Author: David Orme

Biometric technology is already revolutionising both physical and cyber-security in the UK. While the latest breakthroughs are impressive, we’re only just touching the tip of the iceberg. Regardless of which method we’re using – whether it is fingerprint, facial, retinal or voice recognition solutions – there is no escaping the fact that biometric developments have been incorporated into our everyday lives. From passing through airport security checkpoints and passport control to accessing systems or our place of work; we are increasingly using our physical identity as a means of authentication, negating the need to remember complicated codes and passwords. While some manufacturers…

The sustained popularity of social media has meant that many of us are happy to make our online identity a digital reflection of our true selves. However, by putting every aspect of our lives online – from where we holiday to what we had for lunch, even our birthdays, which are often used as a password – our identity is easier to steal than ever before. While consumers may be willing to share information online, this attitude changes when it comes to protecting what we handover to companies. In fact, three quarters (75%) of consumers in a recent IDEX Biometrics…

The need for fingerprint biometrics in retail has never been more acute. While traditional high street sales continue to decline, leading to retail store vacancy rates hitting a four-year high, retailers acknowledge their survival lies in providing memorable, immersive and personalised customer experiences. Stand-out customer service, fuelled by customer data insights to help retailers deliver personalised and targeted customer relations, including top-level loyalty schemes, has never been more important. However, just as retailers need them most, hackers are increasingly seeing loyalty accounts as prime targets. In fact, research shows that 24% of retailers surveyed viewed loyalty fraud as a substantial threat to their e-commerce operations. Loyalty rewards are effectively a form…

Cast your mind back to April last year. Your inbox filled with email marketing from services and newsletters you signed up to over the years asking you to re-subscribe to their mailing lists – and it’s likely you took the opportunity to unsubscribe to many. This was the first time the general population had been confronted with the realities of the General Data Protection Regulations, commonly known as GDPR. For many businesses, this saw databases slashed overnight. However, the wider purpose of GDPR is to ensure businesses have put the appropriate processes and protection in place to securely manage European…

Authentication is any process whereby an individual proves that they are who they claim to be, and in an increasingly digital world, authentication is the key to protecting both connected and unconnected assets. We need it to keep out bad people (black hat hackers, identity thieves) and let in good people (staff, customers, experts) — not just to computers and IT networks, but business premises and hardware as well. Until recently, most of us relied heavily on fobs, swipe cards, keys, passwords and PINs to authenticate ourselves and gain access to our places of work, but there is a hitch.…

In many ways, the UK is progressing towards becoming a cashless society. Despite this, there is a range of barriers threatening to undermine the UK’s ability to fully embrace this transition. From a lack of trust in new technology to a sentimental connection to existing payment methods, these barriers must be both identified and overcome if the UK is to operate in the modern climate. The latest Access to Cash review revealed debit cards are now the most popular payment method in the country. But the decline of cash payments is not good news for all of us. Around 8,000,000 UK adults — 17% of the…

Our spending behaviour in the UK is certainly far different from what it once was. After all, how often do you now purchase goods and services using cash or coins? For many of us, physical currency is proving to be a thing of the past. In an age of rapidly increased digitalisation, our spending habits have followed a similar fate to that of the paper map or a photo album. In fact, following a rapid growth in contactless transactions, card payments overtook cash payments for the first time at the end of 2017[1]. Such is the popularity of contactless payments that the method…

Traditional payment card issuers are under pressure. Once secure and established, they are now challenged on all sides. The digital transformation of our world lets small, audacious brands set up and trade with ease. With mere clicks they fill the screen of any smartphone or monitor, tempting consumers with innovative digital services. How can established banks and other financial institutions, burdened by long-established and cumbersome processes compete with newer challenger banks, using technology adeptly to provide seamless digital banking experiences? The digital revolution — for it is no less than that — forces everyone to innovate. Innovation is where the…

Biometrics can transform crucial aspects of healthcare, and in doing so protect people at their most vulnerable. Biometric authentication can drive up clinical standards, protect staff and patients, and combat fraud. When used in large-scale private and public healthcare systems such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, national or regional medical insurance programmes those benefits can be very substantial and can make a life-changing difference. Access to records Healthcare professionals (HCPs) view medical records for many reasons: research, individual treatment plans, insurance reimbursement or payment schedules and diagnostics are just a few. However, medical records are among the most sensitive personal data, so great…

Cryptocurrency, commonly defined as digital assets that use cryptography to secure transactions without the need for a central banking authority, is rising in popularity and being widely adopted across the globe. According to research by the University of Cambridge, 3 million people are estimated to be actively trading in cryptocurrencies today, and many are already using crypto to pay for items such as hotels, games and even their rent. Since the 2009 launch of Bitcoin, the first decentralised cryptocurrency, the adoption of digital currencies has become increasingly popular as consumers look for convenient, accessible and low-cost alternatives to common currency. Whilst…