Advantages of fingerprint biometrics & how does fingerprint biometrics work?

Fingerprint biometrics recognition is one of the most commonly used forms of biometric identification method. It has become the most established and commonly accessible biometric security solution on the market because it’s efficient and non-invasive while also being easy to use. This article will provide a clear understanding of the benefits of fingerprint biometrics & how fingerprint biometrics work.

What Is Fingerprint Biometric Identification?

Fingerprints are specific to each person, remain mostly consistent through time, and are used widely. Because of these criteria, fingerprint identification is a valuable biometric for identifying a person because it is extremely unlikely to be copied or brute-forced and won’t display a false positive, or brute-forced. A fingerprint is a unique pattern of ridges and valleys on an individual’s finger surface. A valley is a region between two neighboring ridges, whereas a ridge is a single, raised, curving section. This means that the darker parts of the fingerprint are referred to as ridges, while the white areas are called valleys.

These unique features of a fingerprint distinguish one person from another. Fingerprint identification is already an everyday aspect of our life, and fingerprint recognition is now common on mobile phones, tablets, and even computers. For example, at work, an increasing number of companies are utilizing biometric scanners to check attendance and manage their employees and the security benefits they provide by replacing passwords, ID cards, and door access codes.

How Do Fingerprint Biometrics Work?

When using fingerprint biometrics, there are two distinct steps. You must first go through an enlistment or enrollment procedure, during which the system learns about the individuals it will have to identify each day. Then, each person’s fingerprints are scanned, processed, and saved in a coded form on a secure database. As a result, the technology works for over 99 percent of normal users, and it takes less than a half-second to save a user’s fingerprints. Optical, capacitive, ultrasonic, and thermal scanners scan minute details. An optical scanner takes a picture of a person’s fingerprint and compares it to a template. Capacitors hold an electric charge and capture the minutiae of a fingerprint in a responsive scan. 

To assess features, capacitive scans record the passage of electrical impulses over the finger. Ultrasound scans generate a high-frequency pulse which is transmitted to a finger and returned with information about its fingertip. Thermal scanners detect the temperature difference between the ridges and valleys, generating a picture based on the heat differences — ridges emit more heat than valleys. All of the methods mentioned above rely on making contact with a pattern, and contact-based methods of fingerprint capture were the only ones accessible until recently.

Nowadays, contactless identification and cloud biometric services are becoming more and more popular due to their accessibility and affordability. Using biometrics as a service, you no longer have to maintain a huge database of fingerprint templates. CloudABIS™ is a cloud biometric service solution where you can store all the data safely in the cloud. You can also integrate fingerprint biometrics with any existing system with a web API.

Advantages of Fingerprint Biometrics

There are multiple advantages to using fingerprint biometrics for authentication. These days, fingerprint verification is used for different eGovernment Solutions and business purposes. Here are a few common benefits of using fingerprint biometrics. 

1. Easy To Use 

They are basic and straightforward for the user. You won’t forget or lose your last password or get locked out because you forgot your picture ID at home; your fingerprints are inextricably linked to you.

2. Non-Transferable 

Fingerprints have the advantage of being non-transferable. Every person’s finger has a unique blend of small ridges and patterns, making it unique and distinctive. Even identical twins have unique fingerprints. They cannot be readily replicated since everybody’s biometric identity is unique.

3. Cost-Effectiveness

When you are using a cloud biometric service, the cost of implementation is minimal. You do not have to invest in IT infrastructure and devote your energy to boring maintenance. Instead, integrate an API and start using fingerprint biometrics on any system. 

4. Widely Accepted 

Fingerprint biometrics is one of the most widely used biometric verifications to date. Fingerprint biometrics are used everywhere from personal devices to healthcare to government solutions. Moreover, as it is one of the easiest biometric verification methods, it is also the most accepted. 

5. Better Than Passwords

It is an advancement over passwords and identification cards in terms of security. Fingerprints are significantly more challenging to forge, and they vary relatively little over time. Thus the information lasts much longer than images or passwords.

It is clear that fingerprint biometrics have some enormous advantages, and cloud biometrics have made this technology even more accessible. It does not matter how big or small your need is. Cloud biometrics has something to offer for everyone.