Big year ahead for biometrics

LOUISVILLE, Colo.—Biometrics are coming of age, and 2017 has the potential to be a big year for the continued adoption of biometric technologies, according to Acuity Market Intelligence, which released its "Ten Top Trends for Biometrics and Digital Identity" for 2017 this week.

"Biometrics and digital identity are often perceived as threats to privacy and security," Maxine Most, Principal of Acuity Market intelligence said in the announcement.. "However, taken together these technologies have the potential to enhance privacy, increase personal data control, and shift power relative to the monetization of consumer data."

No. 2 on the top ten list is iris biometrics, which will have a "breakout year as smartphone availability drives consumer acceptance up and price points down,” according to Acuity.

This is not surprising. During Security Systems News' Battle of the Biometrics session at last year's TechSec Solutions conference, our panel of expert judges chose iris technology as the top pick over other biometrics, including fingerprint and facial.�This year at TechSec, which is Feb. 27-28 in Delray Beach, Fla., the reigning champion from last year's session, Blaine Frederick, VP of product management for Eyelock, returns to continue the conversation with Jeff Kohler, product line and business development director for Princeton Identity, as they look at how lower price points are increasing demand and opening up new applications across many different verticals.

Another interesting finding, and one that does not surprise us here at SSN—the creator of the Cloud+ conference—is the rise of cloud-based biometrics.

According to Most, “2017 will be a tipping point as cloud-based biometrics, secure mobile credentials, and fintech innovation coalesce into consumer-centric solutions offering previously unobtainable levels of accessibility, security, and individual control over PII (Personally Identifiable Information)."

The following is Acuity's ten top trends for biometrics and digital identity:

1. Behavioral biometrics on smartphones, and the associated privacy issues and PII concerns, become mainstream.

2. Iris biometrics "breakout" as smartphone availability drives consumer acceptance up and price points down.

3. Security impact and liability implications of PII via IoT (Internet of Things) begins to influence Enterprise Executives.

4. Cloud biometrics are recognized as critical Infrastructure for global digital payments and commerce platforms.

5. Links between digital identity, smartphones, and mobile and stationary smart devices begin to be monetized.

6. New monetization models for digital identity emerge, shifting power from commercial enterprises to consumers.

7. Secure mobile smartphone credentials drive infrastructure development with migration from tests and pilots to deployments.

8. Many fintech innovators are swallowed by BFSIs thwarting their impact on industry transformation.

9. A handful of fintech standouts, committed to disruption, emerge as potential threats to the status quo.

10. Biometrics and digital identity begin to be understood as forces for social justice, equity, privacy, and accessibility.