Rising risk for businesses
Cyberattacks are increasing in frequency and are causing unprecedented disruption, with hospitals, governments and even critical infrastructure being targeted. And the advent of artificial intelligence and large language models is making hacks and attacks simpler, more scalable and more accessible than ever before. Anyone, anywhere now has the tools at their disposal to try and find vulnerabilities in a corporate network, encrypt the data and issue a ransom in exchange for untraceable cryptocurrencies.
Phishing is one of the most significant threats to organizations, with stolen credentials the root cause of 22% of data breaches in 2024[1] and phishing having an estimated financial impact of $3.5 billion US in 2024[2]. making passwords and PINs a major security vulnerability. With sophisticated tools, a hacker can crack a password in minutes through brute force. While longer and more complex passwords offer stronger protection, they are cumbersome and often require password management tools which are inconvenient and unwieldy. In today’s workplace where productivity is key, managing increasingly complex passwords works against employees rather than boosting their output.
However, the software and hardware required to eliminate all of this pain is available, and commercially viable. Identity Access Management tools are ready to take center stage.
Why Identity & Access Management is needed
IAM is the software service or framework which enables organizations to define user or group identities within the corporate environment and is linked to a specific piece of identifiable information. With IAM, it’s easy to ensure that each user and group has exactly the level of access rights they need – no more and no less. As a result, organizations can be sure that those signed into their networks are who they say they are, and can only access what is required.
Today, IAM is the most critical control of any digital business, and its policy is often defined by the permissions and workflows needed. The ability of this technology is well understood by CIOs, CTOs and CISOs, and has resulted in significant growth of the IAM market.
Confidence in IAM solutions is strong, with the global IAM market valued at $27.9 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow to more than USD 100 billion by 2033[3].
Zero Trust Architecture as part of IAM
Zero Trust is now the foundational principle of cybersecurity and as a result the “Never trust, always verify” mantra is becoming central to IAM. This approach assumes that no user or device is inherently trustworthy, regardless of its location. As such, this least privilege access approach requires continuous authentication, and authorization is required for every access request.
Implementing Zero Trust offers benefits including enhanced security by reducing the areas hostile actors can attack and providing increased visibility and control over network access. It ensures employees access only what they need, which means security teams have control over user activities and network traffic.
How can biometrics strengthen IAM solutions?
Traditional passwords are a weak link and are highly vulnerable to attacks like phishing and credential stuffing. Most cyber-attacks are a result of weak passwords or human error, with 88% of attackers gaining access to web-application systems via stolen or guessable credentials[4], and with remote working now the norm rather than the exception, corporate networks are spread across multiple locations, meaning the cause and effects of cyber-attacks are much more difficult to contain.
As a result, to implement zero trust strategies, organizations are rapidly transitioning to passwordless and phishing-resistant authentication methods. And, although multi-factor-authentication (MFA) is considered an advanced form of security, not all types of MFA are created equal. Using biometrics means the most secure method of MFA authentication is enabled (using information that you know, have and are) which creates the most secure verification level possible.
Biometric authentication is one example of an existing passwordless solution that businesses can easily integrate into their existing systems. Authentication using biometrics is unique to the user and cannot be shared, like a password.
Unlike knowledge-based authentication, biometrics delivers fast and secure access control alongside convenience. It is already well-established and backed by standards such as FIDO2. Biometrics also utilises Windows Hello which is already commonly used in both personal and business contexts thanks to its convenient, user friendly, faster and highly secure nature.
How can Biometric-based IAM benefit your business?
Combining IAM with strong biometric authentication offers a range of benefits to businesses, including:
- Simplifying regulatory compliance: With cybersecurity and data privacy regulations such as GDPR and DPDP now in full force across the globe, companies must protect their infrastructure and data. Noncompliance can result in large fines, skyrocketing insurance premiums and more. These regulations often have specific requirements around IAM and MFA, and biometrics can be a key tool for businesses to go beyond basic compliance and demonstrate commitment to the highest security best practices.
- Enhancing convenience & UX: Biometric authentication eliminates the need to remember complex passwords, providing a faster and more seamless login experience. Using biometrics results in better speed and convenience as your fingerprint will always be secure and additional layers of security and user options can be added simply by increasing the number of fingers you register.
- Strengthening security: Biometric data is extremely difficult to replicate or steal. This especially true when using Active Thermal® technology, as it uses both heat from the finger and 3D imaging to authenticate the user. This enables superior liveness detection to combat spoofing attacks, when compared with other fingerprint authentication technologies. Overall, using biometric authentication drastically reduces the risk of unauthorized access and cyberattacks.
- Operational efficiency: With the roll out of Windows 11, compliant fingerprint sensors can simply be plugged into the PC or laptop and users can be enrolled into IAM infrastructure in seconds. This removes time intensive and costly IT management associated with password resets, user training and support for compromised and forgotten credentials and device pairing, code entry and app/mobile token maintenance associated with OTP MFA.
Drive compliance and productivity with biometrics-based IAM
Rising security threats and growing regulatory pressures mean traditional passwords and security approaches are no longer sufficient to protect businesses sensitive data.
As a result, the implementation of IAM is a strategic imperative for modern businesses because of its ability to adapt to the evolving needs of organizations, while delivering frictionless user experiences that uphold security protocols.
IAM platforms strengthened by biometrics deliver the best for each stakeholder, ensuring users are securely authenticated, are allocated the correct permissions, regulatory requirements are met, and security processes are convenient for workers.
Ecosystem stakeholders should explore how biometrics can strengthen logical access control and authentication. Moving beyond knowledge-based methods opens the door to a more secure, digitized workplace.
Learn more about how NEXT Biometrics can support your IAM efforts through Active Thermal® Technology. Visit our Access Control page here.
[1] Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigation Report
[2] Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024
[3] Global Growth Insights Identity and Access management Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis
[4] Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report