Windows Hello for Business: Biometric Security for Companies

Advantages of Windows Hello in enterprise environments

1. Greater security: Biometric characteristics are harder to falsify or steal than passwords, resulting in increased security for corporate systems and data.
2. User friendliness: Windows Hello offers a seamless and user-friendly method for logging in that makes passwords superfluous and increases productivity.
3. Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Windows Hello can be utilized as part of a multi-factor authentication solution in which multiple authentication factors are combined to offer an additional level of security.
4. Centralised administration: In enterprise environments Windows Hello can be administrated centrally and controlled via group policies to enforce the organization’s security policies.
5. Hello features: Hello offers additional features with which to further enhance the security of the device. These include Multi-Factor Unlock and Dynamic Lock.

These will be examined in greater detail in part 2.

 

Implementation of Windows Hello

1. Biometric hardware: Windows Hello requires special biometric hardware, such as infra-red cameras or fingerprint scanners. This hardware should be available in the devices that are to be used.
2. Set-up and registration: Users need to activate Windows Hello in their account settings and register their biometric characteristics. This normally occurs during the set-up process.
3. Group policies: The IT department may use group policies to manage the use of Windows Hello, enforce policies and ensure that all security requirements are met. Alternatively, the configurations and policies may be issued with modern MDM solutions such as Intune, both in hybrid form and in cloud-only scenarios.
4. Monitoring and reporting: Organizations should implement monitoring mechanisms to monitor the use of Windows Hello and identify any security incidents.

 

Challenges and best practices

• Data protection: Companies should ensure that biometric data are given adequate protection and are only used for authentication purposes. Within the context of Hello for Business biometric data are processed exclusively locally on the device. If a user is using multiple devices, they need to set up Hello on each individual device.
• Backup methods: It is advisable to provide alternative authentication methods in case biometric data cannot be recognized for any reason or if there are problems with the hardware used.
• Training users: Users need to be informed about how Windows Hello works and how they can use it securely.