Lakota Software Solutions, already powering FBI and DoD biometric systems with its Ani SDK, is expanding globally by solidifying its role in developing biometric enrollment and identification systems.
Headquartered in Fairmont, West Virginia, Lakota Software Solutions has carved out a crucial niche in the biometric technology ecosystem, quietly delivering the software that ensures biometric transactions meet complex and varied government standards. Founded in 2007, the company began as an engineering services provider for the FBI and Department of Defense before evolving to create its own commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products.
A central pillar of Lakota’s offering is the Ani SDK, described by Sam Cilento, the company’s Business Development Manager, as akin to “Microsoft Word for biometric files.” Ani sits at the “front door” of the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) system, validating biometric submissions from states and other agencies for compliance with the Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification (EBTS) and related standards. This role ensures data integrity and smooth interoperability across the vast landscape of government biometric databases.
Complementing Ani is Whorl, Lakota’s Windows-based application that enables users to read, edit, and create biometric files across various specifications, from FBI EBTS to international standards such as Interpol, NATO, and now EURODAC – the European Dactyloscopy System. The addition of EURODAC support reflects Lakota’s growing international ambitions, as the company increasingly engages with European partners and agencies.
“We’re not the end-to-end solution, but we can put all the pieces together,” Cilento said during an interview on the ID Talk podcast, emphasizing Lakota’s vendor-agnostic approach. Rather than competing with hardware manufacturers or full-system integrators, Lakota focuses on ensuring biometric data flows correctly between capture devices, backend matching systems, and government databases.
The firm’s solutions are highly adaptable, capable of integrating with a wide range of biometric capture devices – including fingerprint, palm print, iris, and facial recognition systems – allowing partners to build multimodal solutions without being locked into a single vendor’s ecosystem.
Despite its modest size, with around a dozen employees, Lakota has become a trusted name in U.S. government biometrics and is now leveraging its technology to serve international clients. Recent participation in events like Identity Week Europe has yielded new opportunities, with Cilento confirming that conversations held during the Amsterdam show have already led to pilot projects and collaborations.
More insights from Cilento can be gleaned from the latest episode of ID Talk, recorded live in Amsterdam at the Identity Week Europe conference, and in a follow-up debrief after the show. Cilento discusses Lakota’s evolving role in the identity ecosystem, the technical challenges of biometric standards, and the company’s vision for scaling its solutions globally. Listen via the media player below or wherever you get your podcasts.
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
