NEC revealed as biometrics provider for US base amid public relations moves, award

NEC and its national subsidiaries have been busy, with a biometrics deployment, marketing campaigns in the U.S. and India, an industry award and a rebranding.

Leidos is the system provider and is rolling out NEC America’s face biometrics at Redstone Arsenal, where a trial of facial recognition access gates is being conducted, NEC states.

The new system allows workers at the likely future home of U.S. Space Command to have their identity verified by rolling down their window and approaching the gate at under 5 miles per hour, and is intended to speed up the security check process. The Redstone Arsenal is used by more than 44,000 workers and guests.

Marketing campaigns

The company has also partnered with the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB) on a social media marketing campaign, and will have in-stadium signage behind home plate at Angel Stadium during games. Angel Stadium attracts more than 3 million spectators in a normal year, and the Angels roster also includes star player Shohei Otani, who like NEC’s parent company hails from Japan, which boosts the team’s international television exposure.

NEC India has launched a digital-first marketing campaign with the slogan ‘NEC Makes It Happen,’ PitchOnnet reports.

The company highlights its airport biometric solutions, along with its role in Aadhaar, and comprehensive suite of biometric solutions to ensure trust and security in services for Indian residents.

“NEC has been a silent partner in the country’s digital transformation journey over the years, having successfully completed numerous projects across sectors,” NEC Corporation of India President and CEO Aalok Kumar states. “The ‘NEC Makes It Happen’ campaign aims to highlight the breakthroughs and key milestones the country has achieved with our solutions. As we now transition to the ‘Next normal,’ the campaign also brings hope for a brighter and safer future.”

Frost & Sullivan Award

Frost & Sullivan has announced NEC as winner of the 2020 Global Biometrics in Security Market Growth Innovation & Leadership Excellence Frost Radar Award.

“NEC scored the highest in both the Growth and Innovation metrics within the Frost Radar due to its core focus on creating new customer use cases and enhancing their solutions,” says Danielle VanZandt, industry analyst for Security at Frost & Sullivan, in the announcement. “NEC’s expertise in multiple biometrics modalities and continuous R&D to improve the accuracy of these solutions highlight the company’s commitment to innovation and blue ocean strategy in the biometric industry.”

NEC Senior Vice President Toshifumi Yoshizaki says the company’s biometrics are deployed in more than 1,000 major systems in 70 countries and regions around the world, and cited its performance in NIST testing for fingerprint, face and iris biometrics.

Northgate becomes NEC Software Solutions UK

Northgate Public Services, acquired by NEC for over $650 million in 2018, has been rebranded as NEC Software Solutions UK, effective July 2021.

NPS CEO-designate Tina Whitley says the company’s customers have benefited from more than £71 million (US$98.5 million) in investment since NEC acquired it to develop innovative solutions and services to meet evolving market needs.

“We’ve transformed our cloud first enterprise housing software to become the market leader. Our policing system, Connect, has evolved so that police officers can access information about crimes, victims and suspects while on the beat, and in health, we have evolved to become the foremost supplier of non-cancer screening services in the UK,” Whitley says in the announcement.

“NEC values our expertise. They believe in what we are doing and want us to keep on doing it. As NEC Software Solutions UK, we can maintain our roots in the UK while expanding our presence in the global market with the backing to enable us to bring the latest innovations in IoT, AI and facial recognition to our customers.”

New developments planned under the NEC brand include a mobile housing asset management system for social housing landlords, cloud-based control room technology for emergency services and a combined case management system for youth and adult offenders.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  Frost & Sullivan  |  law enforcement  |  NEC  |  NEC America  |  NEC APAC  |  NEC Technologies India  |  stocks