January 26, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
This week, as part of the 11th annual findBIOMETRICS Year in Review, we took a look at the big biometric opportunities of 2014. In the second part of the industry analysis, we asked our large panel of experts what three opportunities they found most exciting as time marches on into a year projected to be huge for strong authentication. We also continued to put the spotlight on the mini-interviews with review participants to give an up close and personal perspective on the post-password landscape. This week we showcased answers from representatives of Green Bit Biometric Systems, Cognitec Systems, EyeVerify and NEC Corporation of America, who also announced this week that it has received a Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award.
Fingerprint Cards AB, who had a publicly exceptional 2013, particularly in the second half, following rumors (eventually proven to be true) of Apple’s Touch ID. An innovative new touch sensor, embedded fingerprint authentication of smart cards and an impressive number of launches on Asian smartphones (with the promise of more to come). findBIOMETRICS president Peter O’Neill had a chance to interview FPC chairman of the board Urban Fagerstedt about all of this and more, including why the company has thrown its weight behind touch sensors.
This news so far has all been in support of the mainstreaming of consumer biometrics, and as regular readers will know, consumer adoption hinges on convenience. A major security problem as of late has been the ability to use single-sign-on services through social networks like Facebook. In the name of convenience, many users are encouraged to create online accounts by signing in through their profile, effectively eliminating the need for additional login credentials, protecting everything – potentially including financial information – with a single password.
AuthenWare has recently been awarded for its strong authentication solution for this exactly problem. Cool ID is a social network style portal that allows for single-sign-on protected by behavioral biometrics including keystroke recognition. The idea already fits the profile of secure and extra convenient for end users, so gaining recognition at the Financial Services and Technology Summit is a good sign that this is the kind of technology the consumer market has been waiting for.
Of course, despite the ever-loudening hype around consumer markets, it is important to remember that strong authentication stretches across a long list of vertical markets, like law enforcement. In this matter, Green Bit Systems announced this week that it’s comprehensive Palm-Livescan solution, the MultiScan527 has become the first technology of its kind to achieve the FBI’s Appendix P certification.
Finally, taking a look at adoption in business sectors, we see another attack on the obstacles of adoption. FotoPunch announced this week that, in order to break down the common barrier of cost for time tracking in small businesses, it will be taking the service route that is quickly becoming popular all over the technology world as a whole. Using the SaaS model FotoPunch is aiming to help businesses manage employees, avoid time theft and encourage healthy BYOD policies.
Stay posted to findBIOMETRICS this coming week, as we finish our Year in Review 2013 coverage and promise more interviews, industry news and in depth analysis.
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