The Importance of Biometric Authentication

The use of biometric authentication has become a very important part of intellectual property security. From government agencies to large private organizations, everyone uses biometric security systems these days. Protecting sensitive data is the prime goal of most of the large organizations. They need to make access to proprietary information limited. The biometric system has its benefits which make the system safer than any other one. Passwords can be stolen, but faking biometric security is next to impossible.

The use
The use of a biometric system is rather simple. The mechanism is most certainly very advanced and sophisticated. The biometric system, in simple terms, is using physical attributes to get an access approval. That means, when an authenticated person places his or her fingerprint on the biometric scanner, the associated software reads the data and takes required actions. The biometric security is safe because it’s hard to break and only the people with clearance can get access. The system is used by even military organizations for protecting classified data safely.

The use of identity verification is nothing new. Passwords and keycards have been used for decades as verification tools. However, they aren’t as safe as biometric security systems. Biometric systems generally come with two different sections. The hardware section is for the input from users. There is a software section which works with the hardware. The job of the software is to read every input and scan it to match with the database. Once they find a certain fingerprint matching with one in the database, the software sends a signal to the hardware. Depending on the signal, the hardware then approves the access of the user.

When the hardware and software are installed for the first time, they require proper configuration. Certain protected areas of different organizations allow only a few people to enter there. This is why the biometric security systems are used on the entrance of the area. When it’s first installed, the users with clearances must input their fingerprints. Once it’s done for the first time, the software creates a database. From the next use, the software matches each and every input with the database. The approval or the disapproval of the access request depends on the result. In case the fingerprint doesn’t match with any on the database, a security alert is generated.

More advanced options
It has been quite some time since the first use of biometric authentication. The systems have advanced since then, and today they are more secured. These days, most of the large organizations use multi-factor authentication. Every user can have three kind of authentication, which are information, key, and physical identity. The system can be accessed only by having at least two of these three authentications. This makes the multi factor authentication more powerful as a security system and it protects an area more effectively.

About The Author

Benson Hedge is a pioneer in the field of biometric identity management and runs his own organization manufacturing security systems relating to this technology. He also likes to spread awareness about the many aspects related to the industry through the many informative articles he writes.