What is biometrics?

What is biometrics?
· What is biometrics and why are they important?
· So what was wrong with cards and Pin’s?
· What does this mean in practice?
· But surely this is all science fiction, we don’t see them working in everyday applications?

Did you know?

IT is a business enabler

What is biometrics and why are they important?

Biometrics is best defined as measurable physiological and/or behavioural characteristics that can be utilised to verify the identity of an individual. They include fingerprints, retinal and iris scanning, hand geometry, voice patterns, facial recognition and other techniques. They are of interest in any area where it is important to verify the true identity of an individual. Initially, these techniques were employed primarily in specialist high security applications; however we are now seeing their use and proposed use in a much broader range of public facing situations.

So what was wrong with cards and Pin’s?

Pin’s (personal identification numbers) were one of the first identifiers to offer automated recognition. However, it should be understood that this means recognition of the PIN, not necessarily recognition of the person who has provided it. The same applies with cards and other tokens. We may easily recognise the token, but it could be presented by anybody. Using the two together provides a slightly higher confidence level, but this is still easily compromised if one is determined to do so.
A biometric however cannot be easily transferred between individuals (replacement part surgery is outside the scope of this paper) and represents as unique an identifier as we are likely to see. If we can automate the verification procedure in a user friendly manner, there is considerable scope for integrating biometrics into a variety of processes.


What does this mean in practice?

It means that verifying an individuals identity can become both more streamlined (by the user interacting with the biometric reader) and considerably more accurate as biometric devices are not easily fooled.
In the context of travel and tourism for example, one immediately thinks of immigration control, boarding gate identity verification and other security related functions. However, there may be a raft of other potential applications in areas such as marketing, premium passenger services, online booking, alliance programmes and so on where a biometric may be usefully integrated into a given process at some stage. In addition, there are organisation related applications such as workstation / LAN access, physical access control and other potential applications.
This does not mean that biometrics is a panacea for all our personal identification related issues - far from it! But they do represent an interesting new tool in our technology toolbox, which we might usefully consider as we march forward into the new millennium.

But surely this is all science fiction, we don’t see them working in everyday applications?

Ten years ago, this was an often heard response and frankly, a justified one as many of the early biometric devices were rather cumbersome in use and priced at a point which prohibited their implementation in all but a few very high security applications where they were considered viable.
These days things are different as not only has considerable technical progress been made, providing more accurate, more refined products, but unit cost has dropped to a point which makes them suitable for broader scale deployment where appropriate. In addition, the knowledge base concerning their use and integration into other processes has increased dramatically. This is no longer a ‘black art’ practised by a few high priests (who charged accordingly) but an everyday piece of relevant technology that the average five year old will soon be able to tell you all about.

Did you know?

Changes in business practice such as outsourcing, globalisation, tele-working and e-business has lead to greater networking of computers within organisations. This development has made modern IT systems both more complex and more vulnerable to malicious inspired attacks. Are you concerned? Read more……
Security breaches are accelerating and sensitive information are still being held on a computer, while businesses are still ever reliant on their IT systems. There is now greater awareness of the importance of IT and the ever so changing business environment has made companies realise how important it is to protect their IT systems. Even without the events of September 11th 2001 and the millennium bug, companies at board level have come to appreciate that IT is becoming an enabler of business because it is:-
-Allowing organisation to become more efficient by increasing employees productivity
- Integrating business supply chain (i.e. B2B)
- Automating and improving the interaction that organisations have with their customers (i.e. B 2 Consumers)

IT is a business enabler

IT has become central to a business life and integral to commercial success. As such, it is increasingly clear that IT security cannot be bolted on to an organisation.
For an IT system to be secure, the organisation likewise has to be secure. Therefore, security is a strategic issue. Central to a secure system is the development of a sound policy, which must support the business strategy and reflect the real value of the data held in information systems.
A security policy is especially important when one considers that, while external threats, such as hackers and industrial espionage receive wide spread coverage in the press and within organisations, internal threats, such as disgruntled employees, have historically posed a higher risk. The increased value of computer systems to companies makes such threats more serious and potentially more dangering than in the past.
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