# Phil Scarfo

> Phil Scarfo is an identity and biometric authentication executive who co-founded Imprivata with David Ting and served as an early CEO. His career includes Polaroid ID, NEC, HID Global and Lumidigm, where he led worldwide sales and marketing. His articles and interviews examine biometric reliability, the link between credentials and their holders, and the need to balance security with convenient access.

- **Role:** Identity management executive, entrepreneur and industry writer
- **Organizations:** Imprivata, Polaroid ID, NEC, HID Global, Lumidigm
- **Education:** Undergraduate degree; field not specified, Northeastern University, MBA, Northeastern University, Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Imprivata and served as an early CEO., Named co-inventor with Robert K. Rowe on published application US20100246902A1, originally assigned to Lumidigm; the application is listed as abandoned, not a granted patent., Held worldwide sales and marketing leadership roles in biometric authentication.

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Listed as a Polaroid contact in an August 1995 report on Texas’s conversion to digital driver’s licenses; the archive page carries a later migration date.
- **1998** — Identified as general manager of Polaroid ID Systems in a November report.
- **2001** — Co-founded Imprivata with David Ting and served as an early CEO. MarketScreener dates incorporation and his early leadership to 2001; some histories use 2002.
- **2008** — Vice president of identity management solutions at HID Global; discussed expansion into logical access.
- **2010** — Senior vice president of sales and marketing at Lumidigm; named with Robert K. Rowe on biometric sensing application US20100246902A1, filed February 22.
- **2013** — Spoke for Lumidigm on its SMARTCORE partnership for South Korean immigration systems.
- **2014** — Wrote about biometric adoption as Lumidigm became part of HID Global.
- **2015** — Listed as HID Global vice president of global marketing for biometrics and scheduled to lead the opening panel at connect:ID.
- **2017** — Published “Biometrics at the ATM” in Biometric Technology Today, volume 2017, issue 1, pages 9-11.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Imprivata and served as an early CEO.
- Named co-inventor with Robert K. Rowe on published application US20100246902A1, originally assigned to Lumidigm; the application is listed as abandoned, not a granted patent.
- Held worldwide sales and marketing leadership roles in biometric authentication.
- Authored industry articles on biometric authentication, ATM transactions and access control.

## Latest updates

- **2017-01** — Published “Biometrics at the ATM” as vice president for worldwide biometrics marketing at HID Global.
- **2016-01** — Discussed smart cards, airport access and identity verification in a Biometric Update interview.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philscarfo

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/phil-scarfo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20