Biometric Technology Today • May 20056

company news

Identix’s strong biometricsales surgeUS-biometric company Identix has reportedrecord financial results for the nine monthsended 31 March 2005. On the back of strongproduct sales, revenue for the first nine monthsof its fiscal 2005 reached US$55.4 million, up42% on the US$39 million made in the sameyear-earlier period. Losses from continuingoperations were US$9.5 million for the nine-month period, compared with US$18.8 millionfor the first three quarters of fiscal 2004.

The supplier broke down its revenues intoproduct revenue (comprising primarily fingerprintand facial recognition products) and service revenue(primarily the company’s fingerprinting servicesbusiness and maintenance revenue related to itsinstalled base of biometrics systems).

Product revenue for the company’s first ninemonths of fiscal 2005 was US$30.7 million, up72% compared with the same year-earlier periodproduct revenue of US$17.8 million. Servicerevenue for same 2005 period was US$24.75million, a rise of 17% on the first nine months offiscal 2004. According to Identix president andCEO Joseph Atick: “These results are an excellentexample of the maturation of the biometricsindustry.”

The company expects revenue to continue toincrease on a sequential quarterly basis, reaching inthe region of US$20.5-US$23.0 million by the endof June.Contact: Damon Wright at Identix,Tel: +1 952 979 8485 email:damon.wright@identix.com

partnership

Multi-biometric match-on-card alliance formedFacial recognition software supplierOmniPerception, iris recognition softwaresupplier Iridian, smart card supplier SharpMicroelectronics and fingerprint technologyprovider Precise Biometrics have teamed up toprovide a multi-biometric Match-on-Cardsolution for secure ID, access control and othersecurity applications.

The technology allows the storage of fingerprint,iris and facial images together on one high-specification Java-based smart card and also allowsthe matching/checking of these biometrics on thecard itself. According to the companies, this type ofsolution could provide enhanced security and

privacy, simplify system architecture and may alsolower infrastructure costs.

According to Christer Bergman, President andCEO, Precise Biometrics: “The market demandsboth multi-biometrics and Match-on-Card. Byworking together with OmniPerception andIridian, we are in a position of being the firstcompany to offer multi-biometrics Match-on-Card on one and the same card. The partnershipwith Sharp has allowed us to carry out the firstimplementation on a platform that is verycompetitive, not just in Japan but in all marketswhere passports and ID cards that use multi-biometrics are to be implemented.”

For the Japanese market, Precise Match-on-Card will be marketed through the company’spartner, Silex technology.

In a separate announcement, Precise Biometricsannounced its first quarter financial results for theperiod ended 31 March 2005. The company’s netsales for the quarter were SEK 14.8 million(US$2.07 million), while the company’s net lossestotalled SEK 6.9 million (US$964,000).Contact: Christer Bergman at Precise Biometrics,Tel: +46 730 35 67 26,Email: christer.bergman@precisebiometrics.com

financial results

Cogent posts record firstquarter revenuesAFIS systems provider Cogent Systems hasannounced record financial results for its firstfiscal quarter ended 31 March 2005. Thecompany’s revenues for the period hit US$35.8million, a 13% sequential increase over theprevious quarter when net revenues reachedUS$31.8 million. Meanwhile, net income for thecompany’s first fiscal quarter was US$10.1million compared with a net income of US$9.9million in the preceding quarter.

According to Ming Hsieh, president and CEOof Cogent: “We are pleased to report recordrevenues and a 133% year-over-year increase inrevenues in the first quarter of 2005. Demand forbiometric solutions continues to grow, and we areseeing an increasing number of requests forproposals for our AFIS systems.”

As well as border control, law enforcementand governmental department contracts, Cogentalso believes that there is significant mileage inapplying its fingerprint identification andpattern recognition technology to thecommercial sector.Contact: Paul Kim at Cogent Systems,

Tel: +1 626 799 8090

BUSINESS WATCH

c o m p a n yn e w s

• Scottish biometrics company,Yarg Biometrics, has secured£300,000 (US$570,000), madeup of private and public sectorinvestment, to accelerate thegrowth of its FingerSwipeproduct. Applications forFingerSwipe will includemanaging controlled door entrysystems in hospitals and cashlesssystems in school dinner halls,the company says.

• British computer vision andbiometrics companyOmniPerception hasannounced a joint investmentfrom Pentech Ventures and IrisCapital. OmniPerception willuse the funds to increase salesof existing products and tofurther invest in the productdevelopment of its range ofintelligent video solutions. In aseparate development, thesupplier announced theappointment of US MarineCorps general Charles E.Wilhelm to its board.Following his retirement frommilitary life, Wilhelm hascontinued to work in a widerange of defence relatedactivities with emphasis onhomeland security.

• Viisage has received aNasdaq delisting notice as aresult of its failure to file aForm 10-K for the fiscal yearended 31 December 2004. Inan attempt to prevent delisting,the company has secured ahearing before a Nasdaq ListingQualifications Panel on 19 May2005, where it will present itsplan to complete and file itsForm 10-K. The delistingprocess will be stayed until thepanel has made its decision.According to Viisage, the filingdelay is as a result of anextensive auditors review intopending litigation againstViisage and how it may affectthe company’s year-end results.