Biometric authentication has become a base technology in banking, healthcare, enterprise security, and government. It may be biometrics, i.e. a facial recognition, fingerprints scanning, or iris identification, but it is a quick and easy method of identity confirmation. Nevertheless, the risk of the spoofing attack increases with the proliferation of biometric systems as well. That is where liveness detection and more precisely on-premise liveness detection comes in.
Although cloud-based liveness detection solutions are widespread, many organizations are resorting to on-premise liveness detection as a means of gaining tighter control, greater privacy, and regulatory compliance. This blog will discuss what on-premise liveness detection is, its comparison with cloud-based systems, and why it can be the best fit in companies dealing with sensitive information.
What Is Liveness Detection?
It is worth knowing what liveness detection is before delving in to deployment models. It is, in simple terms, a security measure implemented in biometric systems to make sure that the biometric data submitted is by a live human being, not a photo, video, mask or some other kind of a spoofing technique.
Liveness detection technology ensures that a physical presence is verified before the subject is recognized, stopping fraud and unauthorized access and provides an essential level of safety in addition to biometric matching.
What Does “On-Premise” Mean?
On-premise (or on-prem) solutions are deployed and run on-prem locally within an organizations infrastructure. On-premise liveness detection, in contrast to cloud-based solutions, has its data sent to third-party servers to be processed, whereas on-premise liveness detection is done on local hardware and it includes capture, analysis and verification of data.
The model is particularly useful in companies that have stringent privacy policies, regulatory constraints in the industry or infrastructure constraints that do not allow them to use cloud computing.
The working of On-Premise Liveness Detection.
On-premise liveness detector software is commonly implemented into an existing company biometric system, like access control readers, security inspections, or customer identity authentication systems.
Here’s a basic workflow:
Biometric Capture: local biometric input, e.g. facial scan or fingerprint, is captured.
Liveness Prompt / Analysis: With active liveness detection technology or passive liveness detection technology a system can either prompt the user to take action (e.g., smile or blink) or passively analyse the input.
Real-Time Processing: The software analyses the data in on-site hardware and does not send it to other servers.
Decision Output: The system will decide whether the input is valid or not and will give or deny access respectively.
This is all possible on the local network of the organization, so sensitive biometric information does not leave the premises.
Important pros of On-Premise Liveness Detection.
1. Privacy and Independency of Data.
Total control over data is one of the most convincing factors that make on-premise deployment of the choice. In the case of organizations within the financial, government, or healthcare sector, where biometric data is especially sensitive, storing biometric information on local servers minimizes the chances of data exposure and assists in addressing the strict regulatory standards, including GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA.
2. High Performance Low Latency.
On-premise liveness detection has very low latency because all processing is done on local infrastructure. This is most suited to real-time authentication use, e.g. a physical access control or identity check in a busy place like an airport or a government building.
3. Customization and Control
In on-premise deployment, organizations are allowed to customize their liveness detection technology stack fully. It involves configuring liveness prompts, modifying security thresholds, and interoperability with other in-house systems without third-party API or updates.
4. Offline Capability
On-premise solution is applicable in locations where network connectivity via the internet is unreliable or limited, so as to guarantee operation without having to rely on network connectivity at the cloud level. This comes in handy especially in remote areas, sensitive areas or where there are stringent network controls.
Issues of On-Premise Deployment.
Although on-premise liveness detection has a number of benefits, it is also associated with some obstacles:
Increased First Time Costs: On-premise Infrastructure An on-premise infrastructure involves upfront expenses on hardware, licenses, and IT assets.
Maintenance Responsibility: Maintenance and software updates and monitoring of the system is the responsibility of the internal IT team.
Scalability Limitations: Scalability involves physical expansion of resources, which include more servers, devices, and network upgrades which may be time consuming and costly as opposed to the cloud solutions.
With that being said, these trade-offs are usually worth it in organizations where the emphasis lies on privacy, performance and control.
On-premise Liveness Detection Use Cases.
Government Agencies
Government systems are prone to sensitive information and state matters. On-premise liveness detection guarantees that passport, visa, and national ID biometric data is never transmitted to third party servers.
Financial Institutions
Banks and insurance companies have to operate in accordance with stringent requirements related to data management. On-premise deployments enable them to handle liveness detection technology in-house, protecting compliance risks.
Healthcare Providers
To secure patient data and guarantee an access to medical records, hospitals and clinics must safeguard patient information. A localized biometric authentication system with local liveness checks is both secure and reliable.
Airports and Border Control
Airports and other high-volume environments are well served by quick and dependable identity checks. Local processing with on-premise liveness detection is fast and secure without the use of external servers or internet connectivity.
On-Premise Liveness Detection Future Trends.
On-premise systems are getting more efficient and simplified as the liveness detection technology is evolving. Some key trends include:
Edge AI Integration Edge-based AI-based liveness detection is supported on edge devices (e.g., kiosks, tablets), eliminating the necessity of centralized servers.
Hybrid Deployments: Hybrid deployments to use on-premise processing with optional cloud support of analytics or monitoring are the best of both worlds.
Containerized Solutions: Contemporary deployments based on either Docker or Kubernetes can be scaled more easily as well as updates running on local infrastructure.
Conclusion
With the backdrop of a digital environment where security, privacy, and compliance are of utmost concern, on-premise liveness detection provides organizations with the capability to fully manage their biometric authentication systems. Localizing sensitive data and putting it under their control will allow businesses and government organizations to not only satisfy regulatory requirements, user privacy, and deliver real-time and secure identity verification.
Regardless of whether you work in a highly-regulated business or simply wish to reduce third-party dependencies, making the on-premise deployment of liveness detection technology is a strategic move that not only enhances your security posture, but also your business operations resiliency.
