Enterprise Biometrics Month: The Biometric Business in Practice

So far during this year’s Enterprise Biometrics Month at FindBiometrics, we’ve taken in-depth looks at how biometric technologies are starting to replace the password, and at the growing use of biometrics in access control. Now, it’s time to get a bit more practical, with an investigation of what a truly biometric enterprise actually looks like.

In the Office

For many contemporary organizations, the first priority is probably to secure data. Important and sensitive files that were traditionally kept under lock and key have now migrated onto servers, and so the critical task is to ensure that only authorized employees can get those files. Usernames and passwords have become the most mainstream means of doing this, but passwords can be cracked, and are very often lost or forgotten, leading to high administrative costs.

Fortunately, even popular password management tools like LastPass have begun to implement biometric authentication. Another option would be to embrace some biometric hardware, such as BIO-key’s USB fingerprint readers, which can be deployed at scale to let an organization’s entire staff access workstations through a simple fingerprint scan. Employees can also be granted mobile access to company assets through facial recognition, as per Ipsidy’s enterprise-focused solution. All of these enable employees to start access files and other digital assets through biometric authentication, whether they’re at a computer station in the office or on their smartphone at home.

At the Door

With securing data settled, the next priority for many organizations will be to secure the perimeter. A number of effective biometric access control solutions are now commercially available. For large organizations that need an efficient means of delivering access control to large workforces, IDEMIA’s MorphoWave technology can scan up to four fingerprints at once with only the wave of a hand, and no need for physical contact. This could allow hundreds of employees to pass through a central door in short order.

For organizations looking to add a second factor of authentication while still keeping access efficient, BioConnect’s Unified Mobile Access solution lets administrators sync existing access control systems – things like card and key fob readers – with a BioConnect app that adds biometric authentication to the process, via the end user’s smartphone. This leverages hardware that is already in place, both in terms of access readers and the smartphones in employees’ pockets, and leverages it for a highly secure access system.

Doing Business

That all takes care of employee authentication, but many businesses also need to deal with customers, partners, and visitors who regularly or even occasionally need to access facilities and resources. Here, too, there are biometric solutions.

Regarding visitors, an access solution from Ipsidy and RemoteLock lets administrators issue a kind of temporary mobile keycard that uses selfie-based facial recognition for authentication, making it easy to manage visitor access. Alternatively, an organization could implement Proxyclick’s ID Match to scan the faces of everyone entering the building and match them to official identity documents.

When it comes to doing business online, biometric technology allows businesses to reliably verify the identities of end users and provide them access to the accounts and digital resources they need. IDEMIA offers online onboarding through facial recognition and digital signatures, for example, while BioConnect’s mobile authentication technology supports face, fingerprint, eye, and voice recognition. These kinds of solutions can help to ensure that individuals outside of the organization are who they say they are, and also help businesses to comply with Know Your Customer laws and similar regulations.

With some combination of the above solutions put into place, we have a business that is using biometric technology to protect digital assets, secure facilities, and verify the identities of whoever it’s dealing with outside of the organization. And with so much of this kind of security now automated, this business is probably saving a considerable amount of money, too, leaving it well positioned to focus on doing its work and staying competitive.

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Enterprise Biometrics month is made possible by our sponsors: BioConnect and IDEMIA.

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March 19, 2020 – by Alex Perala