Passwords are vulnerable because people tend to forget them, share them or write them down to remember. They are easy to decode and people often use personal information in the passwords, making it even easier to break them if the attacker has any knowledge of the person. Resetting passwords also takes up valuable IT time.
Global research firm MarketsandMarkets recently released a study of the biometrics marketplace that projects a heavy growth rate of 21,6% between 2010 and 2015 which would result in a marketplace worth over $11-billion.
At present, fingerprint recognition technology dominates the market and will have the largest share of the marketplace in 2015, with a 19% growth rate. Increasing security requirements for public security, such as border control management, national identity, e-passports, internet and network access and financial transactions are acting as growth driver for the industry.
“In the banking and financial services sector particularly, there is a move to replace passwords with biometric authentication solutions, as these provide for the robust identity management of users while preventing fraud,” says Nick Perkins, divisional director, identity management solutions, Bytes Systems Integration, the exclusive distributor in Africa and the Middle East for global authentication solutions company, Lumidigm.
“Biometric authentication solutions offer greater security and convenience. Your fingerprint is always with you and cannot be forgotten, and the physical presence of the individual is required to verify identity.
“A biometric is a more ‘stable’ form of identification as it does not often change materially over the years. For example, the unique pattern in the human iris is formed by the age of 10 months, and remains unchanged for life.”
Fingerprint recognition is the most proven and tested of the biometrics modalities, and it’s also affordable as there are many entry-level devices for more simple applications. Added to that, large fingerprint databases already exist, making comparison easily possible. User acceptance is also a factor, and most people consider having their fingerprint taken to be a non-invasive process.
Perkins says the burgeoning uptake of fingerprint-based biometric identity and access management has prompted Bytes Systems Integration to partner with Realtime and offer Biolock, which is the only biometric identity and access management software certified by SAP.
He explains how the solution works: “Advanced fingerprint sensors are built into Key Source International keyboards, along with integrated smart card readers. The biometric templates are collected at the keyboard and can be used in conjunction with a smart card.
“The templates are processed by Biolock software, which is designed for use with SAP and assures robust identity management of users gaining access to SAP while preventing fraud. It helps manage the identities of SAP users from a biometric perspective and prevents insider fraud in areas such as inventory shrinkage, payroll time and attendance, point-of-sale, financial fraud or data loss.
“Integrating biometrics into an organisation’s infrastructure and processes is about enhancing the user experience, securing the desktop and meeting security requirements and regulations in one solution,” Perkins says.
