Brief History of Biometrics

There has been a huge shift & transformation in the kind of authentication methods currently being used in the market internationally. From the old traditional method of using signatures, stamps, word of mouth or even signature knocks. Believe me, this is how people would verify themselves a while ago before technology evolved to what it is now. It deemed to not be so secure and could be easily replicated or faked by other individuals for whatever reason, especially for ulterior motives.

Then came the use of PINs and Passwords after electronic devices came up and evolved from the traditional outdated means of communication and verification. This method should be familiar to you since we have encountered it one way or the other. Be it by pressing special set of numbers at the ATM machine so as to withdraw some cash (PIN), or by typing a special set of characters so as to access your email account or any other online account(Password).

The rules for using the latter had to be tightened to avoid using generic words as passwords, since one could easily figure it out. Despite the rules & instructions being tightened to help reduce weaknesses & vulnerabilities, hackers still find a way to gain access to our passwords, hence causing a data breach. Such incidences still proved this methods to not be failproof & fool-proof. This is where the emergence of Biometric Authentication as an idea, that later became one of the best tech inventions, came up.

Biometric Authentication methods relies on the use of unique physical traits on individuals eg; fingerprint, iris pattern, facial characteristics, making it such an accurate technique for authenticating its end-users. This is why a lot of smartphones and companies use biometrics for security purposes. In this post, I’ll tell you a little bit more about the importance & advantages of Biometric systems.

Advantages of Biometrics

• High Security & Increased Assurance

Biometrics provide higher levels of security & increased levels of assurance to the users and parties involved, since the method of verifying each individual is a real, tangible & unique trait that the user has. The other methods of verification like user passwords and PINs have most often been compromised due to a data breach. Such occurrences cause billions of accounts and sensitive data & information to be accessed by fraudsters and hackers.

Using biometric authentication methods into the process adds an extra impenetrable block for hackers and fraudsters  that only the real user can navigate through. It might be easy for anyone to figure out the common denominator used across somebody’s passwords eg your mother’s maiden name, pet’s name or even your favourite child’s birthday. However, it is impossible to use someone else’s fingerprint or iris pattern to unlock and access an account if they cannot provide it on the spot.

• Quick & Convenient

As much as the inner workings and internal processes of  a biometric authenticator is technical and may seem rather difficult, from a user’s perspective, it is incredibly quick and simple. Placing a finger on a fingerprint is much quicker than typing out a password that has multiple special characters. Moreover, forgetting your own biometrics is- simply put- not there.

• Non-transferrable

Biometric authentication requires the actual user’s presence upon authorization. One can’t transfer or share a physical biometric trait digitally. The only way to use and verify your identity using a biometric authenticator is by being there physically.

Conclusion

Biometric authentication has been proven to be a reliable method of verification, identification and authentication. Trying to get through it is difficult and nearly impossible under most circumstances. Therefore this method of authentication is definitely safe, easy to use and I would highly recommend incorporating this method on your phones, schools, workplaces and other special places that need proper security.

At Robisearch Ltd, we offer Biometric Systems for schools, workplaces mostly for time attendance & security purposes. Would you be interested or know a friend/colleague who would? Don’t hesitate to share this article with them!

We offer free demos & training too!

Call us today at +254716413386, +254780655987

Email us: info@robisearch.com

Location: Suraj Plaza, 5th Floor, Opposite Jamhuri Highschool, Limuru Rd, Ngara, Nairobi, Kenya.