SAN DIEGO, CA, April 17, 2006 - ImageWare Systems, Inc. (AMEX: IW), a developer and provider of identity management solutions, as the recipient of the 2006 Product Innovation of the Year Award for the Biometrics market. In fact, ImageWare’s open architecture platform approach is poised to become a defacto standard as it has the competitive advantage of supporting the widest range of hardware devices and software algorithms.

Each year Frost & Sullivan presents this Award to a company that has exhibited excellence in new products and technologies within their industry. The recipient company has shown innovation by launching a broad line of emerging products and technologies.

“ImageWare has successfully focused on the development of biometrically-enabled identity management solutions and has developed the most extensive open architecture approach that currently supports ninety-three biometric hardware devices and sixty-five algorithms,” says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Sapna Capoor. “The company also supports twelve biometric types that include automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS), face, iris, hand geometry, palm vein pattern, signature, and voice verification.”

ImageWare has successfully based its product strategy on developing a comprehensive multi-biometric vendor neutral platform. Offering a multi-biometric identity management solution has proven to be cost-efficient, timesaving, and provides end-users optimal flexibility with what type of biometric they can use. This has also allowed ImageWare to penetrate a wide range of verticals and applications.

ImageWare has the competitive advantage by providing a unique technology approach, enabling open architecture, and by being standard driven. Its technologically driven approach includes providing four different types of verification mechanisms including X:N and N:N verification whereas; a majority of biometric identity management participants facilitate only 1:1 and 1:N verification.

ImageWare’s open architecture platform provides customers the flexibility for the widest range of biometric hardware devices and algorithms in the industry. It is also scalable thus allowing from 100’s to millions of enrollments. In addition, ImageWare has worked to meet worldwide industry standards for data management and interoperability. This has satisfied customers’ need of possessing products that have been certified at the highest levels.

Among the wide portfolio of products, ImageWare's IWS™ Biometric Engine® requires special mention as it is a scalable, agnostic and multi-biometric identity management solution that has been implemented for numerous mission critical government and law enforcement applications. The typical uses for this product include driver license systems, national ID systems, border control systems, and voter identity verification.

"ImageWare has successfully addressed the industry's need of developing a multi-modal biometric identity management solution by offering the most comprehensive open architecture range of products," notes Capoor. "This has paved the way for increased penetration levels of applications within specific vertical markets and across geographies."

A direct result of the increased penetration is that ImageWare products are used in government and law enforcement, travel and transportation, financial, healthcare and telecommunications vertical markets from North America to Asia-Pacific.

ImageWare’s stronghold in the product innovation arena and worldwide accomplishments for biometrically enabled identity management solutions assures the company of continued future success. For these reasons, Frost & Sullivan is proud to confer the 2006 Product Innovation of the Year Award to ImageWare Systems, Inc in the Biometrics market.

About ImageWare Systems, Inc.
ImageWare Systems, Inc. (AMEX:IW), is a leading developer and provider of identity management solutions, providing biometric, secure credential, law enforcement and digital imaging technologies. Scalable for worldwide deployment, the Company's biometric product line includes a multi-biometric engine that is hardware and algorithm independent, enabling the enrollment and management of unlimited population sizes. ImageWare's identification products are used to manage and issue secure credentials including national IDs, passports, driver licenses, smart cards and access control credentials. ImageWare's digital booking products provide law enforcement with integrated mug shot, fingerprint Livescan and investigative capabilities. The Company also provides comprehensive digital workflow solutions for the professional photography industry. ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, with offices in Washington DC and Canada. For more information visit www.iwsinc.com.

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