It goes without saying that biometrics are an important method for access control. One biometrics technology that has gained traction is iris recognition, which can benefit a variety of verticals.
It goes without saying that
biometrics are an important method for access control. One biometrics technology that has gained traction is
iris recognition, which can benefit a variety of verticals.
In access control and identity management, there are different factors to authenticate an individual. These include “what you have” (smart cards and more recently mobile credentials), “what you know” (passwords) and “what you are” (biometrics). An access control system uses either one or a combination of them to grant or deny entry to individuals.
Among the factors, biometrics are unique to individuals and, unlike cards or passwords, cannot be stolen or forgotten. As such they are considered the most secure authentication method.
There are different biometrics, from fingerprint, finger veins,
face, iris to even a person’s voice. Of them, iris recognition works by way of a camera that captures the image of a person’s iris, which contains rich, complex details that are unique to that individual. The template is then matched against the enrolled database in the backend. It is important to point out that iris recognition is different from retinal scanning, whereby the person’s retinal blood vessel pattern is used for authentication.
Iris recognition’s secure nature, falling prices and
non-contact approach make it a more and more popular biometric whose growth potential is not to be ignored. According to Research and Markets, the global iris recognition market is projected to witness a compound annual growth rate of 18.54 percent to US$1.3 billion by 2023, from $563.3 million in 2018
“Declining prices of these systems have augmented its usage across various industry verticals,” the firm said. “Other factors spurring up the demand for these systems is the added security they offer as it is difficult to forge and is more accurate as compared to other forms of biometrics.”
So what are some of iris recognition’s more popular applications and which vertical markets can benefit from it? These are summarized as follows.
National ID
According to a
blogpost by M2SYS, more and more nations provide national ID to citizens, and along with fingerprint, iris recognition has also been initialized for the most accurate identification. “It helps to prevent duplicate registration, ensures quick and precise voting identification, provides an easily accessible audit trail and facilitates interoperability between government agencies for data integration, verification, and maintenance,” the post said.
Immigration and border control
More and more, international borders are using iris biometrics to identify suspicious or blacklisted individuals as well as smoothen the immigration process. “Increased traveler volume and international crimes are pressurizing on security checkpoints to modernize their security measures by implementing an automated identification system,” the post said. “Numerous international airports of the U.S., Canada, Netherlands and the UK already implemented iris biometric authentication for their immigration. Airline companies are also using the iris authenticated boarding systems to secure the traveling.”
Banking and financial services
According to the post, banks and financial institutions are supposed to govern the biometrics technology replacing the traditional PIN/ Password-based security system, citing the ISO 19092:2008 standard. “Among the several modalities of biometric, the iris authentication system has been considered as the most secure system for KYC, identifying the individual client, employees and flagging the fraudsters,” it said.
Healthcare
Iris benefits to healthcare are manifold. “The iris biometric authentication system has been used in healthcare services to identify the right patient, know the medical history and treatment planning of the patient, provide the benefits of health policy and protect the personal information of the individual. Besides, as this authentication doesn’t require direct contact, it assures the hygiene also,” it said.