Biometrics Boom: Juniper Predicts 600M+ Mobile Devices will use Voice and Facial Recognition by 2021

Biometrics is one of the hottest security topics in 2017. Businesses are realizing they must supplement basic login credentials with much stronger authentication methods, such as fingerprint and facial recognition technologies. Juniper Research study, Mobile Biometrics: Consumer Markets, Opportunities & Forecasts 2016-2021, finds that biometric authentication is ready to move beyond fingerprints alone and use several different identifiers, including facial recognition and voiceprints.

The research notes that these methods will increase from being installed on an estimated 190 million mobile devices in 2016 to exceed 600 million devices by 2021. As biometric technology becomes more commonplace in the business environment and more accepted by consumers, industries can leverage it to ensure stronger identity security.

This will likely begin to transform security in a host of industries that are especially vulnerable to cyber-attacks. With the increase in popularity of mobile payments and mobile healthcare, the finance and healthcare industries in particular can benefit from using biometric technology to verify identities.

Here’s what to expect in 2017:

Consumers will Quickly Adopt Biometrics

When biometric technologies first rolled out, consumers were apprehensive and sometimes refused to use them.  However, this apprehension towards biometrics is being steadily broken down through consumerization. Technologies that were previously used only for official purposes are now available on the market for consumers to buy.

For example, in the US, the use and collection of fingerprints is often correlated with law enforcement, but Apple now allows users to unlock their devices through their fingerprints, which has helped break down the apprehension of using biometrics for everyday use. The use of selfies in general has allowed people to use photos in a variety of ways, and Facebook and Instagram have capitalized on that by using facial recognition. Biometric technologies that consumers once rejected have become the norm for many consumers, paving the way for much tighter security processes.

Companies will Seek to Build Stronger Authentication Continuums

As consumers embrace and adopt new technology, it’s beneficial for that technology to be more interconnected. Businesses are able to leverage this interconnected technology by using it throughout the enterprise or with their products. Utilizing biometric technology with their products, allows consumers to have a higher degree of customization and personalization. Further, an authentication continuum based on biometrics will result in a higher level of overall security, which is key for companies that prioritize robust security.

For example, just doing facial recognition by itself isn’t sufficient most of the time. Tying facial with identity, document authentication, other attributes and biometrics will build a stronger authentication continuum that will lead to a greater level of security.

With biometric technology continuously evolving and the increasing sophistication of hackers and identity thieves, the future of identity verification may more closely resemble science fiction than our current reality.