Biometrics or Passwords: Which is the Best Access Control System?

Biometrics – the science of evaluating the features of the human body to establish your identity. Over the years, biometric technology has been gaining immense approval across the world for securing anything valuable, which may also be at a high risk of getting stolen. From unlocking our phones to boarding a flight, biometric technology is deemed to be the best access control system for almost everything today.

Why is biometric technology the best access control system?

For a long time now, passwords, PINs, and usernames have carried the burden of being too hard to remember, especially for the less techno-savvy generation. Moreover, there are exceedingly more chances of passwords or PINs being stolen as opposed to biometrics which is unique to every individual. You can be assured that stealing an identifier such as a fingerprint from say a biometric system, or even a facial scan, is extremely difficult. Plus, with all the advancements in technology to combat any such hacking attempts, breaking through a biometric identity management system is next to impossible. A number of innovative start-ups and even well-established IT companies have been actively involved with researching and coming up with newer solutions to solve the security problems with biometrics. This backing and encouragement may be one of the reasons why security with biometrics looks so promising.

Instances of security breaches in systems with a password or PIN are more common than in the one secured through one of the several identifiers of biometrics. This is because many people tend to create weak passwords that can be easily deciphered by hackers. The point to remember here is that even if you are creating an account on a website where not much of your personal information has been revealed, thinking that having a generic password or not caring for its strength is a critical mistake you are making. It opens up a chain for your other, more important accounts to become vulnerable to threats and malicious intents.

Recognition and acceptance of biometrics in our daily lives

Biometric security frameworks initially began with developing fingerprint recognition. According to reports, the concept of biometric verification was first encouraged by law enforcement agencies to identify criminals. Today, we have developed an array of biometric identifiers for access control and identity management like facial, voice, and iris recognition, and even retinal scans.

Fingerprint Recognition

While fingerprint scanning remains the oldest form of biometric verification, it is certainly the most developed. Today, biometric fingerprint attendance systems are a key feature for many big and small organizations and are the most commonly used because of the ease in installing compatible devices for them. In fact, with the country’s technological and security landscape developing and becoming more and more significant, fingerprint scanning is becoming the preferred method for security and employee attendance system management, making it one of the best access control systems in India.

Facial Recognition

Facial recognition became more common and popular with smartphones and tablets rolling out this feature in order to unlock mobile devices. It felt like a remarkable facet of biometric access control had now become affordable enough for the common man to use every day. This is also one of the reasons why biometrics are more fascinating and hence, more preferred than passwords. Facial recognition for access control, in addition to other biometric methods, is also very prevalent in huge organizations housing areas that store sensitive data like banks, government offices, research centers, etc.

Voice Recognition

We’ve all been prompted to train the Google Assistant in our mobile devices to respond to our voice when we shout out “Hey Google”. And with the recent advents of home assistants like Alexa and Siri, this convenience of voice recognition has proven to be mighty beneficial for people, and also quite a bit of fun.

Iris Recognition

This one might not be that easily accessible for executing our routine tasks, however, it has been considered as one of the important parameters for maintaining databases for an absolute identity management system. A suitable example of this can be India’s national ID management program called “Aadhaar” which is the largest biometric database in the world. Along with fingerprint scans, iris signature inputs were also collected from applicants with a view of building a comprehensive and secure population database, and hopefully making it the best access control system in India.

Visitor Management with Biometrics

Biometric technology increases your building and workplace security by modernizing visitor management systems. It replaces the traditional methods of maintaining registers for entry and exit, instead, making the visitor logs more accurate and non-modifiable.

For a regular visitor to any building, for instance, friends and relatives of the residents, having their facial biometrics stored in the system can allow them quick access inside the premises in their subsequent visits. For one-time visitors, like a delivery person, who has a quick in-and-out agenda, issuing a temporary guest pass with the visitor’s fingerprint can be an effective way to manage visitor activity.

Overall, biometrics are becoming increasingly essential for performing a number of routine tasks, and rightfully so. They are definitely easier to use and store, provide better privacy and security, and thus are standardized across a wide range of mobile, desktop, and server devices that people use for access control or online services.