The importance of identification and authentication of individuals has grown manifold with rising terrorism and cybercrime. The rise of Internet of Things (IoT) will ensure an increasing number of connections, leading to billions of connected devices in the years ahead. In such a scenario, biometrics plays a crucial role, and its value is increasing day by day making it likely to emerge as the de-facto technology for identification and authentication that will soon replace passwords.
Every individual has unique biometric features that cannot be stolen or copied. Moreover, biometrics ensures the much needed mobility for a person in today’s world. With more devices being connected to IoT, biometrics acts as the perfect password and key to access control. With one or more biometric technologies such as fingerprint, vein, iris, face, voice, and retina identification and upcoming technologies, connected devices now have the most secure passwords. People do not have to carry smart cards or any other proof for identity, access control, or payment. Biometrics allows them to gain access to personal information or make payments anytime, anywhere. With the rise of mobile banking and mobile payments, the use of biometrics as a means of authentication has become crucial. Mobile phone manufacturers have started embedding fingerprint sensors into their smartphones and tablets. Facial biometrics is also being used to identify criminals and terrorists.
Biometrics in ATMs, POS, hospitals, education, and gaming are the key growth areas, and the market will primarily be driven by the need for enhanced security, safety, data protection, and fraud prevention. The deployment of facial recognition biometrics in public places for surveillance purposes increasingly seems to be a viable means for identifying terrorists and criminals without intruding into the privacy of individuals. Implementation of facial biometrics for machine-readable travel documents (MRDs) such as biometric passports and visas has resulted in a wider acceptance of facial recognition technologies.
Business efficiency, data security, and protection against identity thefts are the key factors driving the adoption of biometrics across industries. Focusing investment and development on next-generation biometric technologies and greater accuracy in applications will thus enable a spectrum of services going forward.
