It wasn’t long ago when biometric security was only used in sci-fi TV shows. You may remember watching a show that made use of a biometric system and had been wowed by the advance technology. It was notable to have flashing lights and strange sounds being made as finger prints were scanned by the biometric lock.

Today biometric is now available for the home & business user and is now becoming increasingly popular with laptop manufactures, without the cool sounds of course.

What is biometric security?

Biometric locks are used in place of passwords on a system. They are used to authentic access into almost possibly anything such as buildings, doors, devices and laptops. The user scans their finger print on a biometric reader which determines if the user has access rights.

The advantages of using biometric security

Even though passwords are a basic security precaution they do have their disadvantages. Passwords need to be remembered which can be difficult for most users and the more complex the password is the more difficult it becomes for the user.

Most users who set their own password use something that is easy to remember, usually a first name or just a basic word. These types of passwords are easily hacked by using a method called ‘brute force’ which is very common and easily performed by anyone.

Biometric systems overcome these problems as passwords are not required to lock the system.

Laptops that use a biometric scanner for authentication

Not every laptop on the market today is issued with biometric security but it is becoming increasingly popular and prices for these laptops are dropping dramatically. If you are interested in using biometric authentication for your laptop without having to purchase a new laptop there is Biometric password cards available.

There is more to laptop security than just simply using Biometric authentication, read our 16 security tips for laptops for more ideas on how to keep your data secure.