Despite the benefits, a survey by Forrester Research finds that 58% of companies have no plans to try biometrics. Only 1% have implemented biometric systems, 3% have a rollout in progress, and 15% are testing biometrics. "Most of the deployments have been at government agencies and defense firms," analyst Laura Koetzle says. "In the private sector, we're seeing some deployments in pharmaceuticals, financial services, and, to some level, health care."

FacePass from Viisage Technology scans a face and compares that to stored images before granting entry.

Market sectors such as health care and financial services are reacting to stiff regulations requiring tougher security and audit trails for workers accessing apps and data. Others with substantial assets to protect, such as the pharmaceuticals industry, are also deploying biometrics. "They've invested heavily in research and development, and they're willing to invest in security to protect that investment," Koetzle says.

Fingerprint scanners are the most widely used biometric technology. Some companies use iris scanners and handprint readers to control physical access to restricted areas. Airports have tested facial-recognition software with mixed results.

Bernard Bailey, president and CEO of facial-recognition technology vendor Viisage Technology Inc., says the technology works well in places where people remain still for a period of time, such as playing cards at a casino. "To say it can automatically spot a criminal in a crowd is to overhype its capability," he says.

The U.S. Social Security Administration earlier this year began testing a voiceprint system to control access to its Business Services Online Web site, where employers report earnings and withholding information. The goal is to reduce the cost of mailing passwords to site users. The administration processed 250 million W-2 forms last year, and 100 million of those were filed electronically, says Chuck Liptz, the project manager for the voiceprint initiative.

When companies want to access the Social Security Web site for the first time, they apply for access and the administration sends a personal-identification number through the mail or E-mail and a letter to the employer to verify that the user seeking access to the site has a legitimate reason for doing so.

Businesses are asked if they'd like to participate in the trial. If so, the employee seeking access is asked to apply on the Web site, and an E-mail is sent to the employee's supervisor seeking approval. The supervisor is called by a system made by Authentify Inc. and his or her voice is compared with a previously recorded voiceprint to verify it is the supervisor. The supervisor orally approves giving the employee access to the site. "We're hoping that this speeds the process and makes it easier for people to work with us," Liptz says.

The agency is using a system from Authentify that connects the Web site and the phone system to provide real-time authentication using the phone system as confirmation. Because voiceprint biometrics can sometimes produce false positives or negatives when cell phones or different phones are used, the SSA also is using Verifier 3.0 software, a voice-authentication system from Nuance Communications Inc. to reduce those problems and provide biometric verification.

So far, the pilot has been "very well received," Liptz says. He likes this biometric approach because it doesn't need any additional hardware such as scanners or readers, or software such as digital certificates. And it integrates easily with the Web site because it works off the phone system, he says.