Biometrics Risk Management Security Consultant - Suzanne's Story
Suzanne Lockhart works as a Senior Manager in Forensics for a large firm in Canberra. Her work largely involves advising private sector and government clients on many security projects, including the use of biometric systems.
Suzanne worked in several different jobs before her current role. She was a police officer in the Victorian Police Force for 10 years, but after family leave taken to raise two children, Suzanne decided on a career change and enrolled in a degree in Criminal Justice at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). She went on to complete a Masters degree in Criminology at Melbourne University. While studying at RMIT, Suzanne developed a keen interest in biometrics technology, a new development in the electronic security industry.
On completing her studies, Suzanne moved to Canberra and worked with a number of different government agencies before setting up her own consultancy advising on biometrics technology. Biometrics is the identification of people through physical or biographical attributes, including facial recognition, fingerprints or voice/speech recognition. Biometrics can be used for controlling access to premises or data, for time attendance recording and in other applications/systems where proof of identity is a requirement. The recent introduction of biometric passports is an attempt to control identity fraud.
Suzanne primarily consults with public and private sector agencies and advises them on issues to address when considering the introduction of biometrics technology. Part of her work is to find and recommend the right technological system for her clients. Suzanne believes biometrics is a support tool for security, not the complete response; it is an additional layer to security options and information protection. She works closely with a range of people including law enforcement, managers, systems integrators, technology providers and vendors, policy makers and legislation experts.
One important aspect of implementing biometrics technology is completing a risk assessment. These may be carried out by Suzanne’s agency or by an external consultant. A good understanding of the available technology is essential when conducting risk assessments.
Suzanne keeps her skills up to date by reading journal articles and taking courses on new developments, by sharing and communicating with industry colleagues and by her membership of the Biometrics Institute. She also sits on the Institute’s technical committee. The Institute is a not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes the biometrics industry. It has a mix of members, including people working in the security industry, government agencies, students and university personnel. The Institute also supports research and development in biometrics.
Suzanne knows that biometrics technology has a very strong future with plenty of employment opportunities. Many of her colleagues, like herself, moved to biometrics technology later in their career. So Suzanne feels that it is a good career path for both young people and the more mature. If you follow your interests, have faith in yourself and keep up your knowledge, you’ll do well in the electronic security industry is the way Suzanne sees it.
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Suzanne Lockhart
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