March 2, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
This past week, findBIOMETRICS spoke with Alexey Khitrov, president of voice biometrics company Speechpro. The discussion turned to how biometrics are a disruptive idea in a world so dependent on the ancient password and PIN system. Speechpro’s VoiceKey.OnePass is an example of the company’s purposefully disruptive stance in the security markets, leveraging mobility and online connectivity to make authentication by voice easy and authentic.
Mobility is key in disruption within the verticals currently experiencing a shift in market landscape thanks to the mainstreaming of biometric authentication technologies. The automated border control eGate and kiosks market, for instance – which is set for major growth over the next four to six years (especially in Europe) – has room for a mobile revolution of its own according to Acuity Market Research Principal C. Maxine Most. The idea of bringing mobile strong authentication to the border crossing and immigration process is intriguing, and stands to change the air travel experience especially.
A disruptive technology needs to have a way of gaining traction in business and consumer markets alike, and for biometrics and identity management that traction comes from the promise of greatly increased efficiency with greatly bolstered security.
Palm vein biometrics are bringing both of these aspects to the time poor health care industry. This week at the HIMSS conference, the secure vascular modality made a big splash with a major presence on the exhibition floor. Two separate partnerships, minted on Monday, signaled a motion to the unspoofable in patient management, with palm vein biometrics positioning themselves as a major contender in the realm of protecting electronic health records (EHR).
Biometrics in healthcare have a wide rage applications that go beyond protecting documents and managing patients, they are also used in the diagnostic and monitoring processes. BlackBox Biometrics is taking the concept of wearable vital biometrics, known most widely to the public in the form of fitness technology, and bringing it to the literal battlefield of brain trauma. The company’s Blast Gauge System allows for medics and commanding officers know if a soldier has suffered the effects of a concussive blast, attempting to detect signs of traumatic brain injury before they become a mortal and tactical liability.
Efficiency can also come in the ability to better manage large populations in areas requiring access control solutions, both physically and logically. This past week, 3M Cogent’s biometric technology was selected by Entrust as a supporting modality to its robust logical access control solution: IdentityGuard. The company’s fingerprint sensors are ideal for logical access thanks to the fact that they are FBI certified (making them ideal for law enforcement situations where speed and accuracy saves lives). It gives enterprises and agencies the peace of mind that 3M Cogent’s biometrics a well suited for protecting the most secure data out there.
On the physical side, SRI International announced that it will be protecting a Carribean data center with what is arguably among the most efficient solutions available for the purpose. The organizations’ Iris on the Move (IOM) N-Glance system, which in addition to benefiting from being contactless and preventing the spread of germs, is also a speedy and secure way to protect the space where critical data is physically being stored and transferred.
Of course, a roundup of the the week that was would be incomplete without mentioning the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The identity news out of MWC alone was staggering, with mobile payments being promised and the launch of Samsung’s new biometric flagship smartphone. Our sister site, Mobile ID World has the scoop on all of that and more.
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