Fingerprint Cards AB - Experts & Thought Leaders

Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints™) unveils FPC AllKey, its new biometric system for logical and physical access control. The solution has been designed to enable fast and seamless integration into devices and to bring smooth, secure authentication to use cases including peripherals, cryptocurrency wallets, residential or workplace smart door locks, FIDO authenticator tokens, padlocks, and more. Biometric system The biometric system includes all components needed – hardware, software, and algorithm – to be integrated out of the box, with minimal effort or pre-existing experience required. The superior biometric system brings new, enhanced levels of security and authentication to whatever device or application it is paired with, without impacting the host system’s performance. Ultra-low power consumption capabilities and unique features also contribute to ensuring a smooth and seamless integration and end-user experience. Functionality, user experience, and security Adam Philpott, CEO of Fingerprints, comments, “Device makers are experts in their field or sector. But they need to constantly innovate to add value and differentiate." "Biometrics is a perfect way to improve functionality, user experience, and security but device makers can’t be expected to become biometric experts. This new system enables them to add that value simply and swiftly out of the box, with the performance, style, and quality their devices deserve.” Variants of FPC AllKey Device makers have a choice of different variants of the system depending on the level of security required for their specific devices and use cases.  All variants of FPC AllKey come complete with biometric sensors, biometric processors, onboard template storage, and biometric matching software (Match-on-Chip). The system is highly customisable and can be easily integrated to align with FIDO requirements.

Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints™) and IN Groupe through SPS brand, a pioneer in contactless and dual interface cards, announce the launch of its secure Component solution for contactless biometric payment cards, supporting global card manufacturers to scale up production of next-generation payment cards. Secure Component solution In line with consumer preferences for contactless, the global biometric payment card market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate over the coming years. To support mass global adoption, Fingerprints and  IN Groupe partnered in November 2023 to simplify the manufacturing process, allowing for increased production by improving reliability and reducing costs. Through the SPS brand of IN Groupe, the next-generation cards are ready for mass global rollout. Contactless biometric payment cards CEO of Fingerprints, Adam Philpott, comments, “Our continuing collaboration with IN Groupe and its SPS brand is supporting the global adoption of secure, convenient, and high-quality biometric payment cards." "The launch of these cards into the market reinforces Fingerprints’ position as the world pioneer in biometrics and commitment to providing innovative solutions that improve our daily lives.” T2 sensor module and software platform T2 offers ultra-low power consumption and is based on STMicroelectronics STPay-Topaz-Bio solution SPS’s cards incorporate Fingerprints’ second-generation T-Shape® (T2) sensor module and software platform, which offers ultra-low power consumption and pioneering biometric performance and is based on STMicroelectronics STPay-Topaz-Bio solution. In 2023 Fingerprints reached the one million sensors shipped milestone specifically for biometric payment cards, highlighting the robust and proven nature of the technology. Cost-effective biometric solutions Jean-Baptiste Leos, Product Director for SPS Banking Products at IN Groupe adds, “As a company with innovation at its core, we are very pleased to have expanded our product offering with Fingerprints’ next-generation biometric technology." "This helps us in our mission to continue innovating and offer secure and cost-effective biometric solutions to our customers. As a part of our offer, Technical support around Card construction, milling, embedding, and certification are key assets for the product deployment and will be our key priority in the coming quarters.”

Money Carer, a UK-based national social enterprise focused on providing secure money management services for vulnerable people, has partnered with global card manufacturer Tag Systems and biometrics company Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints™). The companies have created and launched a biometric-enabled ‘carer card’, addressing barriers that have traditionally restricted vulnerable people in the UK from accessing financial services. Carer card In 2010, Money Carer invented and launched the first ‘carer card’, a secure shopping card solution that enables carers to make purchases for those they care for. The card system has since evolved, offering balance limits, a sweep system, free ATM withdrawals, and spending controls.  The Money Carer Card supports hundreds of care providers and thousands of individual carers across the UK and is also used by many local authorities and law firms who are responsible for managing the finances of their vulnerable clients. PIN for authentication Vulnerable cardholders, or their carers, no longer need to remember and enter a PIN Before incorporating Fingerprints’ technology, the Money Carer Card relied on the PIN as a means of authentication. Vulnerable cardholders, or their carers, no longer need to remember and enter a PIN to make a payment. They simply place their selected thumb or finger on the sensor and tap to make the payment at the point of sale. This simultaneously simplifies the checkout process while enhancing security. Inclusivity and autonomy Sean Tyrer, CEO of Money Carer, comments, “At Money Carer, we are committed to promoting inclusivity and autonomy." "For many of our clients, especially those with memory or visual impairments, the PIN on a payment card is a barrier that restricts financial inclusivity. With biometrics, our clients will never have to remember or input a PIN again, opening doors to financial autonomy that were previously closed.” T-Shape® (T2) sensor module BCaaS allows Money Carer to issue the next generation of cards seamlessly The next-generation carer cards come from Tag Systems, which incorporate Fingerprints’ second-generation T-Shape® (T2) sensor module, software platform, and algorithm. Tag’s unique Biometric Card as a Service (BCaaS) offering which includes payment processing, allows Money Carer to issue the next generation of cards seamlessly. The cards will be available soon through the Money Carer website and app. For each account with Money Carer, up to five biometrics-enabled cards can be issued.  Simple authentication Adam Philpott, CEO of Fingerprints, comments, “Our primary objective at Fingerprints has always been to make strong authentication simple." "We’re extremely proud to be part of a project directly addressing barriers that have traditionally restricted vulnerable people from accessing financial services. This is a perfect example of how technology can be used to drive inclusivity.” 

Household adoption of smart home systems currently sits at 12.1% and is set to grow to 21.4% by 2025, expanding the market from US$ 78.3 billion to US$ 135 billion, in the same period. Although closely linked to the growth of connectivity technologies, including 5G, tech-savvy consumers are also recognising the benefits of next-generation security systems, to protect and secure their domestic lives. Biometric technologies are already commonplace in our smartphones, PCs and payment cards, enhancing security without compromising convenience. Consequently, manufacturers and developers are taking note of biometric solutions, as a way of levelling-up their smart home solutions. Biometrics offer enhanced security As with any home, security starts at the front door and the first opportunity for biometrics to make a smart home genius lies within the smart lock. Why? Relying on inconvenient unsecure PINs and codes takes the ‘smart’ out of smart locks. As the number of connected systems in our homes increase, we cannot expect consumers to create, remember and use an ever-expanding list of unique passwords and PINs. Indeed, 60% of consumers feel they have too many to remember and the number can be as high as 85 for all personal and private accounts. Biometric solutions strengthen home access control Biometric solutions have a real opportunity to strengthen the security and convenience of home access control Doing this risks consumers becoming apathetic with security, as 41% of consumers admit to re-using the same password or introducing simple minor variations, increasing the risk of hacks and breaches from weak or stolen passwords. Furthermore, continually updating and refreshing passwords, and PINs is unappealing and inconvenient. Consequently, biometric solutions have a real opportunity to strengthen the security and convenience of home access control. Positives of on-device biometric storage Biometric authentication, such as fingerprint recognition uses personally identifiable information, which is stored securely on-device. By using on-device biometric storage, manufacturers are supporting the 38% of consumers, who are worried about privacy and biometrics, and potentially winning over the 17% of people, who don’t use smart home devices for this very reason. Compared to conventional security, such as passwords, PINs or even keys, which can be spoofed, stolen, forgotten or lost, biometrics is difficult to hack and near impossible to spoof. Consequently, homes secured with biometric smart locks are made safer in a significantly more seamless and convenient way for the user. Biometric smart locks Physical access in our domestic lives doesn’t end at the front door with smart locks. Biometrics has endless opportunities to ease our daily lives, replacing passwords and PINs in all devices. Biometric smart locks provide personalised access control to sensitive and hazardous areas, such as medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers, safes, kitchen appliances and bike locks. They offer effective security with a touch or glance. Multi-tenanted sites, such as apartment blocks and student halls, can also become smarter and more secure. With hundreds of people occupying the same building, maintaining high levels of security is the responsibility for every individual occupant. Biometric smart locks limit entry to authorised tenants and eliminate the impact of lost or stolen keys, and passcodes. Furthermore, there’s no need for costly lock replacements and when people leave the building permanently, their data is easily removed from the device. Authorised building access Like biometric smart locks in general, the benefits extend beyond the front door Like biometric smart locks in general, the benefits extend beyond the front door, but also throughout the entire building, such as washing rooms, mail rooms, bike rooms and community spaces, such as gyms. Different people might have different levels of access to these areas, depending on their contracts, creating an access control headache. But, by having biometric smart locks, security teams can ensure that only authorised people have access to the right combination of rooms and areas. Convenience of biometric access cards Additionally, if building owners have options. The biometric sensors can be integrated into the doors themselves, thereby allowing users to touch the sensor, to unlock the door and enter. Furthermore, the latest technology allows biometric access cards to be used. This embeds the sensor into a contactless keycard, allowing the user to place their thumb on the sensor and tap the card to unlock the door. This may be preferable in circumstances where contactless keycards are already in use and can be upgraded. Smarter and seamless security In tandem with the growth of the smart home ecosystem, biometrics has real potential to enhance our daily lives, by delivering smarter, seamless and more convenient security. Significant innovation has made biometrics access control faster, more accurate and secure. Furthermore, today’s sensors are durable and energy efficient. With the capacity for over 10 million touches and ultra-low power consumption, smart home system developers no longer have to worry about added power demands. As consumers continue to invest in their homes and explore new ways to secure and access them, biometrics offers a golden opportunity for market players, to differentiate and make smart homes even smarter.

The modern working world has evolved dramatically over the last few decades - from how and when we work, to the places we work from. Widespread internet connection advances, alongside the growth of cloud-based shared working platforms, have not only created the possibility for increasingly flexible working arrangements, but also fuelled a desire to do so – particularly among millennials. The preference for flexible working has now created a widespread need for more agile workforces, saddling IT departments around the world with the task to maintain ‘business as usual’ without compromising corporate privacy. With flexible working forecasted to stay for the long haul and passwords increasingly under scrutiny, evaluating alternative secure authentication methods to keep companies’ data and networks safe is important to protect these ‘new normal’ ways of working.   The end of the humble password? A recent report by Raconteur found that the most common method of authentication for securing the digital aspects of workplaces is passwords. Unfortunately, however, between phishing, hacking and simple guesswork, passwords are easily compromised – a problem that is only getting worse, with IT professionals reporting an increase in phishing attacks in the last few years. Once compromised, passwords can be used to enter untrusted apps or websites and, worst and most commonly of all, give rise to even greater data breaches. Between phishing, hacking and simple guesswork, passwords are easily compromised Alongside security concerns, 6 in 10 people worry about forgetting their passwords and, according to a recent Balbix study, 99% of people reuse the same password across different work accounts. This, undoubtedly, is a side effect of the increasingly complex character requirements implemented by many enterprises. This stress and effort leads to frustrated employees, but, more worryingly, forgotten passwords can also cost IT departments millions of dollars a year. In our flexible, hyper-connected world, it is clear then that the humble password is no longer effective. Additional or alternative layers of authentication are needed to help enterprises maintain their workplace security in a more convenient and cost-effective way.   Smarter workplace authentication with biometrics Often, hacking incidents involve the use of stolen credentials. One authentication solution that could bring an end to these large-scale hacking attacks is biometrics, as unique biological traits are extremely hard to steal and spoof. In addition to being a more secure method to authenticate users and prevent fraud in companies’ networks, it is also possible to layer biometric modalities to create a highly convenient and secure multi-modal authentication solution for sensitive areas or information. Spoofing two biometric modalities, such as fingerprint and iris, in the same attack is virtually impossible, but that doesn’t mean this level of security needs to impair the UX. After all, you can put your finger on a touch sensor, while at the same time glancing at a sensor. For businesses, biometrics can be used in a wide variety of use cases, from securing laptops and applications to authenticating employees at secured access and entry points. It can also be used to add frictionless layers of additional security to any aspect of current security systems, such as key fobs or USB sticks, or to access personalized settings or employee accounts when using shared devices, such as a printer system. This way, beyond playing a role in securing the modern workplace, biometrics can also give employees greater flexibility and convenience over how, when and where they work. Privacy and biometrics - explained Many employers and employees worry about safeguarding privacy in the workplace. Considering biometric data is highly personal, it is no wonder, then, that many are concerned about collecting this data for the purpose of workplace security and what liabilities this may expose them to. For businesses, biometrics can be used in a wide variety of use cases, from securing laptops and applications to authenticating employees Employers must adhere to the relevant workplace privacy laws, such Europe’s GDPR, and this duty extends to biometrics, of course. But, providing biometrics is implemented in line with best practice, it can actually protect employees’ privacy far more effectively than its predecessor, passwords. When employers use an on-device approach, their employees can rest assured no one will be able to access or steal their biometric data, as all biometric data is stored and processed on the device - whether that is a laptop, smartphone, USB stick or key fob. Removing the need for data to ever enter the cloud, this also removes the technical and legal complexities of managing a biometric database and, if a key fob is lost for example, all parties can rest assured there is no chance of anyone else being able to use it. A win-win. Precisely because biometric data is so difficult to steal and spoof, adding biometric authentication to end-point devices can considerably reduce data breaches to keep both sensitive employee and corporate data safe and secure. Reimagining workplace security As people work more flexibly, systems are shared more frequently, and attacks get smarter, it is clear to see that passwords alone are no longer enough to secure the modern-day workplace. Adding biometric authentication to end-point devices can considerably reduce data breaches Now is the time to reassess the physical and logical access control infrastructure. To keep personal and corporate data safe, it is crucial to add new and additional authentication methods to the security infrastructure. Luckily, the benefits of biometrics are often far simpler to realize than many enterprises imagine. The beauty of biometrics is its combination of both security and convenience. Compared to other forms of authentication, biometrics offers considerably stronger protection and an enhanced UX that can easily be integrated into existing enterprise security infrastructure – without the need for huge biometric databases to manage or fear. So, whether to replace outdated passwords or as part of a multi-modal authentication system, biometrics can play an important role in pushing workplace security into a new era for both physical and logical access control.

Modern working life has changed dramatically in the last decade. Driven by the growth of a millennial workforce, working behaviours and communications are more agile, digital and mobile than ever before. Remote working has risen 140% since 2005, a figure that will undoubtedly continue to rise in light of the pandemic. And its benefits are well studied: people are more productive, more motivated, and report a better work-life balance. The traditional office space and the digital collaborative working platforms we access both inside and outside of “work” have changed. In turn, there is a requirement for increasingly sophisticated access control and security products and systems. Today, and in the future, biometrics can play a crucial role in empowering workplaces both physically and digitally.  Biometrics: accessing the right area Physical access and alarm systems are the first, and perhaps the most obvious area, biometrics is securing workplace access control – whether it’s to access office buildings, manufacturing floors, or even private rooms and safes. The humble key is easily lost and stolen, yet still represents 80% of door lock security The humble key is easily lost and stolen, yet still represents 80% of door lock security. And while digital solutions are gaining traction, PIN entry not only offers a poor UX, but requires close management, given its vulnerability to loss and misuse. Access fobs and badges pose similar challenges. Say, for example, an employee loses his badge to a restricted lab or highly confidential development centre on his commute - the security of the building is instantly compromised. By adding biometric authentication to cards or fobs, employers need no longer worry about them falling into the wrong hands. Without the correct user to authenticate, access to buildings, business operations and company files remain secure without needing to update any management systems. Moreover, by using this personal ‘on-device’ approach, employees no longer need to worry about the hygiene of shared sensors or PIN pads. Meanwhile, businesses can also avoid the technical and legal challenges of needing to manage a biometric database. A win-win. Touchless access Touch-free biometric solutions are another compelling way biometrics can not only improve security, but the user-experience and personalisation of security systems. Today, many touchless authentication solutions are combining the strong security of iris authentication with facial recognition to offer a compelling balance of security and convenience. This combination also means a reduction in false rejection due to physical changes, as it continues to authenticate even when wearing sunglasses, face masks or in bright sunlight, for example. Touchless solutions can bring benefits to numerous use cases and settings. Firstly, they can be utilised for mobile credential authentication on personal devices for seamless access to company servers, apps, or VPNs. It can also be implemented in traditional physical settings, offering the capability to alter access rights for personnel too. An R&D lab or healthcare setting is a good example here where restricted access to areas is in high demand, but would also benefit from a hands-free, seamless entry.  OK computer Computers and laptops sit at the heart of the modern-day business set-up – whether at home, in the office, or on the move. In parallel, the evolution of modern working behaviour changes has seen the number of applications, cloud-based services and shared VPN drives used reach an all-time high. While the benefits are numerous, the extensive PIN and password management that accompanies this is problematic. 6 out of 10 users felt they had too many passwords For users, they are a source of frustration and anxiety – our research found 6 out of 10 felt they had too many passwords, and worried about forgetting them. In turn, many are all too familiar with the laborious process of setting a complex password, forgetting it, and needing to reset again after several failed attempts. While complex password requirements (such as requiring capitals, numbers, and special characters) mitigate risk in theory, in practice they create a major point of friction in the user experience and require significant management.  From a business perspective, security and cost concerns are even greater. Microsoft reportedly spends around $12 million a month on forgotten passwords. Worryingly, workplace security breaches are increasing too, with 54% of IT professionals reporting an increase in phishing attacks according to a recent Mimecast report. Here, the end-user is usually the weakest link due to easily guessed passwords, complacency, and the use of the same password across multiple apps and accounts. Biometric authentication via unique personal devices such as USB dongles, or by utilising on-device authentication on a smartphone offers simple and frictionless way to increase security for the enterprise, free up IT teams and offer a better user experience to employees. FIDO-certified solutions are just one compelling solution supporting this. Plus, biometrics can also be used to authorise selected employees to access restricted areas of an organisation’s network, protecting confidentiality. Meanwhile, with 80% of smartphones now featuring some form of biometrics, utilising biometric authentication for smartphone applications in the workplace can also be done at a relatively low-cost investment.   Getting personal With more flexible working in place, many workplaces now operate a ‘hot desk’ system or share devices such as printers between colleagues. This is another instance where biometrics can be used to simplify access to personalised settings or employee accounts. In the future, this could even be integrated into wider office use cases, such as personalising the air conditioning preference in meeting rooms or unlocking your personal settings on the coffee machine with a simple touch or gesture. More with multimodality Multimodality layers more than one type of biometric authentication to increase security and improve functionality and ease of use. For example, combining fingerprint with facial or iris to verify someone’s rights to access a secure manufacturing floor. While spoofing a fingerprint is challenging enough, spoofing a fingerprint and iris at the same time is near impossible. What’s more, by combining more than one modality, access control product manufacturers can reduce the false rejection rate (FRR) to deliver even smoother experiences. Secure, seamless authentication For enterprises, adding biometrics needn’t be a full ‘rip and replace’ solution. In fact, it can be added as a complement to existing solutions for added security without creating additional user friction. A biometric card or key fob can replace existing contactless access cards without big investments, or a biometric USB dongle can be added to email or VPN login to significantly enhance security, without infringing ease of use. A biometric card or key fob can replace existing contactless access cards without big investments To meet this demand, our access control service and solution partners are integrating biometrics for a wide range of physical and logical use cases. It’ll be unsurprising that locks and alarms are top of the list, but with the rise of widespread remote working over the last 10 years and the fight against PINs and passwords being led by organisations like FIDO, logical access for VPNs and work and time attendance, for example, are coming to the fore.  Overall, biometrics can not only play a role in securing the modern workplace (wherever that may be), but can also give time and money back to IT and security teams. Most importantly, it can be a tool to empower workforces, driving efficiency and productivity through improved convenience and greater flexibility over how, when and where they work.