The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) rates fingerprint identification technology as number one in personal identification verification.
This rating is achieved using tests that match data taken from fingerprint readers to information on a database, which allows access to information or entry at various organisations.
The communication from the reader to the database remains consistent in terms of data accuracy. Even when tested under different conditions, the same results were achieved, illustrating why this technology has held the number one spot since 2004.
This was according to Marius Coetzee, opening speaker at the ITWeb/Ideco IDentity Indaba. Coetzee set the tone for the remainder of the event, which took place at The Forum, in Bryanston, this week.
The event was chaired by radio personality, Aki Anastassiou.
Identity control provides a level of protection that no other forms of security do, Coetzee said.
Mark Eardley, channel manager at SuperVision Biometric Systems, reinforced Coetzee's statement. Other forms of access control, such as cards, PINs and passwords, can all be manipulated, he said.
“Identity is whatever makes an entity definable and recognisable,” Coetzee said.
Organisations want to see the value of the systems they have in place, he says, and risk management, as well as workforce management, are part of the identity management value chain, enabling business to function more efficiently, he said.
Organisations also have a responsibility when it comes to biometric information obtained from identity control technology. They must ensure individuals' biometric information is handled securely and effectively, while building irrefutable audit trails, Coetzee says. Legislation such as the Protection of Personal Information Bill, regarding the destruction of data, will assist organisations in this two-fold process, Coetzee said.
The problem that arises with information security is the human interface; the people that you trust with your data have the ability to abuse it, echoed Professor Anthony Minaar from Unisa.
Share