IDEX ASA has appointed Michael Barrett, president of the FIDO Alliance, and formerly Chief Information Security Officer at PayPal, to the company's Strategy Advisory Council. FIDO is an industry consortium dedicated to improving online authentication by developing and promoting technical specifications that define an open, scalable, interoperable set of mechanisms that reduce the reliance on passwords to authenticate users.
"Fingerprint authentication is the biometric ID of choice for many applications," said Michael Barrett. He added, "IDEX has presented a technology roadmap that may transform the market for fingerprint sensors as part of the online payment ecosystem, and I look forward to be part of a very exciting process in terms of technology and mass volume implementation."
Mr. Barrett was until 2013 the Chief Information Security Officer of PayPal, a major Internet payment services company for online vendors. He has also held senior positions at several other major corporations, including Vice President of Security and Privacy at American Express.
Previously Mr. Barrett also headed the Liberty Alliance, an open-standards consortium focused on identity management standards and guidelines. He has received numerous industry recognitions and was named 'Information Security Executive of the year' by Tech Exec Networks in 2010.
Dr. Hemant Mardia, CEO of IDEX stated, "We are thrilled to have Michael as a key adviser to IDEX. He is widely recognized as a driving force and leading voice on, mobile payment, information security and open standards. We are certain to benefit from his guidance in our strategic product and business development to support the rapidly growing demand for fingerprint based secure authentication and convenient mobile payment solutions."
Larry Ciaccia, head of IDEX's Strategy Advisory Council added, "Fingerprint based authentication is rapidly evolving into a standard feature on high volume mobile devices. As the feature penetrates a broader payment and authentication ecosystem, the knowledge and experience that Michael brings will be invaluable to IDEX. I look forward to working with Michael to help evolve the compelling roadmap of IDEX into an integral part of industry adopted solutions such as FIDO."
The Strategy Advisory Council advises IDEX on market, technology and strategic trends in the rapidly developing mass market for fingerprint sensors. Larry Ciaccia, formerly CEO of AuthenTec, the leading fingerprint sensor vendor for volume markets, heads the council. The other members of the council are Dr. Hemant Mardia, Fred Benkley and Dr. Ralph W. Bernstein.
