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biometrics

Enhancing physical security at your business with biometric solutions

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

In the quest for a secure yet user-friendly access control system, businesses are increasingly turning to biometrics. These solutions utilise unique physical or behavioural attributes — such as fingerprints, facial features, or voice patterns — for identification and access control. Here’s why implementing them can improve your business’s security landscape…

Enhanced Security: Biometric characteristics are unique to individuals, making them extremely difficult to fake, steal, or guess, unlike conventional passwords or access cards. This makes biometric security systems a robust defence against unauthorised access, enhancing the overall security of your business.

Increased Convenience: Biometric solutions offer ease of use. Users no longer need to remember complex passwords or carry access cards. A simple fingerprint or facial scan suffices, making it more convenient for both employees and management.

Reduced Costs: Traditional access control systems can be costly to maintain, with expenses associated with replacing lost cards or resetting forgotten passwords. Biometric systems eliminate these issues, leading to significant savings in the long run.

Accountability and Audit Trails: Biometric solutions offer an added layer of accountability as they provide accurate logs of who accessed what and when. This can be particularly useful in investigating security breaches or incidents.

Scalability and Flexibility: Biometric systems are adaptable and scalable, allowing businesses to easily add or remove users. They can also be integrated with other systems, such as time and attendance tracking or visitor management, adding to their flexibility.

Employee Productivity: By providing a seamless and quick access process, biometric solutions can help improve employee productivity. Employees can focus on their work rather than dealing with access issues, and HR can avoid the administrative burden of managing access cards or passwords.

However… implementing biometric security systems requires careful consideration. Businesses must respect privacy laws and obtain informed consent from all individuals whose biometric data will be collected. Furthermore, biometric data must be securely stored and protected against potential cyber-attacks.

Biometric security solutions can significantly impact a business’s access control. They offer enhanced security, increased convenience, reduced costs, and improved productivity. With appropriate safeguards, biometric security solutions can be a valuable addition to a company’s security infrastructure, providing peace of mind for both the business and its stakeholders.

Are you considering biometric security solutions for your business? The Total Security Summit can help!

Image by Susanne Plank from Pixabay

Biometric hardware shipments on course to recover to pre-COVID levels

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Total worldwide biometric device shipments fell from 4.1 million in 2019 to 3.4 million in 2021 and recovered slightly to 3.6 million in 2022, with global trends impacting usage in banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sectors.

According to a new report by technology intelligence firm ABI Research, geopolitical and macroeconomic events, including the conflict in Ukraine, the shortage in semiconductor supply, and downturns in supply chains, have resulted in turbulent market dynamics over the last few years.

It asserts that with a CAGR of 11.3%, fingerprint recognition will expand from 1.7 million to 2.9 million shipments in 2022 and 2027 to claim the lion’s share of the biometric modalities market.

“However, due to simplicity and the expanding use of liveness detection, facial recognition biometrics will experience the fastest growth over the same period, with a CAGR of 11.9%.” says Sam Gazeley, Digital Payment Technologies Analyst at ABI Research. “In terms of biometric hardware technology shipment share, ID/Authentication will account for 64% of the BFSI market in 2023. This is partly because, aside from smartphone-centric biometric technologies, user registration and authentication are the key use cases for biometrics in the BFSI sector.”

“Exacerbated by the increasing integration of biometrics in mobile banking apps and with more customers turning to mobile banking apps, several BFSI businesses are including biometric authentication methods like fingerprint and facial recognition in their solutions. While this applies predominantly to the smartphone industry, the BFSI market’s growing use of biometrics will encourage the deployment of biometric hardware in branches.

“The customer experience as it relates to the client authentication processes is being streamlined by deploying biometrics such as fingerprint and facial recognition, which improves the entire experience with BFSI services and combating fraud by eliminating the need for passwords.”

However, it is also important to remember that branchless banking is growing in popularity and will limit the accessible market for biometric hardware providers as we enter the forecast period, particularly regarding neo and challenger banks.

Do you specialise in Biometrics? We want to hear from you!

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Each month on Security Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the security market – and in August we’ll be focussing on Biometrics.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help security buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Biometrics solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Clair Wyld on c.wyld@forumevents.co.uk.

Here’s our full features list:

Aug – Biometrics

Sep – IP/IT Security

Oct – CCTV

Nov – Loss Prevention Solutions

Dec – Drones

Do you specialise in biometric Security? We want to hear from you!

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Each month on Security Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the security market – and in August we’ll be focussing on Biometric solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help security buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Biometric solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Ian Jefferies on i.jefferies@forumevents.co.uk.

Here’s our full features list:

Aug – Biometrics
Sep – IP/IT Security
Oct – CCTV
Nov – Loss Prevention Solutions
Dec – Drones

Do you specialise in Biometric Security? We want to hear from you!

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Each month on Security Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the security market – and in August we’ll be focussing on Biometric Security.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help security buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Biometric Security solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Charlotte Doniger on c.doniger@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering in 2019, month by month:

August – Biometrics
September – IP/IT Security
October – CCTV
November – Loss Prevention Solutions
December – Drones 

For more information on any of the above, contact contact Charlotte Doniger on c.doniger@forumevents.co.uk.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Fujitsu expands PalmSecure biometric security offering

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Fujitsu has revealed a new, extended range of PalmSecure-based biometric security solutions that it claims ‘consigns passwords to history’.

Available immediately to customers in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, the expanded Fujitsu PalmSecure offering comprises four main elements: Fujitsu Biometric Authentication PalmSecure ID Engine; ID GateKeeper; ID LifePass; and ID Login V2 for access to client computing, physical access to buildings or data centres and to all kinds of applications via an Application Programming Interface (API). 

Fujitsu says the new offering enables customers to benefit from a broad range of password-free biometric authentication applications.

PalmSecure enables organisations to ‘step up to the highest level of biometric security’, while increasing convenience for users and avoiding costly service desk interactions to reset forgotten passwords. Integration capabilities allow customers to build ultra-secure biometric control into solutions for physical access to buildings and devices, as well as logical access to specific applications and services.

Based on a new central matching server, it enhances security by eliminating the need for multiple user enrolment across different locations, devices, applications or services. Integration with various kinds of applications and equipment is facilitated using an Application Programming Interface (API), extending biometric ID to use cases from data centre entry to user credentials for industrial machinery, to single sign-on (SSO).

The contactless PalmSecure authentication system uses biometric technology developed based on Fujitsu’s more than two decades of image recognition experience and incorporates technology from BioSec Group to authenticate users based on the unique pattern of their palm veins. Vein patterns are unique to individuals and contain detailed characteristics, allowing a template to be formed for each user.

Oliver Reyers, Head of Biometrics at Fujitsu in EMEIA, said: “Biometric ID and palm vein technology in particular are lifting IT security to a higher level. There’s no need to remember – or regularly change – complex passwords, and this makes it so much more convenient for users to access secure assets and applications. Fujitsu has applied the principle of simplicity to solution development and deployment. This has resulted in an expanded portfolio of biometric security solutions, which make it easier for organisations to implement biometric identification. Fujitsu’s PalmSecure biometric recognition algorithm delivers ultra-low false acceptance rates, while central enrolment processes ensure that users can’t bypass security simply by creating multiple IDs.”

Péter Györgydeák, CEO at Biosec, added: “Until now, biometric technologies have been the unsung hero for enterprises, despite their high levels of user acceptance, and the fact that it’s almost impossible to ‘lose’ your biometric ID – which means a dramatic reduction in helpdesk calls for password resets. By teaming up with Fujitsu, we have a joint opportunity to help biometrics reach their full potential in the workplace. The new expanded PalmSecure portfolio puts biometric ID within reach of just about any use case, and makes great financial sense for any organisation that’s serious about security.”

Image by NeiFo from Pixabay

Consumers wary of biometric security systems

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Over half of consumers (56 per cent) are worried that the shift to biometrics to authenticate online payments will dramatically increase the amount of identity fraud.

The research from Paysafe also revealed that 81 percent of consumers still favour passwords for making payments online due to concerns about the security of new biometric options.

The data also found that 66 percent of consumers worry about being able to pay for goods or services without being asked for a password, and only 37 percent believe that biometrics are more secure than other authentication methods.

Those consumers who didn’t feel comfortable using biometrics identified a lack of trust as their primary reason for avoiding them. The research also revealed further fears around the use of biometrics with 45 percent stating they did not want companies to have access to their personal biometric details, 35 percent din’t know enough about Biometrics to trust it, 31 percent were concerned that their fingerprints could be cloned and 28 percent said that they didn’t feel biometrics were safe.

Daniel Kornitzer, Chief Business Development Officer at Paysafe Group, said: “Biometrics are a huge opportunity for the payments industry to combat the increasing risk of card not present fraud. However, it’s not surprising that there is reluctance among consumers to use biometrics as a form of payment authentication when passwords and PINs have been the central pillar of financial data security for at least 20 years. 

“News headlines are also dominated with fraud and hacking scandals so the public are aware of the risks involved when it comes to adopting new services. To overcome this, consumer education is imperative and with SCA coming in September, consumers will need to be aware of the benefits to ensure acceptance and adoption. We’ve lived in a password-driven world for many years now and consumers aren’t fully prepared to let go of what they know.”

Despite the worries over biometric transactions, adoption continues to grow with more than half (54 percent) of British consumers having used biometrics to make a payment. Nearly two thirds (61 percent) of consumers also agree that using biometrics is a much quicker and efficient way of paying for goods and services.

When asked what biometrics they had used, fingerprint technology was most commonly used biometric (38 percent) and 17 percent having used facial recognition, along with 11 percent voice-activated technologies.

Kornitzer added: “Consumer acceptance of biometrics is being driven largely by smartphone usage and adoption, and this will only increase. However, payment providers will need to do their bit to get consumers on board. Ultimately, SCA should lead to smoother and more secure payments – a win for businesses and consumers alike.”

Image by ar130405 from Pixabay

Hertz using biometrics for car rental pickups

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

Car rental giant Hertz has launched Fast Lane powered by Clear – a new service that uses biometrics that it claims can get customers through the exit gate and on the road in 30 seconds or less, representing a time saving of at least 75 percent.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards loyalty members in the US who sign up for CLEAR and link their accounts will be able to verify their identity and rental reservation with a look or tap of their finger.

Fast Lane marks the first use of biometrics by a major rental car company, and the first time Clear’s identity platform is enabling members to verify their identity using their face instead of showing a physical ID.

Fast Lane is now available at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and will be rolled out to more than 40 additional Hertz locations in 2019, including airports such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

“We’re excited to introduce Hertz Fast Lane Powered by Clear to get Hertz customers through the exit gate without the wait and on the road faster,” said Hertz CEO Kathryn V. Marinello. “By teaming with CLEAR, Hertz gets a partner with an expanding footprint and proven track record to help us innovate the car rental process, improve the customer experience and bring meaningful benefits to busy travelers.

“This new innovation demonstrates our focus on enhancing the entire customer experience. In the last two years, we’ve upgraded our fleet with the cars people want to drive, launched our Ultimate Choice model in the U.S. enabling customers to choose their preferred vehicle with no wait, and improved site operations to deliver great service consistently.”