Problems and Promises of Using the Cloud and Biometrics

This paper explores the mutual benefits of biometrics technology and cloud computing. Cloud computing can take advantage of the strong authentication property of biometrics in order to enhance the security of the cloud and to introduce new service models (i.e. Biometric authentication as a Service (BioAaaS)). On the other hand, biometrics technology can leverage the cloud´s unbounded computational resources and attractive properties of flexibility, scalability, and cost reduction in order to reduce the cost of the biometrics system requirements of different computational resources (i.e. processing power or data storage) and to enhance the performance of biometrics systems´ processes (i.e. biometric matching). In this paper, we explore five potential areas where there are mutual advantages between the cloud and biometrics. For each of these five areas, the current status and how biometrics/cloud can enhance or solve problems of the current state-of-the-art is investigated. Next, the challenges facing biometric/cloud applications in each area are discussed. Finally, the literature of applying biometrics/cloud in each area is surveyed.