Over the past few years, there have been a lot of
technological advances, but none more so than in the field of biometrics.
Biometric technology is offering the best way for any individual or a company
to keep their profiles and their data safe. This technology recognizes people
based on their finger prints, iris, gait, or other traits. It is becoming
ubiquitous and is being widely used for authentication and recognition
purposes.
Biometric technology is certainly not something new, but it
is far more comprehensive than anyone ever imagined. It is providing a higher
level of security and protection than it was given credit for at one time. It
is providing companies as well as individuals more advantages than traditional
security measures.
IDENTITY PROOFING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Before biometric technology was introduced, companies used
to authenticate new personnel by asking them to verify their identity with
official documents so that they can verify whether a person who has come to
join or come for an interview is actually who they say they are. Those
documents would be used to verify the employee and establish trust. This is
what used to be called “identity proofing”.
Now with biometric technology in the field, things are being
done very differently. Now you can use different modalities of biometric
technology to find out whether your employee is who he says he is.
INSIDER FRAUD
Insider fraud is something that has been causing government
and private institutes a lot of grief over the last few years. According to a
study, insider fraud causes the global economy somewhere close to $3 trillion
each year. More than half of all the bank frauds and embezzlement cases are due
to insider fraud. When a company is hiring an employee, they can easily forge
documents and fake identities to cover up sensitive information like previous
criminal records and such.
These are the reasons why businesses are relying more and more
on biometric technology to verify and authenticate an employee’s identity. This
technology also makes sure that new employees won’t be able to jeopardize the
company, its employees, vendors or any else related.
WHAT CAN BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY OFFER
This technology adds additional layers to the protection of
a company through proper authentication and verification of the employees. We
all know that modalities like fingerprints, face, iris, and others are unique
to each person and cannot be replicated, unlike what movies would have us
believe. Since these modalities are an inherent part of us, they cannot be
stolen or misused in any way. They are permanent and unique to every one of us.
That is the reason why biometric technology makes it hard for a fraudster to
use these modalities and impersonate a person.
HOW IS IDENTITY PROOFING ACHIEVED
Identity proofing that is based on biometric modalities is
achieved by scanning the fingerprint, iris, face or any other modality of a
person and then comparing it with the image that is already on the company’s
database. The database contains images that have already been uploaded of all
the people who have the authority to enter the building or access a software.
If the current scan is exactly like the one saved in the database, the system
will allow entry, or if there is any discrepancy, the system will immediately alert
the authority. This technology is not only constricted to building entries, it
can be used anywhere you want. If you have a server room and only a handful of
employees, usually from your IT department, are allowed in it, you can use
biometric verification to make sure that no one else accesses the room and the
confidential and sensitive data on the servers. You can use a document security software to ensure
that the company’s confidential documents can only be opened by the person who
has the authority and by no one else. You can do that with your printing
machines and a whole lot more.
Employers can also use biometric technology to find out if a
new hired employee has any criminal record by comparing it with the FBI
database. If any such record is found, the system will immediately alert the
employer and they can take the necessary action.
INDUSTRIES THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM IDENTITY PROOFING
To put it very simply, any industry that is vulnerable to
identity fraud or crime can benefit from this technology. Some industries that
have accepted identity proofing are:
Banking, Financial, and Insurance Institutes and Companies
Banks do a complete background check on an individual that
comes to them for any purpose. If they integrate their security systems with
biometric-based identity proofing, they can save a lot of their time and effort
in validating a person’s identity and prevent identity fraud.
Healthcare Institutes and facilities
Healthcare facilities need to ascertain the identity of the
doctors, nurses and other staff that work there to make sure that the patients
are getting the care that they deserve. For their own security and for the
protection of the patients, these facilities can easily integrate identity proofing
with their current system and ensure authentication.
Transportation, Retail, Exploration and other industries
Whether its transportation, retail, or any other field,
companies need to be very particular about who they hire and who the customers
are. Especially in the retail industry, identity fraud is rampant. This fraud
can easily be controlled and diminished by using biometric-based identity
proofing. This way companies will be able to trust their employees, vendors,
and customers with higher confidence.
Biometric technologies have so much more to offer to an
individual or an organization. With more time, new and better uses will come to
the front and the companies who value their security and protection will jump
on the bandwagon and ensure that their confidential and sensitive data is safe
and secure.
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