Fingerprint being read with biometrics

The Rise of Biometric Security

Biometric security is playing an increasingly important role in corporate and consumer security programmes. Encompassing a variety of methods for ensuring identity based on specific traits, such as fingerprinting, voice and iris structure recognition, ongoing technological advances have improved ease of use and accuracy, ensuring that the biometrics market is on a sharp growth curve. The next generation biometrics market is expected to reach £16.7 billion in 2020.

Governments around the world are driving demand for biometric security for integrated border management systems. In the commercial sector, the main drivers include the growth in identity theft and cyberattacks; as well as new regulations around the protection of personal identification information. An additional key driver is the increased use of mobile phones using near-field communications to enable information sharing, payment and ticketing capabilities.

Key applications of biometrics include:

  • Physical Access: access to facilities and secure areas, including monitoring of time and attendance
  • Cyber Access: access to computer and mobile systems, networks and accounts
  • Surveillance and Monitoring: including time, attendance and watch lists
  • Identity Services: including background checks, enrollment and issuing documents

 

What are the advantages?
There are several advantages of using biometric security over identification cards or PINs:

  • Improved security: the individual accessing secure areas or information is not just an individual holding the proper credentials, but is in fact the person who has been granted access
  • Hard to fake: the personal information collected is unique, is extremely difficult to counterfeit and rarely changes over time. Log-ins can be linked directly to a specific action, meaning that if there is a security breach from within the organisation, the person who is responsible can rapidly be identified
  • Increased convenience: no need to remember codes, passwords or tokens

 

What are the disadvantages?
The biggest drawbacks of biometrics include:

  • High startup costs: getting the infrastructure in place to make use of biometric security, and integrating into security programmes
  • Privacy concerns: the perception that collecting unique personal data is intrusive. User acceptance and resistance may be an issue
  • Costs incurred in digitally recording and storing of all biometric data, as well as planning the security around this data
  • Risk of hacking of the servers of storing biometric information
  • Tailgating

Biometrics and Fastlane Products

To anticipate the growth of the use of biometrics to facilitate physical access, IDL has been working alongside a number of the best biometric systems developers to ensure we can offer a complete integrated package, helping to counteract key disadvantages of biometric security.

The Dual Barrier Lane
IDL’s Fastlane Dual Barrier Lane allows these biometric security features to be integrated into one product to provide the most up-to-date, efficient and secure entrance control system for environments requiring high-level security. These sectors include border controls, data centres, police and prison facilities. This entrance control facilitates biometric technology, integrated boarding pass and passport readers, and facial recognition technology.

This is the first Fastlane product to feature a dual gate interlocking barrier operation along with the features that our customers expect from all our products including reliability, ease of customer use, elimination of false alarms and effective security. The two glass barriers work together to create a mantrap to ensure only authorised users can pass through, and customers can choose from varied door height options. The locking brakes add extra security, safely containing users in the middle before releasing the second set of barrier doors.

Door Detective
IDL has also developed the Door Detective product to counter a key disadvantage of biometric security, namely tailgating. A biometric system does not protect the area from unauthorised entry through the door after an authorised user has used it and passed through. Door Detective solves the problem of controlling how many people pass through a doorway, and in which direction, once an authorised fingerprint, facial image or iris has been scanned. This ensures that investment in biometric security programmes is maximised by raising the security level of any door it is used on.

To learn more about how our products can help with your security requirements, get in touch with our team today on +44 (0)2088905550 or email info@fastlane-turnstiles.com

With thanks to:
https://www.newswire.com/press-release/next-generation-biometrics-market-expected-to-hit-24-448-84
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/biometric-technologies.asp