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October 25, 2006

Smart Card vs. Biometric Implementations

By Stefania Viscusi, TMCnet Assistant Editor


Smart cards are most noted for their ability to offer secure, contactless authentication. For this reason, and because security has become a major focus across organizations and sectors alike, smart card implementation is facing an increased uptake in the near future.



 
That is what EQUS Group Inc., a San Jose CA-based research firm found in their "IT Outlook for 2007" study.
 
Aside from other IT-focused trends for 2007, the need for security and privacy was addressed in their research, with a specific look at smart card implementation versus plans to implement biometrics.
 
To gain insight, the research group surveyed high level IT decision makers and interviewed other IT executives to uncover trends for 2007 in different areas of IT.
 
According to the reports findings, smart cards have a promising uptake in the near future over biometrics, which are on the brink of becoming fully accepted. Smart cards are easy and they can secure entry into buildings, airports and be used to avoid fraud in financial transactions.
 
Of those 80 plus surveyed, 66 percent said they had no plans to implement biometrics while only 51 percent made no plans to implement smart cards. Also, 15 percent of the respondents completed implementation of smart cards while only 8 percent implemented biometrics.
 
Al Nazareli, CEO of EQUS notes: "Biometrics were not generally seen in a positive light as much as smart cards by respondents given and carry a perception that this technology is not yet ready for commercial use."
 
Security is a major concern, especially for companies with employees who must access the company network or gain authorized entry. For this, smart cards secure access to confidential data and protect companies from security breaches.
 
Looking to 2007 and the increased need for security as advanced technologies bring new change, and particularly as thumb drives make their ways into devices, the report found that critical new policies that are strong and in-depth are not currently in place as they should be.  In addition, when it comes to validation and authentication, smart cards seem to pull ahead of biometrics.
 
Nazareli also commented, "At least one very large retail firm will be piloting its first biometrics customer systems in 2007, so it's conceivable that we could see larger-scale adoption once biometrics systems are more readily available and results become more reliable."
 
Other related findings of the study found that in 2007 there will be a continued focus on cost reduction as well as an increase in IT spending over previous years. Increases in security, enterprise software, sever software and server hardware were also noted. Areas with most decreased spending--consulting and desktop hardware, the report found.
 
For more on the "IT Outlook for 2007" report and other findings please visit:
 
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Stefania Viscusi is an established writer and avid reader. To see more of her articles, please visit Stefania Viscusi’s columnist page.

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