Arana security was hired/commissioned by Sharpes Pixley to put in place a control system for their safety deposit boxes in their flagship London premises. Sharps Pixley is a British bullion house, formed in 1957 when two historic private bullion partnerships merged. In 2015 they opened their current premises on St James street to give their customers the choice of purchasing products instore and to have state-of-the-art on-site facilities to store them too.
The existing facilities were ageing and they were facing a number of challenges with their biometric system that was leading to a substantial impact on customer experience and satisfaction, including;
- Capturing fingerprints during the enrolment phase, especially with older clients, would typically take several attempts
- During the verification process, the shop operator faced similar issues thus requiring multiple system restarts to get the device working correctly
- The software was unstable and would often crash
New additional functionalities were also required to be able to offer the correct secure services to their clients:
- Two-person authentication to access a single Safety deposit box.
- Manual authentication in addition to biometric identification.
- Replacing the key fob with a biometric solution.
We at Arana Security specialise in biometric solutions, access control technology, surveillance and monitoring systems. We were able to design a new application for Sharps Pixley, to enhance the security, authentication and usability of the system – adding new next-level security clearance and a fresh and improved enrolment of clients’ biometrics. By using IDEMIA’s MorphoWave™ Compact contactless fingerprint device we were able to create a system to enable fast, smooth and accurate verification of clients. MorphoWave™ Compact performs a 3D scan and verification of four fingerprints in less than one second, in a quick, easy and hygienic touchless hand wave gesture. Thanks to advanced algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence, the accuracy is very high, even with ageing fingers. The implementation of MorphoWave™ Compact contactless biometric devices meant less time wasted at the desk waiting for confirmation of IDs and less stress on both the clients and employees. The system provided has significantly improved the client’s service and provided a more robust, secure and reliable solution.
The Application that we created was customised for the needs of Sharpes Pixley and so met their needs precisely. We were able to confer with them at every stage to ensure all their needs and expectations were met to the highest standard.
“We approached the Arana team with a particularly unique set of problems to resolve including a security system that used hardware and software originally designed for a totally different purpose. I knew what I wanted but was not sure if it was possible. I was essentially an explorer deep in the jungle with a perfect map in my own head, but with no tools or machinery to hack my way out. Arana did more than just clear a path for me to get to my destination – they paved the road for me afterwards! MorphoWave™ Compact device from IDEMIA is the icing on the cake that makes this all possible. Used properly it is refreshingly simple and intuitive. The team here and our clientele no longer struggle to manage or use our access system. The device itself provides palpable reassurance in the technology and that has true value.”
Bruno Garcia, Sharps Pixley
