Top 5 Trends in Secure Identity

Top 5 Trends in Secure Identity

By Alex Tan, Director of Sales, Physical Access Control System, HID Global, ASEAN

The integration of wearable technology into our society is bigger than we have ever imagined. The global wearable technology market alone is predicated to reach US$ 170.91 billion by 2025.[1] However, concerns on data privacy, high prices and limited battery life of the mobile devices still exist.

Based on customer insights into key market developments across enterprise, healthcare, banking and government markets, below are some key observations from HID Global that focus on mobility, the user experience, connected identities, privacy and the Internet of Things: 

Trend 1: Users continue to demand the ultimate “all in one” mobile experience

With the expansion of digital lifestyles, customers are demanding the ultimate “always connected”, secure user experience. Continual advancements in technology will see a new, secure identify lifestyle built around convenience and the ubiquity of ever-present mobile devices.

Case in point: in a recent deployment at the CityPoint building in London, security guards are now able use their smartphones as NFC readers. With a tap of their phone to RFID tags, guards can check keys in and out, and prove presence at shift checkpoints using their smartphones. Smartphones have become the epicentre of connectivity and are now required to serve every purpose, from a credential verification machine to a general-purpose reader.

Trend 2: A better, more secure user experience

Users are also demanding easily accessible but more secure digital identities to access on-the-go services and applications quickly and easily. The demand for a better user experience has grown to one of the top two most important drivers for deploying mobile access control over the next three years, according to the Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific study.

Biometrics seems to be the solution, continuing to combine security and convenience in today’s changing landscape. In Brazil alone, four of the top five financial institutions have used biometric technology to process an estimated two billion trusted ATM transactions annually. In Asia-Pacific, government projects in APAC region and the increasing non-cash transactions provide tremendous opportunities for the growth of the smart cards and fingerprint sensors market, which is expected to reach USD 8.85 Billion by 2022.[2]

Trend 3: Adding wearables to the device ecosystem increases the need for trusted digital identities across increasingly connected environments 

The growing wearable industry and use of sensors for IoT-based solutions will drive employee productivity, asset tracking, energy management and employee safety.

These developments make digital interactions more personal, contextual and valuable, and will pave the way for future innovations in wearables to connect seamlessly with smart facilities.

Trend 4: Demand for embedded security and privacy solutions

Gartner forecasts that 5.5 million new “things” are getting connected every day in 2016, increasing the need for embedded security and privacy technology across the payments, transportation, industrial, consumer and healthcare markets. In the earlier CityPoint example, this “Security of Things” goal was achieved by producing RFID tags which connected easily with mobile devices. 

Biometrics will still play a pivotal role in privacy protection for an increasingly connected world. Intelligent encryption-enabled and tamper-resistant fingerprint devices to more effectively address these security challenges will only grow. 

Trend 5: Security policies and best practices will continue to improve as technology advances

The security industry will sharpen its focus on what technologies should be deployed and how, for instance,the first U.S. driver licenses on mobile phones will be used to unify credential management systems. This enables organizations to address both facility and information security from a more holistic perspective.

Rather than focusing on developing technology solutions to prevent risks, the industry should look at adopting industry best practices to strengthen the overall security ecosystem. Such security best practices and policies remain important for virtually any organization.