February 2, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
This past week, we reached the final stage of the findBIOMETRICS Year in Review 2013 by examining the challenges that lay ahead of the authentication industry. The final survey question had our large group of industry experts weigh in in on some of the obstacles that biometrics and identity organizations will need to grapple with over the course of the next eleven months.
With January now behind us, it is time to start attacking these obstacles head on, especially with biometrics entering the mainstream. One of the more interesting ways that consumer adoption is being tackled is by using the language of social media to make the use of strong authentication seem more familiar. The ideal next generation consumer authentication solution is both easier and more secure than passwords, so the big barrier in adoption is going to be familiarity.
To that effect, biometric solutions provider Facebanx announced on Monday that it has an end-user authentication solution that relies on selfies (pictures taken of one’s own face using a front facing camera). This is the second marketing attempt in the past two weeks to adopt social media language in order to make biometrics seem more familiar and accessible to the target audience, who at this point is defined as anyone with password protected online accounts.
New staffing changes are also indicating that the year is well underway. This week BIO-key appointed CEO Michael DePasquale to the position of chairman of its board of directors, which was also bolstered by the addition of three new members of various and extensive backgrounds in strong authentication.
MorphoTrak (Safran) also had big news. The identity management solutions provider announced this week that Celeste Thomasson has been appointed as the company’s president and CEO. She will be replacing Daniel Vassy, who has returned to Safran under a new assignment for the high-technology concern.
Morpho companies were in the news quite a bit this week, in addition to the above leadership change. MorphoTrust USA won a contract to provide badging and screening services to staff and employees working in seven major Hawaiian airports. Maintenance people, baggage workers and restaurant staff requiring credentials allowing access to limited areas will now have MorphoTrust managed documents that allow for ease and security in some of the most high traffic high security areas open to the public.
Finally, staying with Morpho, the company who has been working with Interpol under its five year strategic partnership in support of the Travel Document initiative, received a new ally in the fight to ease deployment to the international policing agency. Datacard Group announced this week that it will be providing the 3D laser engraving needed to produce the e-Passports and e-ID cards that will allow for special visa considerations regarding INTERPOL operatives being deployed in participating countries.