Unite biometric identification and authentication for superior results: white paper

Face biometrics are traditionally used for both biometric identification during the customer onboarding process and subsequent authentication, forcing the user to re-enroll the same modality. Yet the disjointed continuity from separating identification and authentication leads to friction, Consult Hyperion says, which harms the customer experience and introduces more risk. To combat this, Consult Hyperion and sponsor Daon write in a white paper that delivering ‘continuity’ in digital identity by integrating identification and authentication can smooth the customer experience and bolster security.

Consult Hyperion, a digital identity and payments consultancy, notes problems with separating identification and authentication, as it creates multiple digital identity systems that each focus on one element of the customer lifecycle. The white paper, ‘Customer identity continuity: why it’s critical,’ says that authentication should happen immediately after identification concludes, but often does not, which leads to no opportunity to leverage the presentation and validation of evidence that has just occurred. Also, fraudsters have the chance to inject themselves into this siloed process; because authentication has to be conducted repeatedly, it gives the criminal an opportunity to hijack the stage between the authentications.

Rather than reduce risk and give the impression of safety, Consult Hyperion says the siloed approach fuels friction due to poorly designed and fragmented identity solutions, which makes for a less pleasant customer experience. The consultancy says it is more important than ever to repair this problem during a time when digital onboarding grew by leaps and bounds during the COVID-19 pandemic and poor onboarding affects customer retention. In 2021, Daon-supported market research that found that customers say that a difficult authentication process reflects negatively on the company and showed a preference for biometrics over passwords.

The consultancy outlines the concept of ‘identity continuity’ in the paper, and the different layers that it is composed of.

When biometrics are properly integrated into a workflow architected for identity continuity, Consult Hyperion says it will lead to a single customer identity that enables more consistent management of customer data, a more consistent user experience, better engagement and control with customers, cost savings, and reinforced security.

The white paper is being offered for free to Biometric Update readers.

Article Topics

authentication  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Daon  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  identity continuity  |  onboarding  |  user experience