(Credit: Amazon)
Amazon wants its palm scanning technology to be used as contactless authentication for employees accessing physical locations and using software resources.
After battle-testing palm payments in hundreds of Whole Foods stores and at concert venues, Amazon is rolling out a new service aimed squarely at business customers. It's called Amazon One Enterprise, and it aims to replace physical ID devices with palm scanners.
By switching to palm scanning, organizations can control access to physical locations and never have to deal with creating new or replacing lost cards, badges, or fobs again. Amazon also says the One Enterprise system can replace the need for passwords while presenting IT and security administrators with "an easy and centralized view of authentications."
While some employees may be uncomfortable sharing their biometric data with an employer, Amazon views palm scans as a convenient solution for them as well as their employer while also increasing the overall security of an organization. Of course, the whole system will be managed using computing resources provided by Amazon Web Services, and if you want even more security, you could always combine One Enterprise with a few Astro robots.
For now, Amazon One Enterprise is only available in preview form in the US. However, it's already being used by a few companies including security-door manufacturer Boon Edam, IHG Hotels & Resorts, elevator maker KONE, and security company Paznic. With the palm technology already proven, and companies already installing the infrastructure to support contactless authentication, it shouldn't take long for Amazon to officially launch the service and reveal pricing for it.