adopt new technologies more seamlessly than their on-premises counterparts, the need for existing infrastructure to co-exist within this new environment remains. Therefore, many enterprises will adopt hybrid and multi-cloud models.

Ensuring Data Security

Capturing, processing, and analyzing data offers tremendous opportunities for businesses to drive better business intelligence, product development, and customer service. However, our dependence on IT systems makes cyber security a key topic and data protection requires rigorous data security management.

As data sets grow, storage solutions will become more flexible and scalable in order to store, protect, and manage all collected information. Real-time business processes and workflows will also require swift retrieval of data. Embedding work-from-home in company operations creates a greater need for data security management during online collaboration.

Secure end-to-end network services are indispensable in supporting digital business transformation, edge computing, and workforce mobility. Companies will therefore increase investments in flexible and scalable storage solutions.

Holistic Business Continuity

The upsurge of remote working urges enterprises to ensure IT infrastructure and application security when allowing staff to integrate collaboration capabilities into their workflows. Choosing the right disaster recovery strategy will be a key investment in the future of stability for every organization. Lock-step fault tolerance and geo-redundancy technology protect critical data that will help ensure business operations.

The unprecedented supply chain disruption of 2021 has prioritized a holistic and proactive strategy to navigate future disruptions, including closer collaboration between suppliers and customers than in the past.

Augmented Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue to be one of the top strategic drivers in the coming decade – with applications ranging from recognition, prediction, and optimization, to reasoning.

AI and machine learning enable systems that are self-educating, self-healing, and proactive. Augmented Intelligence (AUI) focuses on enhancing rather than substituting human involvement. Extended Reality (XR) combines real and virtual environments with human-machine interaction.

In 2022, AI and AUI tools become widely available through cloud platforms and open-source software with adoption across all industries, i.e., government, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and finance. Developers at midsize companies will start using off-the-shelf AI technology.

Digital Inclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important digital connectivity is when physical presence is not possible. Virtual and augmented reality technologies are removing the distance between people, information, and experiences. As technology advances, digital inclusion will encourage all people to participate in society, offering more potential for individuals to bloom and realize a brighter future for all.

Important steps are being made towards building smarter societies – with Information and Communications Technologies playing a vital role in ensuring energy efficiency, sustainable economic development, enhanced safety, and security, along with wise management of natural resources.

As more organizations become increasingly digital, it’s up to the technology partners to provide tools and stay adaptable to help support those businesses during their transformation. NEC has a wide breadth of core UC and IT products and each stands on its own to help solve common business challenges. Our broad portfolio encapsulates multiple solutions into one powerful enterprise approach to meet the demands and digital transformation needs of today’s organizations.

To learn how we can help your organization embrace and capitalize on the Digital Transformation, contact your authorized NEC Representative, or get in touch with us at: https://www.univergeblue.com/get-in-touch

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