How biometrics are changing the way we do business

This blog was written by guest contributor Simon Matthews

Make no mistake – biometric security is revolutionising how businesses protect customer data and improve transactional security.

By combining individual physical and behavioural characteristics to deliver unparalleled accuracy and convenience, it’s already become a key component in digital identity verification. 

One of the cornerstones of securely verifying an individual’s identity is multifactor authentication. Adding biometric facial recognition to existing password or smart card security, for example, greatly enhances security and this layered approach makes it exceedingly difficult for malicious actors to impersonate legitimate users.

What are biometrics?

So, what do we mean when we talk about biometrics? 

The term includes fingerprints, facial recognition, eye scans, voice recognition and more advanced behaviour indicators such as keystroke patterns. Biometrics fall under the “something you are” category within multifactor authentication but in case you’re not familiar with the three core authentication factors, they are as follows:

Something you know – E.g. passwords or PINs 

Something you have – E.g. cards, eID apps or key fobs 

Something you are – E.g. fingerprints, retinal scans

In essence, passwords and PIN numbers can be compromised, cards or key fobs can be stolen but it’s far harder to replicate an individual’s unique biological characteristics. So when implementing multifactor authentication, you should look to implement two or more factors of different types for maximum security.

A world of escalating threats

The growing number of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks is driving further adoption of biometrics as traditional security measures can often be compromised relatively easily, with data breaches and incidents of fraud increasing. 

As a result, many businesses now use biometrics as a central component of new, multi-layered security approaches. These added layers of protection counteract unauthorised access attempts and cases of identity theft more efficiently than traditional methods. 

Challenges and the future of biometrics

There’s no doubt that biometrics are changing how businesses and customers manage access but many are concerned about privacy, data breaches and also how best to support customers with limited access to modern devices. The technology will continue to evolve so it will be exciting to see how combining cutting-edge technology with robust security frameworks, more widespread eIDs and further digitalisation of society will impact how we go about our daily lives in coming years.