We have all seen the list of worst passwords – “123456” and “password” always seem to vie for the top spot. But the bottom line is that passwords are one of the weakest links in the protection of business data. That’s why they are slowly being abandoned, but if not passwords, then what?
Enter biometrics. It’s not just for sci-fi films anymore. Biometrics are being introduced across multiple systems: mobile phones, tablets, time and attendance, laptops and more. Apple’s Touch ID brought the idea mainstream, but it is creeping into the business world as well. And it’s not just touch. Star-trekkie like retinal scans and voice recognition are becoming both sophisticated and prevalent. Microsoft has introduced both fingerprint and IRIS technology. Payroll giant Paychex offers fingerprint scanning as part of their TrueShift Time Clock solution and companies like VoiceVault are offering voice authentication integrations.
All of these options are filtering down to the small and medium business arena, and each has technology as well as legal and workforce implications. So if you are thinking about taking a “giant leap” into biometrics for the security of your business data, it’s important that HR and Legal departments collaborate with your IT teams.
Biometrics seem like the way to catapult your business into the future. For more information about other ways to bring your office to the future, contact SumnerOne for your office technology needs.
Originally published February 15, 2017, updated December 14, 2018