Biometric Beginning:
We can remember a time when biometric authentication was a pipedream. The ability to physically examine an individual’s characteristics (once initially enrolled) to ensure it was indeed that person seeking to access systems or physical locations was something in the future or appearing in James Bond films. That has changed dramatically since nearly everyone began walking around with a device that could perform biometric scanning and report the results back to the system or location the person is attempting to access.
In fact, the lack of this technology is what put us all in the password vortex that has given rise to hackers, stolen identities and confounded people’s memories since the dawn of internet-based services that required authentication. Now, we are in a new world of a more precise technology that is very difficult to fool. Companies should be moving to implement it.
Online Authentication Statistics:
Over half of Americans think biometric technology is either “Very Secure” or “Extremely Secure,” according to a recent study by Atlanta-based authentication specialist IDology. The study polled a little over a thousand U.S. adults and found that 54 percent were enthusiastic about biometric security, which came out ahead of knowledge-based questions (45 percent) and one-time passwords (44 percent).
Given that biometrics are often faster and easier to use for authentication than passwords, that suggests there’s a real opportunity for companies doing business (online in particular) to take advantage of this technology to attract more customers.
In fact, with IDology’s study finding that customers hold companies responsible for protecting their personal information – 67 percent ‘strongly agreed’ with that sentiment, while only 59 percent ‘strongly agreed’ that protecting personal information was their own responsibility.
Remarkably, the study found that only 40 percent of consumers who had fallen victim to a data breach bothered to change their online account passwords.
With biometric authentication, that will not be an issue, and with consumers already looking favorably upon companies that embrace such technology, it is an opportunity for those companies to help consumers help themselves.
Superior Technology has experience in biometric technology. We have developed biometric authentication integrations for several companies. Most recently, we have worked with Schedule-Cloud, a cloud-based labor management application for the hospitality industry.
To learn more about how biometrics can help your business, contact us today at (845) 735-3555 or visit our website at www.superiortechnology.com
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