Book of Lists Newsmaker – Information Technology: Denis Petrov

Under the leadership of Denis Petrov, IDScan.net has firmly entrenched itself in New Orleans’ technology ecosystem while becoming an international developer of identity verification and information gathering technologies.

When the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an urgent need for touch-free technologies, Petrov helped IDScan.net emerge as a leading provider of tech resources to help businesses reopen safely.

Throughout the pandemic, businesses have relied on IDScan.net’s technologies to check people in, take their temperature, make records of their visits, and automatically grant or deny access — all without human interaction.

“Amid what has been the worst public health and safety crisis of our time, IDScan.net has remained steadfast in our mission to create a safer, smarter world,” said Petrov, the company’s CEO.
Petrov co-founded the company in 2008 with Andrey Stanovnov, who now serves as chief technology officer.

IDScan.net’s core technology allows organizations to swipe an individual’s ID and harvest information, and then verify that information within seconds with a high degree of accuracy.

A native of Russia, Petrov developed a love for the United States as a child, when he and his father would listen to Voice of America and BBC on the radio — even though it was illegal in the Soviet Union.

“Somehow, we were able to bypass the government’s interference waves and listen through a fuzzy connection,” he said.

Petrov continued listening to those types of programs even after his father died when Petrov was 12.
Petrov also had a passion for entrepreneurship. “Growing up in Russia, I would buy novelty items and resell them in small towns where access was limited,” he said.

In 1993, Petrov started working for the Krieble Institute to promote democracy and a free-market economy in the Soviet Union. It turned out that his boss, John Exnicios, was a New Orleans native.

“When I told John that I wanted to attend graduate school in the U.S., he recommended UNO. That’s how I landed in New Orleans,” he said.

It was in New Orleans where Petrov met Stanovnov, a fellow Russia native, and discovered that they shared a mutual interest.

“We were both fascinated by the fact that U.S. drivers licenses had a magnetic strip,” he said. “It got us thinking about the information that was contained on this strip and how it could be captured and used.”

In 2003, the pair started working on ID scanning and founded IDScan.net five years later. They started the business in their garage, eventually advancing through The Idea Village and Launch Pad before setting up the company’s global headquarters at UNO’s Research and Technology Park. The firm now has 6,000 clients, including IBM, Shell, AMC Theaters, and Dave & Busters.

One of the bigger opportunities the company is exploring is in the legalization of marijuana and how dispensaries can meet regulatory requirements, which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

And with more business taking place remotely, Petrov sees identity assurance and verification becoming even more important.

“IDScan.net will continue growing and evolving to meet the needs of our customers,” Petrov said.

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