Leveraging identity verification to secure assets in the post-pandemic, hybrid work environment

The more than two-year-long pandemic accelerated businesses’ plans for digital transformation. It caused a shift in how we work, facilitating a remote and/or hybrid workforce. It changed the way we interact with each other, from in-person and an occasional video conference call to primarily digital communications. In the absence of physical interactions, it promoted the rise of contactless, self-service solutions.

Digital mechanisms have now become an expected option for employee and customer interactions for many businesses. This is especially true for those utilizing a hybrid workforce model, which continues to hold sway, even as many business leaders hope for a return to the office full time. In this environment, businesses have an urgent need to authenticate an individual easily and securely.

While breaches and cybercrime have become commonplace in the last few years, during the pandemic these attacks surged. A Verizon report shows that in 85% of successful data breaches during COVID, humans were defrauded, with more than a majority – 61% – the result of stolen login credentials.

Understanding the risks inherent in the digital, post-COVID era, companies are seeking a better way to manage and verify data and network access for their employees and customers. As they look to adjust daily processes to better protect all company stakeholders, including the enterprise itself, within the hybrid work environment, many are onboarding biometrics tools to facilitate a better user experience, and help ensure employees’ and customers' data are kept private and secure.

Biometrics Is the closest method available to replicate physical identification. It has the least amount of friction during the verification process; you don’t need to enter – or remember – your username and password. It’s also more accurate, private and secure than other proxy mechanisms. Your face acts as your unique digital identification. It’s much more difficult and laborious to “hack” someone’s facial uniqueness than to steal a password.

Biometric authentication creates trust, in direct contrast to legacy methods. Our data shows that a majority of American consumers think that biometrics is more secure than a PIN number. User experience and privacy are two essential factors to consider when choosing a digital authentication platform.

Ensure a Positive User Experience

User experience matters when choosing a biometrics platform. The promise of digital authentication is a seamless, integrated experience for the user, particularly when compared to having to remember and enter usernames, passwords, or PIN numbers.

Speed, accuracy, and transparency are key to ensuring that positive experience. A digital authentication process that is finely integrated into the end user experience allows the individual to quickly move onto the task they need to complete – whether that involves being onboarded to a new job or conducting a financial transaction.

The technology should run efficiently even on low-end phones with less than superior quality cameras and include easy-to-follow user instructions for better recognition capture and a smooth customer experience.

Think about an integrated digital authentication platform that goes beyond simplifying and streamlining the verification process. Consider one that is adaptable and can be configured to resolve identity verification gaps caused by remote working as well as to meet cultural and engagement challenges that may arise.

Protect the User’s Privacy

First, and most importantly, the trust of the individual must be safeguarded when setting up your digital identity platform. The individual must consent before information is shared.

Vital to keeping the user’s information private is limiting whenever possible human interaction with that information. There are some privacy abuses that only occur when human analysts interact with identity data. Implement an end-to-end fully automated technology platform that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and doesn’t require human review in remote call centers. Biometrics should be at the network edge and closest to the user and data. Not only is this best for privacy, but it increases responsiveness and speed. As much as processing, including core artificial intelligence functions and biometric data processing should be done directly on the device. This delivers the low-latency performance required by today’s businesses and limits the handling of identity information in off-premises infrastructure environments. There are multiple use cases, for example, where no Internet connection is a requirement for advanced biometric technology to function properly.

In this digital-first era, where people can work from anywhere and everywhere, businesses that rely on legacy methods of validating identity are putting their employees, customers, and company health at risk. Digital authentication is the wave of the future, as it fosters a better user experience and enhanced privacy and security for your employees and customers.