A few years ago, biometric authentication was just a fantasy in movies. The hero walked to a door and it opened, activated by camera and a facial recognition system. Or the villain activated his grand master plan with the touch of a finger. And then there’s everyone’s favorite Samuel L. Jackson who tried to bring a worldwide catastrophe by just placing his palm on the desktop. These were just scenes from spy thrillers made in Hollywood. What we didn’t know was how soon these would turn into a reality. Biometric authentication systems and technologies are now part of our everyday lives. Most of us are using them in our mobile phones, offices, or to authenticate payments to and from our banks. Advancements in this technology have made them the go-to choice for many companies due to their cost-effectiveness and performance.

However, there’s a question that keeps coming to our minds. Is this it? Are we in the future? Is this as good as it’s ever going to get? The answer is that this is just the beginning. Biometric authentication has a bright and shining future in the industry and it is just starting.

MOBILE APPS

Usually what happens with mobile apps nowadays is that they ask for authentication just once and then that’s it. The user may log in via his password, pin, or through social media accounts like Facebook or Google. This is a great way to go if you’re trying for uninterrupted app usage, but it’s not so great for security purposes and keeping personal data safe. For apps such as these the risk of security breaches is really high.

In the beginning only banking and financial apps had sensitive information about their users, but now with social media apps and gaming apps and their in-app purchases, almost every app now has a user’s personal information. Apps using such low quality security measures is just not acceptable. The more secure thing to do would be to integrate fingerprint authentication with all these apps even if you want to purchase an extra life or extra coins. This will hamper the user experience, but it will mean more security for the users’ personal information.

THE WEB

Although biometric authentication has made its way into mobile apps, it is still far away from desktop applications and the web. Companies that need higher security measures are still reliant on the two step authentication process. This is the process where the users feed their contact details on the website and then they receive a code through email or as an SMS that they have to enter to finally enter the website or portal. Not only is this a long process, it also has gaps. Biometric technology can easily bridge these gaps.

ATM MACHINES

There is a lot of fraud going on with ATM machines. Fraudsters attach devices to ATM machines and make away with users’ passwords and ATM card numbers. Also your card could be stolen or hacked. Fingerprint authentication is now quickly becoming the norm at ATM machines but there’s still room for improvements.

SMART HOMES CAN GET SMARTER

Smart homes can get a major uplift with biometric technology. No more keys, passwords, or PINs to enter your home. All it will take is a selfie or a fingerprint, which cannot be replicated.

EVENTS

Another industry where biometric technology is making waves is the events industry. No more waiting in lines to get registered, or buy something. The hospitality industry is in need of a major makeover, so do the festivals and tradeshows and conferences happening all across the world.
The future of biometric technology is still out there and it’s making its way towards us much more rapidly than anyone anticipated.