Top 10 Considerations Before Choosing the Right Biometric Vendor

The average cost of a data breach as of 2023 was approximately $4.45 million per incident, highlighting the importance of identity protection as a fundamental component of cybersecurity strategy. To protect consumers or businesses, traditional authentication techniques like passwords, PINS, and tokens are no longer adequate.

Biometrics has become the standard in the identity verification and cybersecurity industry because it provides quick, safe, and easy verification using fingerprints, facial recognition, iris scans, or even behavioural characteristics. However, with dozens of vendors available, picking the incorrect biometrics provider might put your company at risk for spoofing, bias, compliance issues, and reputational harm.

Conversely, choosing the correct partner may turn your company into a leader that prioritizes trust by providing smoother user experiences, guaranteeing regulatory compliance, and securing your expansion for the future. These are the top ten factors to take into account when choosing a biometric Company.

1. Accuracy in the Real World  More Than Marketing Claims

Every vendor claims accuracy of 99% or higher, but the majority of those figures are derived from laboratory experiments that don’t account for complexity in the actual world. 

As the NIST Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) shows, performance can vary significantly based on lighting, camera quality, or angle. 

What to look for: In order to validate performance in your conditions, vendors should offer pilot programs and field-tested outcomes, not simply lab measurements. Systems and  Brand credibility will be safeguarded by a provider capable of ensuring accuracy in diverse environmental conditions, including in poorly lit offices, outside checkpoints, and airports. 

2. Bias and Fairness Maintaining Inclusivity 

According to a 2019 MIT Media Lab Study (Gender Shades), Error rates of Darker-skinned women were as high as 35%, whereas those for lighter-skinned men were less than 1%.  Biometric bias poses a reputational risk in addition to being a technical defect. Also, according to the NIST 2019 report, False positives can vary by up to 100 times among populations.

When choosing a Biometric Vendor, businesses must check that systems have been tested for bias across gender, age, and race using a variety of training datasets. In addition to adhering to moral principles, systems trained with inclusive data provide access for audiences around the world, enabling companies to grow without offending clients. 

3. Privacy That Preserves Priceless Identity 

Biometric identities cannot be reset if they are compromised, in contrast to passwords. Because biometric breaches are irreversible, safeguarding them is a must. 

According to IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report, organizations had to pay an average of $4.45 million for each data breach, which increased when sensitive biometric data was included. 

Start by determining if the vendor conforms with important privacy laws such as BIPA and GDPR. Compliance demonstrates that they adhere to legal requirements and take data protection seriously. Additionally, search for important security features like template encryption, data anonymization, and on-premises deployment support, all of which contribute to the privacy and security of user data. To ensure that biometric information never leaves the user’s device, several cutting-edge providers employ on-device matching or zero-knowledge proofs. The privacy-first design is starting to stand out in terms of customer confidence.

4. Protection Against  Deepfake Spoofing Attacks 

Attackers are becoming more sophisticated as biometrics become more widely used. These days, hackers use AI-powered deepfakes, 3D masks, and high-resolution images to get around vulnerable systems.

According to a Good Intelligence/ID R&D survey, 90% of organizations require effective liveness detection because of spoofing concerns.

What to look for in a vendor is liveness detection, depth sensing, and real-time anomaly checks, which are ways that vendors must demonstrate their resistance to presentation attacks. Even deepfakes created by AI are detected by sophisticated algorithms, a feature that is becoming more and more important for commercial, banking, and government applications. 

5. Compliance with Regulations and Ethical Accountability

The biometric regulatory environment is changing quickly. Risk associated with accuracy, privacy, and equity in the deployment of government biometrics was highlighted by the GAO report in 2024.

What to check for vendors to show that they are in conformity with ISO/IEC 19795 testing standards, the CPA. Not only may ethical AI techniques reduce risk, but they also present a chance to position your company as a conscientious innovator.

6. Interoperability of Protecting Your Investment for the Future

With proprietary systems, lock-in can turn into an expensive hazard. Organizations want systems that seamlessly connect with access control, CRM, and IAM platforms as biometric ecosystems develop. 

When searching for a vendor, long-term adaptability is ensured by those who offer open APIs and support the ISO/IEC 19794 standards. When presenting security ROI to stakeholders, this ensures that you can scale or replace technologies without destroying your infrastructure. 

7. Frictionless Security and User Experience

The adaptation rate of a biometric system determines its quality. According to Visa’s 2022 Authentication Survey, 86% of users choose biometric over passwords, but only if authentication is seamless and dependable. 

While looking for a vendor, look for sub-second authentication, multi-device compatibility, and an accessible design(for elderly or disabled users) are all things that a vendor should offer. Frictionless security increases uptake, fosters brand loyalty, and shows your company as a forward-thinking, customer-focused company.

8. Proven Deployments and Vendor Reputation 

A biometric vendor becomes a long-term security partner rather than merely selling you software. 

When searching for a vendor, look for third-party audits, case studies, and certifications such as ISO/IEC for liveness detection. A reputable supplier offers lower risk and legitimacy, both of which improve your brand. 

9. Scalability and Support for Multiple Modes 

Your biometrics system should expand along with your business. Scalability is important whether you’re protecting a few thousand people today or millions later. What to look for in a vendor is that it can adjust to changing needs by using cloud-native architectures and multi-modal support, such as facial recognition, fingerprint scan, and behavioural patterns. Prominent banks, for instance, use fingerprint scanning for transactions, behavioural biometrics for fraud prevention, and facial recognition for onboarding, all inside the same ecosystem. This adaptability guarantees that when your business model evolves, you won’t require expensive redesigns. 

10. Examining More Than Just Price: The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

The cost of licensing is only the beginning. Hardware, integrations, updates, compliance, and training are all considered true costs. On the other hand, biometrics can speed up onboarding, cut down on password reset expenses, and lessen fraud losses.

What to look for in a vendor is a clear ROI plan, flexible licensing, and transparent price approaches. The correct supplier demonstrates that biometrics are an investment in effectiveness and confidence rather than a cost.

How Facia is a Trusted Biometric Service Provider for an Enterprise?

Choosing the best biometrics vendor is important for safeguarding your company, clients, and reputation, not simply for technological reasons. Organisations face challenges with deepfake-driven fraud, scalability limitations, erroneous systems, integration challenges, and rising privacy compliance requirements. Facia is designed to address these issues:

• Accuracy in the real world with response times of less than one second, low FAR/FRR, and more than fifty-six spoof attack defences. 
• Architecture that is scalable and suitable for both small businesses and large corporations. 
• AI-powered fraud can be prevented with deepfake-ready security and ongoing model changes.
• Facia facilitates rapid, adaptable integration with current systems, whether they are set up on-premises, in the cloud, or on mobile devices, thanks to its comprehensive APIs and lightweight SDKs. Its developer-friendly SDKs and APIs make it simple for businesses to integrate its products, enabling deployment in on-premise, internet, and mobile settings.
• GDPR compliance, data encryption, and on-device storage choices are all features of the compliance-first design. test of bias-mitigated recognition in a variety of groups. Clear performance indicators and customer success stories, not just promotional statements.

Facia is here to alter that with solutions made for growth, trust, and the problems of the future. Are you prepared to see how? To see the difference, schedule a demo with Facia.