Biometric as a Service (BaaS)

Biometric as a Service (BaaS) is a cloud-based platform that offers enterprises the ability to utilize biometric capabilities by accessing the technology over the internet.

Top Biometric Software Vendors 2020

• Accenture PLC
• Fujitsu Limited
• LeidosIDHaystack
• IDEMIA Biometrics
• BIOID
• Aware Incorporation
• Hypr Corp
• IritechIriSecureID
• M2Sys Technology
• Fulcrum Biometrics LLC

Biometric as a Service (BaaS) is used to determine an individual’s identity based on biological or behavioral characteristics such as fingerprints, retinas or irises, voice and facial patterns, and hand dimensions. These feature vectors are recorded on a smart card or supplementary device for verification and identification purposes. Biometric verification includes comparing the individual’s actual characteristics to stored data about that user.

As per 360 quadrant analysis, Biometric as a Service (BaaS) market is expected to grow from USD 1.2 billion in 2019 to USD 2.7 billion by 2024; it is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17% during the forecast period.

Top 25 companies offering Biometric as a Service (BaaS) features were analyzed, shortlisted and categorized on a quadrant under Visionary Leaders, Innovators, Dynamic Differentiators, and Emerging Companies to identified best Biometric software providers.

Biometric as a Service (BaaS) Vendors who fall in this category receive high scores for most of the evaluation criteria. They have strong and established product portfolios and a very strong market presence. They provide mature and reputable biometrics as a service solution. They also have strong business strategies. Companies such as IDEMIA, Fujitsu, Aware, Inc., Accenture, Leidos, and BioID are included in the visionary leader’s category.

The dynamic differentiator's category includes established vendors with very strong business strategies. However, they are low in the product portfolio. This category includes vendors such as Bytes Technology Group.

Innovators in the MicroQuadrant are the vendors who have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. They have very focused product portfolios. However, they do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business. The companies included in the innovators category are HYPR, M2SYS, CERTIFY GLOBAL, ImageWare Systems, IriTech, Polygon Innovation, Athena Sciences Corporation, SmilePass, Fulcrum Biometrics, AimBrain, and Certibio.

They are vendors with niche product offerings who have started to gain a position in the market. They do not have very strong business strategies as compared to the other established vendors. They might be new entrants in the market and require some time before gaining a significant traction. SecurAX, SUPREMA, SpeechPro, VoiceIt, VoicePIN.com, RightPatient, and SkyBiometry are included in the emerging companies’ category.

Benefits of Biometric as a Service (BaaS):

Biometric technology is described as the automatic techniques of recognizing or confirming the identity of a living person in particular centered on a physiological or behavioral trait.

• Biometric technology is very beneficial for ID verification in government organizations, banks and financial institutions, and high-security areas. Biometric systems are capable of identifying people swiftly, consistently, and reliably.
• Biometrics depend on the use of unique physical characters, such as a fingerprint, an iris pattern, or facial characteristics rendering biometric technology a very precise technique of verifying end users.
• Biometric Authentication, is able to eliminate payment fraud activities such as card skimming, chip switching, and shoulder surfing, etc.
• Biometric-enabled payment cards are more cost-effective compared to the maintenance cost of PINs and passwords. 
• The behavioral and physical elements accessed for biometric verification like iris/retina, voice, pulse, DNA, vein, etc. are less in danger to damage and sudden changes.
• Biometric System is less time consuming, dependable, user-friendly, hard to falsify, requires negligible training, is inexpensive and accesses distinctive recognition features of individuals resulting in accurate verification.
• Biometric technology can be used to avert illicit access to ATMs, cellular phones, smart cards, desktop PCs, workstations, and computer networks.

Types of Biometric as a Service (BaaS):

Physiological biometrics are those that depend on an individual’s physical features to determine identity. This biometrics type comprises but is not restricted to the following:

• Face recognition: It measures the unique patterns of a person’s face by comparing and analyzing facial contours. It’s used in security and law enforcement but also as a way to authenticate identity and unlock devices like smartphones and laptops.
• Iris recognition: Identifies the unique patterns of a person’s iris, which is the colorful area of the eye surrounding the pupil. Although widely used in security applications, it isn’t typically used in the consumer market.
• Fingerprint scanner: Captures the unique pattern of ridges and valleys on a finger. Many smartphones and some laptops use this technology as a type of password to unlock a screen.
• Voice recognition: Measures the unique sound waves in your voice as you speak to a device. Your bank may use voice recognition to verify your identity when calling about your account, or you’ll use it when giving instructions to a smart speaker like Amazon's Alexa.
• Hand geometry: Measures and records the length, thickness, width, and surface area of a person’s hand. These devices date back to the 1980s and were typically used in security applications.
• Behavior characteristics: Analyzes the way you interact with a computerized system. Keystrokes, handwriting, and the way you walk, how you use a mouse, and other movements can assess who you are or how familiar you are with the information you’re entering.
• Ear Shape: Unlike many other biometric modalities that require unique cameras to take measurements, ear shape biometrics measures the ear’s acoustics using special headphones an inaudible sound waves. A digital copy of the ear shape transforms into a biometric template for later use.
• Thermography Recognition: A thermogram is a representation of infrared energy in the form of a temperature distribution image. Biometric facial thermography captures heat patterns caused by moving blood beneath the skin.

Who uses Biometric as a Service (BaaS)?

• Law enforcement and public security (criminal/suspect identification)
• Military (enemy/ally identification)
• Border, travel, and migration control (traveler/migrant/passenger identification)
• Civil identification (citizen/resident/voter identification)
• Healthcare and subsidies (patient/beneficiary/healthcare professional identification)
• Physical and logical access (owner/user/employee/contractor/partner identification)
• Commercial applications (consumer/customer identification)

Top features of best BaaS Platform:

• Automated biometric image and data analysis, processing, formatting, quality assurance, and reporting
• Scalable, secure, service-oriented architecture (SOA)
• Ability to integrate biometric functions with other enterprise systems such as identity management, access management, card management, and AFIS/ABIS
• Multiple biometric matching for verification, identification, and duplicate checking.
• Advanced reporting capabilities for fast troubleshooting of biometric capture problems
• Ability to support fingerprint, face, iris, and palm modalities

How to choose the best Biometric as a Service (BaaS) Platform?

Depending on the application, environment, or circumstance, biometric modalities can be chosen to meet the operational requirements of the deployment. There are some important factors which need to be considered before choosing a biometric modality such as:

• Accuracy- Accuracy is based on several criteria including error rate, false acceptance rate (FAR), and identification rate, false reject rate (FRR) and additional biometric system standards.
• Security- Security is an important factor when it comes to the Biometric platform.
• Availability- Solution availability as per the organization’s needs is another factor to be considered for Biometric platform selection.
• Ease of use- It should be user-friendly for all the users. If the platform comes with good support and training modules, it will be an added advantage.
• Anti-spoofing capabilities- Strong anti-spoofing protection is a must-have capability for the right biometric modality.
• User acceptance- User acceptance is the linchpin of biometric identification management deployment success.
• Cost-effectiveness- Depending on the underlying technology and hardware characteristics, certain modalities may be more cost-effective than others. It’s important to recognize that an initial investment in biometrics can and is quite often recouped in a short amount of time to achieve a fast return on investment (ROI).
• Hygienic Issue- Many new deployments in industries that pay close attention to infection control prefer to use contactless biometric modalities for hygienic reasons.

What’s trending in Biometric as a Service (BaaS) market?

• Mobile Biometric Technology
• Multimodal Biometric Authentication Systems
• Cloud-Based Biometric Solutions
• Vertical Specialized Biometric Solutions
• Biometric Single Sign-on (SSO)
• Biometric card for payment