All Your Burning Biometrics Questions, Answered

Phew. We know, there are a lot of exciting new words in this blog post title, and it might seem a little daunting at first. Don’t worry! We’re going to break them down for you one-by-one like a sabater tech page so that you can understand everything that’s going on here.

1. What is a Biometric?

If you’re not familiar, a biometric is a fancy name for something that can uniquely identify someone. For example, your fingerprints are a biometric trait. So are your retina and iris patterns—and we use these to identify you in our biometric identity platform .

2. What are some other examples of Biometrics?

There are many different kinds of biometrics that you could use in your application or business. Here are just a few to illustrate the possibilities:

· Fingerprints:

These are probably the most familiar biometric that we use everyday. Many people might use them to unlock their phones, cars, or office spaces.

· Signature:

You could use signatures or writing style to verify identity. For example, you might be able to have a note signed by someone’s doctor as proof of their approval for surgery.

· Retina/Iris:

These are patterns in your eye that you can use to identify someone—like passwords.

· Speech:

You could use a person’s voice to verify that they are who they say they are. For example, you could call your bank and ask them to verify your identity by asking you to state your name—and then use that information to see if it matches with their records.

3. What do all these have in common?

What all of these biometrics have in common is that each one is unique and only associated with one particular person. Therefore, if someone stole the fingerprint of my smartphone, the thief couldn’t use my fingerprints to unlock it. This is why biometrics offer such a powerful way of verifying identity for security purposes.

4. What are the Best Applications of Biometrics?

One of the great things about biometrics is that they can be used in so many different ways. We create identity solutions specifically for these types of applications, and each one comes with a host of benefits:

· Identity verification:

Simply put, this would be verifying who you are and ensuring that your identity information matches with that fact. The most common application of this type is to allow someone access to secure areas. For example, you might have to have your photo taken before entering a company building or getting on an airplane.

· Identity protection:

This is the ability to ensure that your personal information is not stolen or misused. For example, you could have a password which when entered correctly would allow you to review medical records, but if it’s incorrect it would deny access and protect you from someone gaining access to those records.

· Identity management:

This is about managing your identity over time. For example, you might use a photo biometrics system to confirm your identity when you first join a company and then use retinal scans when customers need to verify someone’s identity before issuing them a loan or providing them with financial support.

5. What are the Advantages of Biometrics?

Biometrics can be very useful for your business or application in a number of different ways. Here are just a few:

1. Security :

Biometric traits are unique and therefore cannot be stolen, copied, or shared. This makes them almost impossible to hack, which is why they are so popular with companies that need to keep their customers’ or employees’ personal information safe. 

2. Time Savings :

Many biometrics can be used without having to touch anything or interact with any technology (such as when you’re using your voice).

6. What are the Disadvantages of Biometrics?

There are some disadvantages to using biometrics. These include:

1. Costs :

The initial costs can be high, such as when you’re setting up a system to verify employees or customers in an office building, but they can be significantly lower than other types of identity verification systems over time. For example, you could potentially use your fingerprints as a biometric for a password on your laptop and then use this same fingerprint to sign out of your account at work at the end of the week. As such, this can dramatically decrease the cost of identity protection.

2. Power :

Technically, biometrics require a power supply (like any other type of security system) so if you can’t provide this, like if there’s no power in the building you’re working in, an attacker might be able to bypass this and gain access without having to use additional techniques.

3. Not secure enough:

Although biometrics are very secure for most applications, there are some scenarios where these systems don’t offer enough protection. For example, in 2013 a thief was able to unlock an iPhone using stolen fingerprints from a woman’s handbag.

Summary:

Biometrics is a powerful technology that can be used to verify identity in a number of ways. For example, you could use your fingerprint to unlock your phone, and perhaps your voice to confirm a transaction at a bank. We create custom identity solutions for all types of businesses and systems including just about every type of biometric trait available. Interested? Schedule a meeting with one of our experts today!