Advantages of Biometrics
As biometrics technology gets more advanced and sophisticated, a greater number of advantages of biometrics used for security purposes and data protection in the workplace are being identified. Basically, biometrics technology is an automated method of monitoring access based on physiological or behavioral characteristics used for recognition and verification. Many different versions of biometric security have been developed, including identification by fingerprints, face, iris/retina, hand geometry, and voice verification. Here are some of the advantages that biometrics offer over more traditional security practices.
- Identification is accurate. Unlike other security systems that rely on passwords or smart cards, one of the greatest advantages of biometrics is the accuracy it provides. When the system is set up correctly, biological characteristics like fingerprints and retinal scans provide completely unique data sets that cannot be replicated easily. This makes it very difficult for anyone but an authorized user to gain access without permission.
- There’s the option of employee tracking. Since biometrics systems are essentially automatic and therefore data tracking is simple to implement, they offer employers and managers great opportunities for oversight concerning daily activities and operations. Certain events, transactions, and other activities are linked to a specific person, making it possible for employers to track chains of events. Biometrics can also significantly cut down on certain dishonest employee practices that can really eat away at a company’s bottom line, such as buddy punching and other forms of fraud.
- Biometrics methods offer convenience. Some other advantages of biometrics products concern the efficiency and convenience they lend to access control. Passwords and pins are easily forgotten, can be written down and subsequently stolen, and are sometime hacked. Once obtained, they can be easily used by someone other than the authorized person. Smart cards and keys can similarly be lost or stolen, and can also be used by an imposter without detection. But with biometrics, something like fingerprints won’t be lost and can’t be easily obtained and replicated by someone trying to illicitly gain access.
- Systems are user friendly. Once they’ve been installed and implemented, biometrics systems are able to identify people very rapidly, uniformly, and reliably. Typically, only minimum training is needed to get the system operational, and there’s no need for expensive password administrators. In addition, high-quality systems don’t tend to need a large amount of maintenance, further cutting costs.