HID security report says mobile identity to be ‘ubiquitous’ in five years

Mobile ID and multi-factor authentication join biometrics on the list of technologies headlining HID Global’s newly released 2024 State of the Security Industry Report, which a release says analyzes “underlying concerns driving upcoming innovations and the technologies that underpin them, helping security leaders to be proactive in adapting to evolving challenges.”

As to be expected, AI makes an appearance among the six themes to emerge from HID’s survey of 2,600 partners, end users, and security and IT personnel across 11 industries worldwide. In particular, businesses see AI’s analytical capabilities as a have-now proposition for identity management and data security needs. “AI analytics tools are increasingly available right out of the box, through third-party as-a-service offerings,” says the report, “and 44 percent of survey respondents are already leveraging the power of such tools.”

The strongest numbers and language are reserved for mobile identity, which “is expected to be ubiquitous in the next five years.” Per the report, “the incremental adoption of mobile ID continues, with 72 percent of respondents calling out mobile identity as a Top 3 trend. Organizations are steadily upgrading legacy hardware in favor of multi-tech readers that can handle both plastic and mobile device-based credentials.”

“End users appreciate the convenience that comes with authenticating themselves via a device they already carry, and administrators find it easier to manage identity via software,” says the report.

Biometrics continues upward trend in adoption

HID says biometrics “continues to be a driving force of change in the security industry, with the ongoing adoption of physical traits such as fingerprint, face or voice as a means to ensure security, while also streamlining and simplifying interactions.”

In the survey, 39 percent of installers and integrators said some of their customers used fingerprint or palm biometrics, while 30 percent said some used facial recognition. “As organizations evolve away from more conventional means of validation for access control,” the report says, “we will likely see the continued rise of fingerprint, palm print, facial and voice recognition as a means to validate identity.”

The numbers back up this claim: HID reports that the global market for biometrics is expected to grow from $47.8 billion in 2023 to $86.1 billion by 2028 – “a strong indication that businesses and end users alike are coming to accept physical traits as a safe and secure means of verifying identity.”

With MFA widespread, “the eventual end of passwords is imminent”

Multi-factor authentication is likewise making a strong push in 2024. Among survey respondents, 85 percent rated MFA as a key trend, as “an increasing level of end-user acceptance is driving rapid adoption of MFA across a broad range of industries, making it a top priority for many security professionals.”

“Multi-factor authentication or MFA is relatively easy to implement and can be the first step toward a more comprehensive Zero Trust strategy,” says the report, noting that it is “easy to see why the security industry is moving toward the eventual end of passwords with the creation of new standards such as FIDO, or Fast Identity Online.”

North America, in particular, has eyes on MFA, with 89 percent of respondents naming it the most important trend.

IDaaS is in, while companies ‘pushed toward more climate friendly practices’

Rounding out the top six trends are the increase in cloud-based identity delivered as a service (IDaaS), which respondents identified as being cost effective, helpful in maintaining regulatory compliance, and crucial for the development of mobile identity ecosystems – and, finally, sustainability, with businesses “feeling some outside pressure to build sustainability into their business decisions” from consumers and government mandates.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  HID  |  IDaaS  |  identity management  |  mobile biometrics  |  multifactor authentication