Barclays To Abolish Passwords For Phone Banking

In light of the news that Barclays to abolish passwords for phone banking, Charles Read, Regional Director of UK, Ireland and Benelux at, provider of IAM solutions, OneLogin commented below.

Whilst convenient, the below comment looks at how biometric technology is gaining rapid adoption within the consumer arena, but very few people realise the potential flaws behind the use of such methods. Highlighting how biometric methods should be used as an additional layer of authentication, particularly as recent research from OneLogin revealed that 35 per cent would actually share passwords with close friends and family.

Charles Read, Director of product strategy, voice biometrics, Nuance at OneLogin, Inc.

The news that voice-recognition technology has been introduced by Barclays for telephone and online banking as a replacement for passwords is great news for the continued success of biometric-authentication technology. This is another prime example of how the technology has seen rapid adoption within the consumer arena, gaining traction as the primary form of authentication to protect devices, apps and data. However, when it comes to the corporate environment, biometric authentication has a long way to go in order to catch up to the level of adoption seen within the consumer realm today.

Whilst convenient, very few people realise the potential flaws behind the use of such methods, which can be a hindrance for organisations looking to include the authentication method as a single form of authentication. Rather biometric methods should be used as an additional layer of authentication as part of a wider Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy, particularly as recent research from OneLogin revealed that 35 per cent would actually share passwords with close friends and family. To avoid this, financial institutions in particular must embrace methods of Biometric authentication which are easy to use, non-invasive and non-threatening, no matter where customers are accessing their bank accounts from.