Workplace biometrics starting to find favour, survey reveals

The independent survey, part of the Hitachi Data Systems ‘Storage Index’, suggests that 54 per cent of companies believe that use of biometrics in the office is a justified security measure – although the same number anticipate some staff of customer resistance to the technology.

“It seems that attitudes towards biometrics are rapidly improving as the technology becomes more common and people recognise the growing security benefits,” said Tony Reid, director of storage solutions at Hitachi Data Systems EMEA. The survey conducted anonymous interviews with a wide range of corporate IT directors.

Only five per cent of these directors thought that biometrics would be in use within the next six months. Concerns over the potential for technical malfunctions and data security breeches suggest the use of the new technology could be delayed while IT systems are developed to protect against such risks.

Over half of the respondents said the risk of crimes such as ID theft were a cause of concern for organisations using and storing biometric information, while 61 per cent felt that malfunctions, such as staff being locked out of buildings, could be a problem area.

Twenty eight per cent of those surveyed worried that ‘Big Brother’-style abuse of biometric information was likely, either by companies or government.

“One of the biggest hurdles to faster adoption of biometrics is ensuring that biometric data is stored securely and efficiently, whilst also ensuring that the system can carry on functioning properly in the event of any part of the IT network going down,” Reid said.

Government building security was highlighted as an area that biometrics would be suitable for, with 82 per cent in favour of its use for this purpose. Other applications that found favour in the survey results were border control, use in the security services, credit card validation, ID cards including driving licences and proof of age cards, and for administering welfare payments.