01732 759725
magazine
11
Deloitte has published a new report outlining
what it sees as the key technology trends of
2017. The sixteenth edition of the company’s
annual
Technology, Media and Telecoms
Predictions
report (TMT) covers a range of
technologies, from biometrics and cyber
security to 5G networks and IT as a service.
Among its predictions are an increase in
the use of fingerprint reader-equipped devices,
mainly smartphones and tablets, to more than
one billion units early in 2017. Each sensor will
be used, on average, 30 times a day, resulting in
more than 10 trillion aggregate uses globally.
Nine out of 10 fingerprint-enabled devices
will be smartphones or tablets: around 40%
of all smartphones in developed countries are
predicted to incorporate a fingerprint reader by
the end of the year, up from 30% in mid-2016.
Paul Lee, head of technology, media and
telecommunications research at Deloitte, said:
“Billions of smartphones and tablets are expected
to be capable of processing and collecting
multiple types of biometric inputs, including face
recognition, voice pattern and iris scan in 2017,
but usage of fingerprints will lead the way.”
He added: “The fingerprint has proven to be
the most popular form of biometric security
on smartphones and the concept of fingerprint
security is becoming increasingly normalised.
As fingerprint security becomes more common,
consumers will find it easier – and be more
willing – to pay for
goods and services
using their
smartphones.”
A second
key trend is
the growth of
IT-as-a-Service,
with worldwide spending expected to grow by
more than 50%, from $361 billion in 2016 to
just under $550 billion worldwide by the end of
2018.
IT-as-a-Service’s flexible consumption model
appeals to businesses of all sizes for many
reasons: it provides the hardware, software and
support needed based on the requirements of
the business; is scalable if these needs change;
and has a regular, predictable expense. By 2021
or 2022, it is expected to account for more than
half of IT expenditure.
This year should also see significant strides
towards the launch of 5G, the fifth generation of
cellular networks, with commercial availability
of enhanced 4G (or 5G-lite) services, including
LTE-Advanced and LTE Advanced Pro. Deloitte
predicts that by the end of 2017, one quarter
of the world’s carriers (200 out of 800) will be
offering LTE-A across some of their network;
over 20 should have LTE-A Pro networks.
These will have many of the core 5G network
components and will acquaint users, businesses
and operators with several of the most
important features of 5G networks, including
significantly higher speeds in the 100s of Mbit/s,
lower latency and support for low-power IoT
devices and sensors.
Unfortunately, 2017 will see no let up in
cyber security risks. Indeed, Deloitte warns that
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks
are likely to become larger in scale, harder to
mitigate and more frequent. It is expecting more
than 10 million attacks this year, with junk data
being sent at an average of between 1.25 and
1.5 Gbit/s (gigabits per second).
Fingerprint scanners to drive biometric
use in 2017, says Deloitte
agenda
Hackers enjoy new
opportunities to capture
personal information
Biometrics is an increasingly popular
alternative to passwords, but it, too, has
weaknesses, with people being advised
that something as innocent as flashing a
peace sign in a photograph could be a gift
to fraudsters.
The warning was issued after Isao Echizen,
a professor at the Digital Content and Media
Sciences Research Division of Italy’s National
Institute of Informatics, announced that he
had successfully obtained fingerprints from
photographs taken from up to three metres
away.
This follows an exercise at a security
conference in 2015, when Jan ‘Starbug’ Krissler
used Angela Merkel’s photo to unlock an iris
biometric test.
Robert Capps, VP of business development
at biometrics company NuData Security,
said:“While physical biometrics will always
have a place when it comes to in-person user
authentication, there are significant drawbacks
to consider when we extend biometric identity
verification online.We shed physical biometric
data wherever we go, leaving fingerprints on
everything we touch, posting selfies on social
media and videos with friends and family. Much
of this information can be captured by fraudsters.
Fingerprints can be stolen from doorknobs and
glass and be easily replicated. High-resolution
photos, as Isao Echizen demonstrates in this
zoom-and-enhance technique, can take a picture
from great distances that can be used to copy a
physical biometric.”
The warning about biometrics follows an
announcement last year by researchers at the
University of California, Irvine that they had
been able to convert a recording of someone
typing while on a Skype call into text, raising
the possibility that fraudsters could capture
passwords and other confidential material
through electronic eavesdropping.
Paul Lee,
Head of technology,
media and
telecommunications
research,
Deloitte
