Biometrics Spending Projected to Rise to $7.3 Billion by 2013, According to ABI Research

Unless you happen to work for a UK governmental body – in which case you’ll have an alarming propensity to leave sensitive data on public transport – you’ll know that, in an age where electronically held data is becoming increasingly targeted by criminals, data security is becoming increasingly big business. But a new report from ABI Research serves to underpin just how big the demand for data security actually is, specifically in terms of biometrics, with the company projecting private and public spending on biometrics to rise to a staggering $7.3 billion by 2013 (up from $3 billion this year).

With biometric security already seeing wide usage on devices such as hard drives, USB memory sticks and laptops, ABI Research have indicated that, whilst initially developed primarily for public sector use, biometric technologies have not only found considerable favour in the private sector but are increasingly being taken-up by tech-savvy consumers who are becoming evermore conscious as to the potentially rich pickings to be made by equally tech-savvy criminals who gain access to their private data.

Interestingly whilst we often hear it said that generations who came before us were able to leave their houses unlocked without fear of returning to find themselves relieved of their processions, in our age it would seem that leaving your HDD, laptop and/or even USB flash memory drive unsecured is becoming the modern equivalent of positively inviting intrusion – and with us storing evermore personal details electronically it seems that one of the few things we can truly rely upon now and in the future is our own identity.

Selected Biometric Gadgetry on TFTS:

Biometric Door Lock
SanDisk Cruzer Biometric USB Flash Drive
Buffalo RUFF2-FHS Secure USB Flash Drive
BioMETRX SmartStik Biometric USB Flash Memory Drive
Biometric USB Fingerprint Reader