How Facial Authentication is Being Used to Secure Businesses and Government Organizations?

• By Aaron Smith
• 08-07-2022
• Technology

Business and government organizations currently face a series of security threats. Given over one-third of data breaches involve internal actors, it is important to ensure proper measures are taken to secure businesses and government locations. Hands-free, frictionless approaches to access control, like facial authentication, can increase the security of the infrastructure.

Top Five Benefits of Facial Authentication

Increased Accuracy with a Hands-Free Approach
Using one’s biometrics as a form of security has been a growing trend for years. Given it offers a more secure means of physical access security than traditional methods, and the growing accuracy of biometric screening, it should come as no surprise that it’s growing in popularity.

Given its hands-free approach, businesses and government agencies have begun opting for facial authentication solutions. Due to their high level of accuracy and frictionless approach, they provide unparalleled security without sacrificing efficiency. Furthermore, there are facial authentication solutions that offer real-time tailgating alerts. These alerts are sent to the designated staff member with the individual’s image who accessed a controlled area without being scanned in themselves.

Health Conscience Security
Facial authentication security offers a hands-free approach. Unlike other biometric solutions that require staff to use the same fingerprint or retina scanner, facial authentication security can be done at a safe distance without the fear of cross-contamination or germ transfer. This helps employees stay safe and promotes a healthy working environment.

Heightened Internal Controls
Cyber security threats advance daily and are the largest external security threat to businesses and government agencies. Yet, to be clear, not all threats are outside of the organizations themselves. Unfortunately, internal threats have been growing over the last decade. Meaning, that businesses and government organizations must take every step necessary to reduce the risk of internal attacks successfully being executed.

To do so, businesses and government agencies must begin taking security seriously. This means employee training on current cyber security threats, how to identify red flags of scams and malicious emails, and basic tactics to secure their workstations. The notion that several employees will openly admit to failing to lock their computers before leaving their desks for breaks, or at the end of their shifts is unacceptable. Likewise, employees leaving sensitive data exposed on their desks after hours or while their workstations are unsupervised is too irresponsible. Identifying these issues as just that, issues, and addressing them amongst staff, will help solidify the entity’s stance on threats, and a zero-tolerance for improper behavior.

More Secure Credentials
Facial authentication is essentially using staff’s faces as their access credentials. Unlike traditional forms of access controls, like proximity cards or passcodes, using facial authentication for access removes the highest risks of these two archaic forms of access control. Both proximity cards and passcodes can be lost, stolen, or shared. Furthermore, passcodes are losing their level of security with every passing second, as many employees reuse passwords, passcodes, and passphrases for personal and professional purposes, significantly decreasing the integrity of these security means.

Multi-Factor Authentication
Some businesses and government organizations are not going to sway from more traditional forms of identity verification. Instead of completely replacing these dated forms of security, many organizations are implementing a layered approach. They are doing so by adding frictionless access control to their existing security stack.

Technology has revolutionized the world, for both the good and the bad. Cyber threats are at an all-time high, and internal threats are being recruited more than ever in an attempt to extort businesses and government agencies. Fortunately, there are advanced technologies that businesses and government organizations can utilize to reduce their risk exposure. Organizations of all shapes and sizes have already started adopting facial authentication tools to enhance their access controls. Now, with the emphasis on contactless work environments post-COVID-19, the adoption of facial authentication is the future of security.