Year in Review: The Industry Speaks, pt.1

The 2018 FindBiometrics Year in Review survey and analysis is complete. Through our month long analysis of the survey results – via featured articles, interviews and the inaugural Mobile ID World podcast – the stage has been set for 2019 in terms of what trends we can expect to carry though the coming months.

But the festivities aren’t done yet. To offer even more perspective on the year that was and what’s to come in 2019, we asked the companies who participated in the Year in Review survey to give us their viewpoints on the biometrics industry.

Here is what out respondents had to say:

FaceTec

FindBiometrics: What was your company’s biggest accomplishment in 2018?

2018 was an important year for FaceTec since we passed significant milestones in both product and business development. But the biggest accomplishment is now our key differentiator, which has set a new security benchmark for the entire biometrics industry. Our ZoOm 3D Face Authentication solution passed the iBeta Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) test, the first to pass the rigorous Level-1 test (and recently Level-2) with a 100 percent anti-spoofing score. iBeta is the only NIST/NVLAP-accredited testing lab in the world for biometrics, and their PAD test is the only biometric certification available guided by the ISO 30107-3 standard (published in September, 2017). While about a dozen other companies have attempted the iBeta certification, ZoOm was the first, and is still the only, facial biometric to pass this test which included more than 1,500 spoof attacks. As a result, we have seen a lot of interest in our platform from companies both large and small which is keeping our business development team very busy.

FindBiometrics: What is the greatest opportunity facing the biometrics industry?

The first revolution in biometrics revolved around decentralized in-device sensors, but today’s opportunity is centralized biometrics, which will finally enable global password replacement. It didn’t happen in the past because certified liveness detection didn’t exist until now, and it will transform this industry. Passwords do many things right, but the biggest problem is you can’t be certain about who actually typed the password. Two-factor and OTP have been used as a band-aid, but these methods still don’t guarantee the person logging in isn’t a fraudster or is even a live person. Centralized biometrics collect data on any supported device, then encrypt and send it to a secure server for enrollment and later authentication on that device or any other supported device. The enrollment verifies the user’s liveness and can then be used as the source of trust, and data collected can be verified at any time from new devices and even borrowed devices. This is groundbreaking, universal device access from just one enrollment; the universality of a password with the security of a certified biometric which truly replaces the password. We’re uniquely positioned to meet this need because ZoOm offers cross platform/cross-device support and has the only certified liveness detection in the world, the most critical component of next-generation centralized biometric systems.

FindBiometrics: What does your company have in store for 2019?

FaceTec will continue to expand its global presence with nearly 70 sales professionals working with us on the market awareness and penetration of ZoOm’s game-changing features and security. Several of our new partnerships will put ZoOm into the hands of millions of users in a range of industries. We are working to extend our security lead, and having already passed iBeta PAD Level-2, plan to achieve additional 3^rd-party PAD certifications making ZoOm even more effective and easier to use. We create value in the delta between security and usability, with our goal being strong, frictionless authentication. We will be making quite a few major announcements throughout 2019.

Yoti

FindBiometrics: What was your company’s biggest accomplishment in 2018?

2018 has been a great year for Yoti so it’s hard to name just one accomplishment. We’ve had some great partner announcements this year including:

• being selected as Jersey’s digital ID provider
• partnering with digital checkout leaders NCR to make proving age at self checkouts a faster, more streamlined experience
• working with the Improvement Service in Scotland to help transform digital services for citizens
• working with Heathrow Airport to trial biometric travel for passengers  

FindBiometrics: What is the greatest opportunity facing the biometrics industry?

Giving individuals more choice and control about how they can use their biometrics.

Many people already use their fingerprint or face to unlock their phone, but individuals will soon be able to use their biometrics for other everyday tasks – like proving their age when buying age restricted goods or to access adult content online.

The key thing is for individuals to always consent to use their biometrics, and choose to use them.

FindBiometrics: What does your company have in store for 2019?

Our groundbreaking AI age estimation tool, Yoti Age Scan, will soon grace the self checkouts at one of the world’s largest retailers. Shoppers will be able to prove their age using their face or the Yoti app, and breeze through the self checkout in seconds.

We’re also en route to facilitating seamless travel at Heathrow Airport, and we’ll be progressing trials with them next year.

Cognitec

FindBiometrics: What was your company’s biggest accomplishment in 2018?

In June, Cognitec concluded extensive research and development efforts to greatly advance the accuracy and speed of its face matching algorithm. The high-performance algorithm B11 was integrated into the FaceVACS Engine 9.3 and the complete Cognitec product line.

After concluding highly promising internal tests, Cognitec participated in the 2018 NIST Ongoing Face Recognition Vendor Tests.

We are proud to report remarkable leaderboard positions in the FRVT 1:1, ahead of all face recognition companies with well-established market presence and products. The November 2018 results, comparing 100 algorithms from 57 developers, show Cognitec’s high performance for accuracy tests with VISA photos.

FindBiometrics: What is the greatest opportunity facing the biometrics industry?

The industry is facing more scrutiny than ever, and therefore has an opportunity to counter the enquiries and allegations by better educating governments, enterprises and the general public about the best use cases and practices for biometric technology.

The more transparent we can make the processes for handling and storing biometric data, the more trust people will gain in their use. The public should take part in the decision processes that determine where biometric technologies are used and can truly benefit our lives.

FindBiometrics: What does your company have in store for 2019?

Cognitec continually focuses on algorithm research and development to maintain a position among the leading vendors in the face recognition industry.

Our product development is responding to ever increasing demands for face recognition technologies in airports and for border control. If the seamless journey concept spreads to airports worldwide, stakeholders will look for experienced companies and face matching software with low error rates.

Cognitec’s video screening and analysis product is now available as an all-inclusive, managed system, and we will continue to optimize this solution and its attached service plan to serve casinos, stadiums, restaurants and smart cities with a truly valuable technology for both security and business intelligence applications.

FacePhi

FindBiometrics: What was your company’s biggest accomplishment in 2018?

FacePhi closed the year with more than 30 banks using the technology, more than 500M of authentications and more than 6M of users getting access to their private areas with biometrics which makes us leaders in the banking sector.

FindBiometrics: What is the greatest opportunity facing the biometrics industry?

The chance to create a perfect solution for any kind of user that can be used in different environments and scenarios to make their life easier paying attention in, which really matters.

FindBiometrics: What does your company have in store for 2019?

We will continue expanding the use of biometrics and make it common in the user’s life and positioning inPhinite as a leader authentication platform in the financial sector.

Typing DNA

FindBiometrics: What was your company’s biggest accomplishment in 2018?

In 2018, we have managed to deploy our solutions with valuable customers and partners, especially in the financial environment. We have further developed our product line to process typing behavior in more environments, including mobile devices. Moreover, we have developed strong partnerships in the IAM space (e.g. Optimal IdM) which we are looking to grow in the coming year.

FindBiometrics: What is the greatest opportunity facing the biometrics industry?

Traditional knowledge-based systems are overwhelmed by attackers, underlining the need for biometrics. As the focus on user experience continues to drive businesses and the market becomes increasingly aware of behavioral biometrics, we believe more companies will opt for such solutions. At the same time, the advances in technology have a significant impact on accuracy and ease of deployment, reducing the entry barriers. Regulators will also play a key role by mandating 2FA (e.g. PSD2) and risk-based approaches to authentication in some key verticals, further increasing adoption.

FindBiometrics: What does your company have in store for 2019?

TypingDNA will expand its operations globally with new offices coming up for 2019. We will continue to focus on the financial and enterprise sectors as well as to improve the technology, to support new partnerships and to increase awareness of passive online fraud prevention driven by behavioral biometrics.

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Stay posted to FindBiometrics for more industry perspectives as we close out the 2018 Year in Review.