Fingerprints are more unique than DNA, the genetic material in each of our cells. Although identical twins can share the same DNA โ or at least most of it, they can't have the same fingerprints. In fact, there's a one in 64 billion chance that your fingerprint will match up exactly with someone else's. Biometrics, the physical or behavioural human characteristics that identify a person, are being utilised more commonly in the workplace. According to a report from Spiceworks, biometric authentication technology is being utilised in 62% of companies, with an additional 24% planning to implement it within two years.
Keeping information private and secure is of prime importance for organisations of all sizes in the life sciences sector. Tennessee based, Touchstone Medical Imaging received a $3m fine in 2019 after leaving the protected health information of over 300,000 patients available online through an exposed FTP server, something which may have been avoided with the implementation of biometric technology. According to a report by Business Insider, situations like this are being avoided as 25% of organisations now report using biometric authentication tech on laptops, while 22% also use it on tablets. Additionally, eight percent of businesses use biometric authentication to log into specific applications, and eight percent use it to log into desktop computers.
The future looks promising for employees within the sector as a report by Grand View Research indicates the biometrics technology market will experience growth of 20% CAGR and will be worth $59.31bn by 2025.
