Biometrics Spending Projected to Rise to $7.3 Billion by 2013, According to ABI Research

Unless you happen to work for a UK governmental body - in which case
you'll have an alarming propensity to leave sensitive data on public
transport - you'll know that, in an age where electronically held data
is becoming increasingly targeted by criminals, data security is
becoming increasingly big business. But a new report from ABI Research
serves to underpin just how big the demand for data security actually
is, specifically in terms of biometrics, with the company projecting
private and public spending on biometrics to rise to a staggering $7.3
billion by 2013 (up from $3 billion this year).

With biometric security already seeing wide usage on devices such as
hard drives, USB memory sticks and laptops, ABI Research have indicated
that, whilst initially developed primarily for public sector use,
biometric technologies have not only found considerable favour in the
private sector but are increasingly being taken-up by tech-savvy
consumers who are becoming evermore conscious as to the potentially rich
pickings to be made by equally tech-savvy criminals who gain access to
their private data.

Interestingly whilst we often hear it said that generations who came
before us were able to leave their houses unlocked without fear of
returning to find themselves relieved of their processions, in our age
it would seem that leaving your HDD, laptop and/or even USB flash memory
drive unsecured is becoming the modern equivalent of positively inviting
intrusion - and with us storing evermore personal details electronically
it seems that one of the few things we can truly rely upon now and in
the future is our own identity.

Selected Biometric Gadgetry on TFTS:

Biometric Door Lock
SanDisk Cruzer Biometric USB Flash Drive
Buffalo RUFF2-FHS Secure USB Flash Drive
BioMETRX SmartStik Biometric USB Flash Memory Drive
Biometric USB Fingerprint Reader