Biometrics technologies are
automated methods of
recognizing a person based
on a physiological or
behavioral characteristic.
Among the features measured
are; face, fingerprints,
hand geometry, handwriting,
iris, retinal, vein, and
voice. Biometric
technologies are becoming
the foundation of an
extensive array of highly
secure identification and
personal verification
solutions.
As the level of security
breaches and transaction
fraud increases, the need
for highly secure
identification and personal
verification technologies is
becoming apparent.
Biometric-based solutions
are able to provide for
confidential financial
transactions and personal
data privacy.
The need for biometrics can
be found in federal, state
and local governments, in
the military, and in
commercial applications.
Enterprise-wide network
security infrastructures,
government IDs, secure
electronic banking,
investing and other
financial transactions,
retail sales, law
enforcement, and health and
social services are already
benefiting from these
technologies.
Biometric-based
authentication applications
include workstation,
network, and domain access,
single sign-on, application
logon, data protection,
remote access to resources,
transaction security and Web
security. Trust in these
electronic transactions is
essential to the healthy
growth of the global
economy. Utilized alone or
integrated with other
technologies such as smart
cards, encryption keys and
digital signatures,
biometrics are set to
pervade nearly all aspects
of the economy and our daily
lives. Utilizing biometrics
for personal authentication
is becoming convenient and
considerably more accurate
than current methods (such
as the utilization of
passwords or PINs). This is
because biometrics links the
event to a particular
individual (a password or
token may be used by someone
other than the authorized
user), is convenient
(nothing to carry or
remember), accurate (it
provides for positive
authentication), can provide
an audit trail and is
becoming socially acceptable
and inexpensive.
