CyberLink, Fingerprint Cards explore biometrics for secure remote and hybrid workforces

In January, 23 percent of U.S. adults were telecommuting, but after a 30 percent drop, only 16 percent were working from home in May, and CyberLink CEO Jau Huang writes for Help Net Security that the emerging hybrid working model could bring with it “new and unexpected challenges” to employee and business security, and give new impetus to biometrics adoption.

CDC guidelines treat vaccinated and unvaccinated workers differently, and businesses with employees in different jurisdictions may face additional complications.

AI tools can help boost the security of in-person workplaces, Huang writes, and face biometrics also have the potential to solve many looming challenges.

If employees are expected to enter the office only part of the time, security operators attempting to keep track of who is allowed in manually could easily be overwhelmed, which also sets them up for potential security breaches, according to Huang.

Automated edge systems using facial recognition for touchless biometric access control can avoid this problem, while providing operators with an instant and accurate view of where employees are. Face biometrics can also help in workplaces where employees do not have assigned workstations, counting employees and assigning workstations to meet spacing requirements. Combined with a video management system (VMS), facial recognition can also be used to send real-time alerts if a policy is violated.

Remote workers are the most vulnerable to security threats, in Huang’s view, but can likewise be protected by face biometrics with anti-spoofing capabilities, possible as part of a multi-factor identity verification system for remote access control.

With the ability not only to recognize people wearing face masks, but also to determine if they are wearing the masks correctly, face biometrics have advanced to the point of functional dependability for pandemic response, according to Huang.

Passwords under increased pressure

Similarly, Fingerprint Cards Global Marketing Manager Maria Pihlström writes in a company blog post that hybrid office and remote work models, while they are being embraced by numerous companies, introduce increased risk of ‘shoulder surfing’ and other security threats.

Employees in these scenarios may be more likely to leave unlocked devices with access to corporate assets or lose data storage devices without embedded security. Remote workers also often use less secure internet connections, Pihlström suggests, creating a need for stronger authentication.

Biometric technology addresses each of these concerns, and can be easily integrated with business physical and logical access systems, particularly with the availability of solutions for on-device biometric data storage and the familiarity of biometrics in smartphones, PCs, and smart homes.

FPC has published an e-book titled ‘Access the Right Areas’ to explain the value of biometrics for access control.

Article Topics

access management  |  AI  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  CyberLink  |  facial recognition  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  fingerprint recognition  |  remote authentication