Identity and Access Management

• Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a collection of processes and technologies that control access to critical assets.
• The purpose of IAM systems and processes is the management of access to information, systems, devices, and facilities.

Biometrics

• The necessary factors for an effective biometrics access control system include:
  • Accuracy: The most essential characteristic of any biometric system. The uniqueness of the body organ or characteristics the system measures to guarantee positive identification is an essential element of accuracy. In standard biometric systems, the only organs that satisfy this requirement are the fingers/hands and eyes.
    • Another important element of accuracy is the system’s ability to detect and reject forged or counterfeit input data. The accuracy of a biometric system is normally states as a percentage in the following terms:
      • False Reject Rate (FRR) or Type I error: Authorized users to whom the system incorrectly denies access, stated as a percentage. Reducing a system’s sensitivity reduces that FRR but increases the False Accept Rate (FAR). The FAR Rate (or Type I error) is the percentage of authorized users to whom the system incorrectly denies access.
      • False Accept Rate (FAR) or Type II error: Unauthorized users to whom the system incorrectly grants access, stated as percentage. Increasing a system’s sensitivity reduces the FAR but increases the FRR.
      • Crossover Error Rate (CER): The point at which the FRR equals the FAR, stated as a percentage. Because the FAR and FRR can be adjusted by changing a system’s sensitivity, the CER is considered the most important measure of biometric system accuracy. The CER is the point at which the FRR equals the FAR, stated as a percentage.
  • Speed and throughput: The time required to complete the authentication procedure.
  • Data storage requirements: The size of a biometric system’s input files.
  • Reliability: An important factor in any system. The system must operate continuously and accurately without frequent maintenance outages.
  • Acceptability