Survey shows growing preference for use of biometric authentication in the workplace

U.S consumers who have experience using biometrics to log into their accounts would like to expand the use of biometric authentication technology into the workplace, according to 70 percent of respondents to a survey conducted by Veridium. 35 percent cited speed, 31 percent said security and 33 percent said not having to remember passwords were the primary reasons for liking biometric authentication.

While the majority of survey respondents show a growing preference for the technology, each age group has a different reason for using biometric authentication. 46 percent of those under 35 years old (Millennial) value speed, 44 percent of those aged 35-55 (Generation X) values not having to remember passwords and 30 percent of respondents over 55 years old (Baby Boomers) value security above all.

47 percent of Millennial respondents also prefer traditional passwords over any form of biometric authentication. This preference varies over other age groups as well. 42 percent of Generation X’s preferred biometric authentication feature is fingerprint, while 30 percent of Baby Boomers opt for voice.

The survey also showed that Millennials most frequently use biometrics to access financial applications such as banking apps or ATMs, followed closely by payments. Alternately, Generation X’s number one application of biometric authentication is for travel, and Baby Boomers most use the technology for healthcare applications.

While survey respondents use biometric identification across their personal devices, the cell phone is the most used and more that 63 percent prefer fingerprint authentication over facial recognition, voice recognition, or traditional passwords and PINs, with 50 percent considering it to be the most secure. The majority of respondents use biometrics to unlock their devices but also to access other applications including finance, payments, company networks, travel and healthcare.

“The pace of mobile device innovation is moving at lighting speed, and as a result, we’ve seen an uptick in the adoption of biometric technologies in consumer-facing apps,” said James Stickland, CEO, Veridium. “With biometric authentication becoming more mainstream, enterprises are well positioned to introduce the technology to their employees to create a fast, secure and frictionless experience when logging into workplace networks and applications.”

According to new research from Gartner, the number of business using biometric authentication on smartphone apps for workforce access will grow from fewer than 5 percent in 2018 to 70 percent in 2022.

Article Topics

authentication  |  biometrics  |  consumer adoption  |  Veridium  |  workforce