How Cloud-Based Biometric Authentication is Taking Over the Digital Space

Organizations need a secure way to authenticate people and ensure that the data and services stored in the Cloud are managed in a private environment. User authentication was earlier limited to passwords, tokens, or digital identity. Unfortunately, with increased cyber threats and attacks, such data remains at risk of being stolen. Therefore, Cloud-based biometric authentication is the need of the hour.

Almost 50% of U.S. government organizations are already using the Cloud. Before we move on to the benefits it provides, let’s understand what it is.

What is Cloud-Based Biometric Authentication?

Cloud computing refers to delivering computing services such as databases, networking, analytics, servers, and storage over the internet as well as storing and managing data in the Cloud. As a result of high sharing of these services, privacy and data security have become some of the key concerns in Cloud computing. Due to client data stored and maintained by Cloud service providers across multiple data centers, data always remains at a risk of leak.

The traditional password authentication system does not ensure sufficient security for Cloud-based data. There have been cases where hackers abused password-based authentication to get access to Cloud data. This is where cloud-based biometric authentication is recommended, which allows Cloud users to send authentication requests. Biometric templates are stored in the Cloud that perform user authentication without leaking any sensitive information.

Cloud-based authentication is a multifactor authentication strategy that uses two or more authentication methods in conjunction with the password to provide more accuracy and reliability. It restricts access to rendered services by authorized or legal users while maintaining a high level of security and prohibiting duplication of any individual’s behavioral or physiological features.

How Biometric Authentication Is Used in the Cloud

Cloud-based biometric authentication uses traits unique to each individual—irises, faces, palm print, voice, or fingerprints—to confirm a person's identification. Fingerprint technology is one of the most extensively used and well-known biometric modalities today. This is because your biometrics have unique qualities. Even identical twins have distinct fingerprints, palm prints, and irises.

A biometric system in the Cloud, therefore, requires individuals to submit numerous biometrics during the enrollment process. These biometrics are saved as templates at the Cloud provider's end. When a user wants to use the Cloud service, they are required to give a biometric scan, which is then compared to the stored template to complete the authentication process. Once a positive match between the newly presented biometric and the saved template is confirmed, the user is authenticated and granted access.

Note: Both the user's image and biometric templates are encrypted for added protection. When a user wants to access the Cloud service, the Cloud-based biometric authentication system is activated. After successful authentication, the user is sent to the Cloud service platform for which they have permission.

5 Benefits of a Cloud Biometric Identity Management System

Using Cloud computing allows you to gain on-demand, convenient, and global network access to shared, configurable computer resources, including storage, networks, servers, services, and applications. Today, many businesses are replacing the orthodox methods of authentication with biometric authentication for the benefits it provides:

1. Cloud-based biometric identification management systems create a lot of data and are multimodal (they can integrate fingerprint, palm vein, finger vein, iris, palm print, DNA, voice, and face recognition).
2. With little interaction from the service provider and minimal administrative effort, you can swiftly provide and remove shared resources. As you don't need to hire an in-house team to manage the system, you save money and time as well, which you can utilize for your core business.
3. You don’t have to invest in hardware, applications, or infrastructure with Cloud biometric solutions, which significantly reduces your initial and ongoing expenditures. Due to the implementation of automated biometric identification systems (ABIS) involving a lot of cost, they were previously only available to central governments; however, with cloud storage, they are affordable to everyone.
4. With Cloud computing, parallel processing is possible, which lets multiple people work on the same data at the same time.
5. Cloud-based biometric authentication management systems offer a lot of flexibility in terms of deployment. Smart rooms, access control software, mobile apps, and ambient intelligence environments are included.

Imageware Authenticate

Imageware Authenticate is a passwordless biometric MFA solution based on the unique characteristics of the human body -- something that cannot be misplaced or forgotten. With on-device Cloud-based matching, the solution includes easily configurable policies for mobility.

Conclusion

With the level of convenience that Cloud computing provides, many businesses, government agencies, and individuals are migrating their services and data to Cloud platforms. When clients' data are relocated, the entire security control is immediately transferred from data owners to Cloud service providers.

The number of Cloud users is predicted to rapidly increase due to benefits such as flexibility, mobility, and cost savings. Thus, Cloud-based biometric authentication systems have become a need of the hour.