Why Biometric Authentication Is the Future of Sustainable Security

We’re entering an era of continual and rapid evolution, where multiple tech trends converge and intertwine to deliver significant changes with profound benefits. In the words of Gerd Leonhard, a futurist expert, the pace of change is mindboggling. For businesses, this means the days of incremental tech upgrades are short lived, delivering lower advantages over time.  A paradigm change is the appropriate way of the future.

In the physical access control realm, AI (Artificial Intelligence) based identity solutions and touchless biometrics is fast gaining demand and adoption. The advent of AI and the steep innovation and improvement over the recent years will further accelerate and push the adoption curve towards a new behavior and trust for touchless biometrics for access and identity management. The recent launched of AI pin by Humane is a good example of how AI can be a force for good in bringing new change and redefining what we currently understand of making smart connection.   

According to a report by market research provider Transparency Market Research, biometrics technology usage is increasing, with global demand valuing at $37.3 billion in 2022, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 18.6% and is projected to reach $166.7 billion by 2031.

Come 2024 and beyond, this wave of transition will only get stronger and more pervasive as AI technology gets deeper traction, with greater security protocols in place, easier to deploy and scale, coupled with the convenience people come to expect for a truly seamless and frictionless user experience.

The requirement for other latter technologies i.e. hard credentials or digital cards will get softer by each year as ESG initiatives and governance comes center stage for every enterprise – be it at local or governmental level.

This is driven by the fact that biometrics are not only more difficult to breach but is virtually perpetual in nature requiring little to no credentialing after support – other than enrollment on the initial basis (as biometrics are immutable - doesn’t alter much over the years) unlike other systems that require constant credentialing effort due to loss of cards or a change of smart devices – thus adding carbon footprint in that process.

This will also aid in lowering building expenditure cost to operators and end users alike as biometric templates are widely recyclable in nature – requiring no running fees unlike hard tokens like cards and digital ID, many which runs on yearly subscription charge. When a user leaves the premise, that template can be deleted, releasing it to be used/recycle for another new employee.    

Moreover, some technologies require the credential to be stored in their personal smartphone, thus invoking concerns around privacy – where people would like to keep their personal lives from work separately and eliminate being track continuously.

Furthermore, as touchless systems become more accurate, and ultra convenient through the usage of better and more advance AI algorithms and encryption, this will not only help tip the scale to a fully touchless hands-free environment but inadvertently move the needle of modality from a multimodal environment to a unimodal state. 

As convenience, fairness and accuracy takes center stage, touchless unimodal authentication like facial recognition or fingerprint technology will make up the vast majority of authentication modality. It is hard to beat the convenience of not bringing anything but yourself (something that you are) instead of having to hold or wear something (something that you have or carry).     

This is in line with human behavioral mechanics where people are simply more geared towards doing simpler or lesser gesture in attaining the same outcome. Take for instance of making a phone call, one with the early 1900’s rotary dial gesture versus the late 1960’s push-button gesture. Even despite saving only a few seconds in the process, convenience and speed was the driver that brought about the demise of the rotary dial phones.

Lastly, as modern security gets more demanding due to the complexity of crimes and the sheer size of a modern buildings, the need for assisted intelligence via video analytics and/or robotics will gain more importance and acceptance. Identification of threats either by abnormal incidents or by people via intelligent and ethical AI software-based access control software is making facilities around the world safer, intelligent, seamless and friendlier to the occupants of such buildings.

Access control applications like opening of turnstiles or granting access to doors or elevator floors via the same existing building cameras is being practice now, providing a lesser intrusive experience to the occupants and a lesser access reader footprint. Because of the incorporation of software-based access control technology into such facilities, building management can undertake seamless and conclusive post event analysis and investigation, allowing individuals to be quickly identified, searched and associated to crimes that has taken place for evidence building and submission.

In addition, access control logs within the building allow the management to mine the data in real time to provide insightful information like building occupancy rate for workplace optimization, effective man guard deployment and even provisioning of bespoke concierge services to tenants - improving the service level and user experience of such facilities.    

In summation, touchless biometric authentication is quickly becoming the new standard for increased security and convenience in the digital world. Just look at how you unlock your phone…its trusted, secured and convenient.  There’s no denying the pandemic aftermath and the rise of AI has given rise to new solutions and forever altered the way we do things. Supply chains worldwide is future proofing on resilience instead of lean and the same is for touchless biometrics authentication.