• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Our Services
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Top Nav Social Icons

FindBiometrics

FindBiometrics

Global Identity Management

BioRugged banner
  • Biometrics
    • What are Biometrics?
    • FAQ
    • Biometric Associations
    • Companies
    • Premier Partners
  • News
    • Featured Articles
    • Interviews
    • Thought Leadership
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • Year in Review
  • Applications
    • Biometric Security
    • Border Control and Airport Biometrics
    • Consumer and Residential Biometrics
    • Financial Biometrics
    • Fingerprint & Biometric Locks
    • Healthcare Biometrics
    • Justice and Law Enforcement Biometrics
    • Logical Access Control Biometrics
    • Mobile Biometrics
    • Other Biometric Applications
    • Physical Access Control Biometrics
    • Biometric Time and Attendance
  • Solutions
    • Behavioral Biometrics
    • Biometric Sensors and Detectors
    • Facial Recognition
    • Biometric Fingerprint Readers
    • Hand Readers & Finger Scanners
    • Iris Recognition
    • Biometric Middleware and Software
    • Multimodal Biometrics
    • Physiological Biometrics
    • Smart Cards
    • Vein Recognition
    • Voice and Speech Recognition
  • Stocks
  • Events
  • Directory
  • Podcasts

Microsoft Azure Reaches Decentralized ID Milestone in Collaboration With Biometrics Leaders

April 6, 2021

Microsoft Azure Reaches Decentralized ID Milestone in Collaboration With Biometrics Leaders

Microsoft has opened the doors of its Azure AD identity and access management service to third party authentication specialists, in a move that could lead to significantly improved cybersecurity for end users. An immediate result, in any case, is that a handful of leading biometric solutions are now compatible with Azure AD.

In a blog post, the Microsoft Identity Division VP of Program Management, Alex Simons, announced that the company’s Azure AD Verifiable Credentials program has officially gone into public preview, with Principal Program Manager Ankur Patel delving into the details of the program. Essentially, Azure AD Verifiable Credentials is aimed at enabling Azure AD clients to design and issue their own verifiable credentials for end users, with each credential signed using cryptographic keys.

Importantly, each credential is attached to Decentralized Identifiers, or DID, that end users own and control. This is informed by a broader effort to promote the concept of decentralized identity, in which the end user is empowered with proof of identity that is not issued or controlled by some other entity.

Standards are crucial to this framework because only a standards-based approach can ensure that a user’s verifiable credentials are interoperable across a range of different applications. To that end, Patel notes that the Decentralized Identifiers open standard is “very close to joining Verifiable Credentials (VC) as a ratified standard”; hence the launch of Azure AD Verifiable Credentials into public preview.

Some of the biggest names in biometric authentication are on board for the launch: Acuant, AU10TIX, IDEMIA, Jumio, Onfido, Socure, and Vu. All of these companies offer biometric identity solutions that are compatible with Azure AD Verifiable Credentials, meaning that end users will be able to use any of them to establish a digital ID that can ultimately be used for identity verification with a range of organizations, without the need to share sensitive personal data.

Notably, all of the aforementioned partners offer selfie-based biometric identity verification solutions that match end users’ faces to their government-issued identity documents. Their partnerships with Microsoft and its Azure AD Verifiable Credentials program effectively make selfie biometrics the de facto standard for digital identity across the Azure AD ecosystem, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing ascent of selfie biometrics as an increasingly popular means of identity verification.

For their part, executives with Microsoft’s partners in this effort expressed enthusiasm for the project across the board.

“Putting people in control of their own identity will help transform the way global employees, customers, and businesses access remote services,” explained Onfido Partnerships & Alliances VP Rick Hofmann. “Being able to verify a person’s identity once at onboarding, and then reuse those credentials to access many different services from different providers without collecting and storing personal data is a game-changer. Individuals get more control over what information they share, and businesses can provide a more seamless onboarding experience.”

Socure CEO and founder Johnny Ayers, meanwhile, affirmed that “Microsoft Azure Active Directory verifiable credentials marks a major milestone toward safely verifying and onboarding new employees.” And Jumio CEO Robert Prigge said that the collaborative effort would enable “modern enterprises to add a critical layer of trust with decentralized and reusable digital identity.”

On the other side of the table, a few prominent organizations have already signed on to take advantage of the Azure AD Verifiable Credentials solution. According to Microsoft, Britain’s National Health Service is using it for employee identification between organizations, and Tokyo’s Keio University plans to use it for student ID. It’s even going to be used for citizen ID by the Government of Flanders.

In addition to its collaborative efforts with leading biometrics specialists, Microsoft developed the Azure AD Verifiable Credentials solution with the help of the Decentralized Identity Foundation, the Open ID Foundation, and W3C. Now that the foundation of the solution is in place, Ankur Patel says that the next stop will be to “continue to enrich credentials with implementations that enable additional privacy preserving features and increase our interoperability with solutions from other members of the Decentralized Identity and Verifiable Credentials community.”

“Let’s build a more trustworthy internet together,” Patel wrote.

–

April 6, 2021 – by Alex Perala

Related News

  • Jumio Adds iProov’s Liveness Detection to KYX Onboarding SolutionJumio Adds iProov’s Liveness Detection to KYX Onboarding Solution
  • Jumio Details Accuracy of Biometric Solution in Bofin Case StudyJumio Details Accuracy of Biometric Solution in Bofin Case Study
  • AU10TIX Provides Biometric Onboarding Tech for Challenger Bank in MexicoAU10TIX Provides Biometric Onboarding Tech for Challenger Bank in Mexico
  • INTERVIEW: Onfido CEO Mike Tuchen on COVID-19, AI Bias, and MoreINTERVIEW: Onfido CEO Mike Tuchen on COVID-19, AI Bias, and More
  • Onfido Provides Biometric Onboarding for FundOf Content Creation PlatformOnfido Provides Biometric Onboarding for FundOf Content Creation Platform
  • Onfido Brings Selfie Biometrics to Salesforce AppExchangeOnfido Brings Selfie Biometrics to Salesforce AppExchange

Filed Under: Features, News Tagged With: Acuant, AU10TIX, Azure AD, Azure AD Verifiable Credentials, Biometric, biometrics, decentralized identity, facial recognition, IDEMIA, Jumio, Microsoft, Onfido, selfie authentication, selfie biometrics, Socure

Primary Sidebar

Register For Our Upcoming Event:

Aware Visitor Management

Sponsored Links

AU10TIX, an identity management company headquartered in Israel, provides critical, modular solutions to link physical and digital identities so that companies and their customers can confidently connect.

CMITech is a leading provider of high performance, cost effective iris recognition systems. The company is setting the industry standard for advanced user interfaces that are fast, intuitive and effortless. Serving enrollment and authentication solutions of all sizes, CMITech systems include binoculars-type, wall mount, desktop, and kiosk-type product configurations.

Onfido is building the new identity standard for the internet.Our AI-based technology assesses whether a user’s government-issued ID is genuine or fraudulent, and then compares it against their facial biometrics. That’s how we give companies like Revolut, Zipcar and Bitstamp the assurance they need to onboard customers remotely and securely. Our mission is to create a more open world, where identity is the key to access.. For more information, please visit
www.onfido.com
TECH5 is an international technology company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with branches in the US, Europe and Asia, dedicated to the design, development, and distribution of biometrics-driven Identity Management solutions. Target markets include Government and Private sectors with products powering Civil ID, Digital ID, eKYC, Digital Onboarding, Visitor Management and others. Learn more:
www.tech5.ai
ThreatMark brings trust to the digital world by providing cutting-edge fraud prevention solutions. Major banks use ThreatMark's AI-powered technology and behavioral biometrics to build secured banking experience to precisely verify their legitimate users, seamlessly across all digital channels. All while securing the users' most precious assets and keeping the fraudsters away. Learn more:
www.threatmark.com/
Thales digital ID
MobileIDWorld

Mobile ID World is here to bring you the latest in mobile authentication solutions and application providers. Our company is dedicated to providing users with the best content and cutting edge information on technology, news, and mobile solutions for your mobile identity management needs.

Thales digital ID

Recent Posts

  • Corporate Moves and Face Biometrics: This Week’s Top Stories
  • KONA I Receives Mastercard Letter of Approval for Payment Card Featuring Precise Biometrics
  • BONAFiDEE Upgrades Identity Verification Solution With Active Liveness Detection
  • Vision-Box Extends Biometric Screening Contract With Sint Maarten Airport
  • Keyless Rides New Partnerships to Another $3 Million in Seed Funding

Biometric Associations

IBIA and fido
NEC IDelight

Tweets

Footer

  • About Us
  • Company Directory
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Archives

Follow Us

Copyright © 2021 FindBiometrics