The worldwide market for biometric identification (not limited to physical access control) grew to US$2.6 billion in 2009, and research from Acuity indicates that revenues will reach $10.9 billion by 2017. Other studies show higher projections, pegging the worldwide market at $5 billion in 2010, growing to $12 billion by 2015 at a CAGR of 18.9 percent. In this two-part feature, a&s explores the latest advances and applications in biometrics and RFID authentication, addresses real-life usage and development issues, and outlines where the technologies might be headed.
Today, the general public is more aware of the changing security landscape, not just from high-profile terrorist threats, but also from malicious threats such as ID theft and financial fraud, said John Kendall, Director of Security Programs for APAC, Unisys. “Because of this, people are more open to forego some level of private information in return for greater security where they see there is likely to be a benefit to them.”
Market Potential
“In addition, biometrics are user-friendly. While keys don't cost much and dramatic price reductions have lowered the capital cost of cards in recent years, the true benefit of eliminating them is realized through reduced administrative efforts. For instance, a lost card or key must be replaced and reissued by someone, just as there's a price associated with the time spent to complete this seemingly simple task. When added together, the overall administration of a key or card system is costly. Hands are not lost, stolen or forgotten. They also don't wear out or need to be replaced.”
Plus, biometrics are easy to administer, install and maintain. “Replacing card readers with biometric ones in many cases is simply an unplug-plug-and-play operation. It's also easy to control threshold levels, tightening access control in a nuclear power plant while loosening the level at a spa. This allows the facility to provide the appropriate balance of security and convenience for its application and end users,” Toscano continued.
The US government procurement process is “dysfunctional,” and the larger agencies in charge of making sure standards are completed and enforcements are done are dormant, criticized Brian Skiba, President of MaxID. “So US government spending is not a reliable source of business for anyone who is not a government contractor behemoth. Growth is coming from the private sector, driven by concerns on cost containment and risk mitigation, and from the rest of the world where governments are deploying identity solutions at a much more interesting pace.”