AWS launches palm-scanning authentication service for companies

LAS VEGAS: Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday announced a new palm-scanning identity service that will allow companies to authenticate people when entering physical premises.

Called ‘Amazon One Enterprise,’ the service eliminates operational overhead associated with the management of traditional enterprise authentication methods, like badges and PINs, the company said during its ‘AWS re:Invent 2023’ event here.

The palm-recognition technology uses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a palm signature that is associated with identification credentials like a badge, employee ID, or PIN.

The palm signature is a unique numerical vector created from the user’s palm image that cannot be replicated or used for impersonation.

“Amazon One Enterprise’s palm recognition technology is designed to deliver a highly accurate identification service that increases an organisation’s overall security, while offering seamless authentication management with lower operational overhead,” said Dilip Kumar, vice president of AWS Applications.

Amazon One Enterprise provides highly accurate and secure enterprise access control through an easy-to-use biometric identification device.

Security is built into every stage of the service, from multi-layered security controls in the Amazon One device to protection of data in transit and in the cloud, said the company.

“Amazon One Enterprise combines palm and vein imagery for biometric matching and delivers an accuracy rate of 99.9999 per cent, which exceeds the accuracy of other biometric alternatives — even more accurate than scanning two irises,” AWS said.

The palm signature is a unique numerical vector created from the user’s palm image that cannot be replicated or used for impersonation.

To implement Amazon One Enterprise, IT and security administrators can easily install Amazon One devices on-site and activate them in the AWS Management Console.

“Administrators can also manage all aspects of user authentications in the console, including monitoring the status of installed devices, managing software updates, and getting analytics on user enrollment and usage, while reducing the amount of time and overhead involved in the manual verification of credentials,” said the company.

Amazon One Enterprise is available in preview in the US.

“We are excited to work with Amazon One Enterprise for a more secure, efficient way to manage authentication and access our systems,” said Nick Krieble, global head of Identity and Access Management, IHG Hotels & Resorts.