Founded in 1999, biometric provider ZK Software started its international sales in 2003. Its main overseas markets are the U.S., India and the United Arab Emirates. Its market segments include financial, public facilities, education, airports and weapon storage. "ZK sells through partners, system integrators and channel dealers. We have about 80-percent market share in China and more than 50-percent market share in the Asia-Pacific region," said Allen Pan, Manager of International Marketing Division. In 2009, ZK's revenue increased 8 to 12 percent, with expected 2010 growth at 70 percent. "Due to the worldwide economic downturn, we saw an increase in the U.S. and European markets for time-and-attendance systems," Pan said.

STRATEGIES AND CORE COMPETENCE
ZK specializes in biometric algorithms and RFID. "Our biometric software can do 1:15,000 verifications at an affordable price," Pan said. "We have four-in-one biometric verification systems, and we also offer dual verification with fingerprint and facial recognition." To keep its R&D team up-to-date, ZK partners with graduate students from well-known Chinese universities. It also works with overseas partners in Canada, Japan and the U.S. for product design.

FUTURE OUTLOOK
ZK's goal is to become the No. 1 biometric solution provider in China. The company will offer more biometric solutions, such as iris recognition and fingerprint recognition.