Biometrics refers to the collection, measurement, and analysis of biological, morphological, and behavioural markers that are unique to each individual. If you’ve stared awkwardly into a camera at customs after an international flight, you’ve experienced biometrics in action. If your smartphone unlocks when you look at it, then you’ve held biometric technology in your hands.
This rapidly growing field of technology is being applied in new ways every day, helping law enforcement identify suspects and even providing vital assistance in the fight against human trafficking. However, for most business owners, it is applied for the purposes of access control, physical security, and cybersecurity.
The beauty of fingerprint time clocks and biometric access systems is that they require no keys, fobs, passwords, or security tokens. In other words, there’s nothing that can be forgotten, lost, copied, or compromised. Biometric technology is often far more hygienic, and crucially, it allows for multi-factor authentication (MFA), which is the gold standard in strong security.
5 Key Facts About Biometric Technology
With the basics covered, let’s take a look at the five aspects of biometrics that are most relevant to business owners.
1. There are three broad biometric categories
If you’re looking at using biometric technology as part of an access system with multi-factor authentication, it’s important to understand the different biometric categories you can harness. With the right technology, you can create biological, morphological, and behavioural profiles through biometrics.
Morphological biometrics
The most common form of biometrics in the corporate world, morphological biometrics focuses on physical traits. Think facial recognition software and iris and fingerprint scanners.
Biological biometrics
Here, the technology also hones in on physical traits. However, the focus is on a molecular level. With its focus on DNA and blood and fluid samples, this form of biometrics is more common in law enforcement and medical settings.
Behavioural biometrics
From the way we talk to the way we walk, every human develops their own unique behavioural patterns. Even the way you type on a keyboard can be an indicator of your identity, particularly when combined with other biometric markers. Behavioural biometrics involves analysing speech patterns, movement patterns, and other behavioural markers to develop unique profiles for every person.
2. Biometric technology offers high-level security
Biometric technology is now so advanced that even identical twins can be differentiated by analysing the subtle differences between their biological, morphological, and behavioural biometrics.
Employees and authorised visitors don’t need keys – they are the keys. Once a profile has been made, your system will encrypt and securely store it, either in the device itself or on a remote server. The best biometric access control systems will allow you to determine not only who can access your premises but when, how, and where they can go.
Advanced biometrics can be used to keep sensitive data, documents, and assets safe. This is why the technology is being deployed in the most security-sensitive industries in the world, including banking, finance, and travel.
If you have an e-Passport, for example, that chip contains a digital record of your face and depending on your country of origin, it may also include your fingerprint and/or iris. It comes equipped with technology that ensures the chip cannot be read or skimmed by any unauthorized devices.
Businesses of all sizes get to benefit from the intense demands of these security-conscious industries as their needs push development.
3. Biometric technology differs greatly in quality
While you do stand to gain a greater level of security by installing fingerprint time clocks and other biometric technology, it’s crucial to understand that quality can differ enormously between brands.
The core factor to understand here is that a biometric is not an exact match of the thing it represents. Let’s take fingerprints, for example. When your fingerprint scanner reads an employee’s fingerprint, it’s not taking an exact copy. Rather, the fingerprint biometric that’s stored in the system will be a mathematical representation of the relative positions of select points on that fingerprint.
So, a fingerprint scanner that maps 20 or more points will offer far greater accuracy than one that only captures ten points. Lower-quality scanners that capture fewer points are far more prone to delivering false positives. At best, this may result in employees clocking in under the wrong profile. At worst, it may allow unauthorised people to gain access to your business.
4. There are some potential problems to be aware of
Sophisticated biometric scanners are surprisingly affordable nowadays. However, like all forms of technology, there are problems that can be exploited if you’re not careful. Facial recognition software is one area where developers are facing quite a lot of problems.
When testing these security systems, researchers have found it relatively easy to trick the software by using social media photos to create 3D models of a user’s face. Indeed, some smartphones have facial recognition software that can be fooled with just a photo alone – no 3D modelling required.
For this reason, the best security systems generally combine facial recognition with fingerprint scanning, voice recognition, and other biometrics. Using two-step or multi-step authentication is a great way to address the exploitable weaknesses of facial recognition technology.
Another notable concern with biometric technology is the fact that the database of sensitive data could become a target for hackers. This is a very real concern as those affected could be at risk of identity theft. This brings us back to point three – quality matters when it comes to biometric technology.
If an employee’s password is hacked, you can change it before any damage is done. However, the very nature of biometric data is that it remains the same over time. So, it’s crucial to work with a leading biometric technology provider that can offer a proven track record when it comes to security and effectiveness.
5. For every biometric problem, there is a solution
MFA is currently one of the best ways to address the problems that can arise with biometric access systems. If you’re installing a biometric security system, it’s worth going for one that comes with a multi-step authentication protocol, incorporating such things as iris scans, facial recognition, and fingerprints from not just one but all fingers.
Of course, this level of security simply isn’t needed in all businesses. If your main focus is on time and attendance, for example, an advanced fingerprint time clock may be the ideal technology to install. This can be particularly useful for businesses that operate in messy environments where employees often have dirt, grime, or sweat on their hands. The best fingerprint time clocks can read through all of the above. Indeed, FingerTex time clocks can even read through gloves, making them an excellent choice for clinics, hospitals, and healthcare facilities.
If you feel that biometrics may be the answer you need to your time and attendance or security concerns, feel free to contact Nexus Biometric today. Our team is always happy to cut through the tech talk and help business owners find the right biometric solution.
