How many times a day do we get emails or chat questions regarding the loss of login credential from clients for the most curious reasons? From forgetting their login data, switching pcs, made a typo while entering mail or password, etc. Solving these inconveniences, which usually takes some time until you locate your client’s data, is vital for keeping customer loyalty at bay. So, we may ask ourselves: is there a way to prevent these events from happening?
In a world where two-step authentication is shaping the way in which data security is supposed to behave, old passwords seem to become useless, especially if we talk about high-hacking risk websites like banks, mail providers, social media, etc. For a common brand, developing stronger protection shields could be the answer for preventing potential breaches; therefore, investing in smarter authentication methods is the natural step for any brand that desires to have a steady growth within the shorter time span available.
Considering Login Methods
When passwords prove to be a yesterday’s story, there are many ways to asset this issue without causing a revolution. Banking entities have grown accustomed to security threats, thus the implementation of two-step authentication methods for processing transactions like digital keys, in which number sequences are generated, thus required when processing a monetary transaction besides the common password.
Photo courtesy of David McEachan
USB Keys are a different approach, which may or not be considered risky due to the possibility of losing the device and giving complete access to unknown people to our accounts. Just like with WIBU Keys for software licensing, USB Keys require users to plug the device to their laptops/PCs when login to their account. Secure? Undoubtedly, as no one can breach such stage of authentication; though mobile access is not contemplated on this behalf.
The Smartphone Factor
The mobile interface is as important, if not more, as traditional web access. Latest trends show users prefer to log via smartphone when pages are mobile optimised, twice as much as what they do with laptops or desktop computers. An answer to this phenom could be directly linked to the comfort, and freedom smartphones give users, though it’s important to acknowledge the risks linked to mobile services.
Applications like Google Authenticator have done wonders in the two-step login access, but prior those incursions, developers relied on the services of SMS or phone calls for the stages in which an identity validation was required.
Putting Biometrics in the Game
Biometrics have set a revolution in what regards to customer authentication methods. How so? Simple: No one can fake IDs that are strictly linked to your DNA, no matter what sci-fi movies may show. We take for granted your information isn’t a world-threatening material if failing under the wrong hands, though it deserves the respect that any private document should have.
As the most reliable security method known to date, biometrics have been applied to countless devices over the last 5 years: fingerprint authenticators, retina scans, voice recognition software, etc. Some of the most popular examples of these technologies are linked to smartphones, as it is the case of Apple’s TouchID, or Samsung’s Iris Scan technology, making login interface a secure ambience for storing our passwords, banking information and many other elements that should be handled with strict care. We can take a look at the different options for biometric authentication methods in this infographic courtesy of Avatier.
Cost-Effective Equations for a Safe Customer Experience
Despite how amazing these technologies may sound, monetary value is still something to consider prior deciding to invest in these services.
The essential aspect we have to consider is to measure the real risk factor our customer’s data might be exposed over the internet; then acknowledging the amount of users we have, we have prior choosing between authentication methods. For smaller companies, implementing fingerprint scanners for controlling access data may seem borderline to overreacting, especially if the company is at its very early stages of development; however, if we talk about a business with over 100 employees and different shifts, then it becomes a necessity for protecting the access to sensitive data we may have.
Either way, we can expect technology to reduce its fees as time goes by, due to the universalisation of biometrics as authentication methods. If 5 years have caused such a revolution in security means for clients, let’s wait to see what another 5 years may sum up for customer safety.
