Interview: Andrew Bud, iProov

Which new technologies will reach critical mass and become dominant in 2022?

Genuine presence assurance will become dominant in how organisations verify user identity online. The ability to tell that an online user is the right person, but also that they are real and authenticating in real time is game-changing for public sector agencies. The ATO introduced genuine presence assurance this year to securely verify citizens setting up their myGovID, and it’s easy to see why: it has the convenience that other liveness solutions offer, with added security, inclusivity, privacy and scalability. Around the world, government departments are now able to move even the most secure processes online and give remote access to citizens who only need a device with a user-facing camera to complete an effortless face verification.

What is the major potential tech pain point that will face all organisations large and small in 2022?

COVID has acted as an intensive lab for cybercriminals, just as it has accelerated the delivery and uptake of digital services. Fraudsters have been able to probe for weaknesses in verification methods and hone new skills on how to successfully attack businesses and consumers. Those two elements create a major tech pain point for all organisations, who need to do two things simultaneously: deliver security capable of protecting against sophisticated cyber attacks that evolve all the time and also make it extremely simple for any user to access online services.

How can I.T. have a greater impact on organisational efficiency in 2022, and who (CEOs, CIOs) should lead the charge?

Government I.T. teams will have a greater impact in 2022 in enabling citizens to interact effortlessly and whenever is convenient for them and in enabling employees to work from home securely with appropriate levels of security and access.

The past two years have seen a mass migration to home working. In 2022 there will be a huge need for more unified remote-work authentication solutions as the hybrid-working world matures. A reliance on BYOD puts core enterprise security at risk and we can expect to see more device-agnostic biometric authentication solutions deployed that can enable employees, contractors and suppliers to work more easily and securely across multiple devices. This frees workers and employers from the vulnerabilities and complexity of password management, while simplifying login to enterprise applications across environments.

What’s on your tech wish list from governments, innovators and the wider industry in 2022?

I’d like to see government agencies build on the progress made during the pandemic in providing citizens with more self-serve access to government services. I’d also like more organisations to understand that we’re in an arms race with cybercrime. It’s not going away on its own and it’s not going to stay static while we work out what to do about it — cybercriminals are constantly evolving and changing their tactics. Governments must invest in technology to get ahead and stay ahead within their own infrastructures, but they must also hold wider industry to account. For example, if one bank falls prey to a money-laundering scam, it’s not just the bank that suffers: the proceeds of organised crime cause untold harm in society. We must find ways to get beyond passwords and other insecure security methods, and biometric authentication will play an important part in that.

Andrew Bud CBE is founder and CEO of iProov, provider of face authentication and liveness services to the private and public sectors worldwide. iProov has pioneered the delivery of Genuine Presence Assurance, providing strong verification that an online user is real and authenticating in real time. Customers include the ATO and the NHS.