Facial recognition technology has been in the works for many years. In fact, it is more than 50 years old and has many different uses. Lately, it has been used in the cyber security world, and the technology is evolving rapidly.
As a result, businesses around the world are desperately trying to incorporate facial recognition software into their cybersecurity policies. But, what uses does it serve and how can your business start implementing it?
Who Uses Facial Recognition?
All manner of companies can use it, and it is typically used in place of a traditional password. Imagine someone is trying to log into a PC in your office or gain access to your network. Usually, they’d need to type a password in, but this software allows them access by scanning their face.
Why is facial recognition better than passwords?
Why are businesses shifting from traditional passwords to facial recognition software? Put simply, the technology is more secure than typing in a passcode.
With passwords, anyone can feasibly guess the code. If you wanted to make it as secure as possible, it would demand an auto-generated password that’s impossible to remember. Thus, the password needs to be saved or written down, increasing the chances it can be stolen.
With facial recognition and cybersecurity, you can’t steal anything. One of the key benefits of biometrics is that nobody can replicate your face. Even if they hold a photo of you up against the scanner, it won’t work. There’s no way for a hacker to ‘steal’ your face, making it a more secure option.
How Does Facial Recognition Work?
The software works by making a digital map of your face and facial features with an initial scan. It utilizes biometrics to read the geometry of your face and notice things like the distance between your eyes, the slope of your nose, and so on.
By scanning and analyzing your face, a facial signature is developed – which is effectively a complex mathematical formula. In terms of cybersecurity, this facial signature is then saved, along with any other faces you want to allow access to whatever you’re protected.
Therefore, any future faces need to match the facial signature of the ones you saved. If they do match, the system knows that the same person is looking for access, allowing them in. If there’s no match, access is denied.
How Quickly is it Evolving?
Facial recognition software is evolving at an alarming rate, allowing for more accurate facial scans. Many software applications can now register facial signatures from many different angles, making it easier than ever to scan a face at the first attempt.
It all makes for added security and convenience, further supercharging the implementation of facial scanning in business IT security systems.
Why and How Your Business Should Incorporate Face Recognition
Simply put, it will add a new dimension to your IT security practices. You won’t have to worry about passwords going missing or being guessed by hackers. You also have more control over who has access to what.
As for how you should incorporate it, start by adding facial recognition to PCs, preventing people from logging in unless they have access. The same approach can be applied to applications on the PC, as well as things like cloud storage files.
In essence, you can utilize facial recognition whenever you’d normally have a password, delivering more security throughout your business.