IBM Security Report: Asia-Pacific users are biometric early-adopters

A recent IBM Security Report found data about where in the world people are most comfortable with security, specifically biometric authentication. TechRepublic met with IBM Security's Limor Kessem to discuss what trends are happening in which geographic regions around the world.

The report looked at how technology is adopted, and how inclined people are to buy gadgets. "There is a cultural influence there, and we saw that Asia-Pacific region led the way, in terms of how many devices they own, how inclined are they to use and try new technology," Kessem said.

Because that region is already comfortable buying and using technology, it's also most likely the reason why they're also the most comfortable with security. "They're knowledgeable about biometrics, they use it more. And they also are more trusting with their biometric data, believing that their service providers are able to secure that data," she said.

We saw a lot more willingness in that region to move ahead with biometrics, she added. Those in the APAC region saw biometrics as a more secure way to secure their accounts over other methods of security. However, in the US, answers very much differed. "In the US, we actually even had on one of the questions we asked, about a quarter of respondents, about 23% said that they would not like to use biometrics now, or in the future," she added.

Also see

• Consumers prefer security over convenience for the first time ever, IBM Security report finds (TechRepublic)
• Consumers now value security over convenience on apps and devices, report says (TechRepublic)
• Face, fingerprint, passwords, or PIN: What's the best way to keep your smartphone secure? (ZDNet)
• Guidelines for building security policies (Tech Pro Research)
• IBM Security Report: Why biometric security is going mainstream (TechRepublic)