More than a third (38%) of Americans believe biometrics will increase their smartphone security, while 25% are skeptical and 37% don’t know, research from Unisys Security Insights finds.

The survey suggests that consumers are evidently concerned about their personal data held by organizations. Consumers confidence and trust were generally low for telecom companies, government agencies and banks, as these organizations have not succeeded in their confidence building measures to win back trust. With an ever increasing hyper-connectivity of consumers across various digital platforms, the traditional mechanisms to protect sensitive personal data against advanced attacks are proving to be insufficient. For organizations to regain trust in the face of such an uncertain security environment, they should follow:

• Converged physical and logical security approach – As logical and physical security measures are converging, leading enterprises across the world should seek ways to solve critical challenges at the point of convergence. Such measures help integrate sensors, consolidate data, provide central or dispersed command and control, utilize the identity information and support real time as well as offline analytics. Converged security provides seamless monitoring from the Door to the Desk and to the Data.
• Biometrics for superior authentication – A robust security strategy incorporates multifactor authentication methods that provide assurance. The authentication can be provided via various biometric techniques like face recognition, DNA matching, fingerprints, voice recognition and vein structure in hands.
• Like Organizations, mobile devices too allow for advanced authentication techniques to prevent intrusions and information theft. The opportunity for organizations is to grow in tandem with consumer preferences while ensuring highest levels of protection.
• Isolation and compartmentalization for data protection – Protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access is the core objective for any security strategy. This typically involves two key activities of identifying the scope of data protection task, and isolating the people, processes and technologies that interact with the sensitive data. Data isolation is achieved by using access controls and encryption to ensure only authorized systems and users can access sensitive information. In addition, compartmentalization of user groups also result in minimizing the threat.
• Comprehensive Security Strategy – Maintaining superior security monitoring, awareness and reporting capabilities within a holistic cybersecurity framework helps protect data and networks from internal and external threats. An all-encompassing security strategy would encompass predictive, preventive, detective and retrospective capabilities.

Read the report here: http://assets.unisys.com/Documents/Microsites/UnisysSecurityInsights/USI_150227_USreport.pdf