The usability and practicality of biometric authentication in the workplace

This paper discusses usability and practicality issues for authentication systems based on biometrics. The effectiveness of a system incorporating an authentication method depends not only on theoretical and technological issues, but also on user interaction with and practical implementation of the system by an organisation. It is becoming increasingly common that IT and physical security are converging, especially in the workplace. This has significant ramifications for the workforce and operational matters. In this paper we pay particular attention to the potential issues that arise when companies introduce biometrics for IT or physical security and provide recommendations that help ensure a usable and practical implementation of the technology.