Translated by Authme
Facing the era of 5G and AIoT, Wistron, with its technological expertise and customer base as its foundation, joins hands with the digital identity verification-focused startup team Authme. What are the underlying strategies and plans?
“We are focusing on the technological priorities for Wistron’s third decade,” says Peng Qi-Feng, Director of the Operations Management Office at Wistron. In 2022, with revenues close to 1 trillion NTD (946 billion), Wistron’s reach is vast, spanning from ICT industries such as computers, servers, and communication products, to cloud platforms and solutions, and even extending its reach to enterprise services, IoT, and healthcare industries.
However, the vast application scenarios cannot be achieved by Wistron alone. Finding partners to jointly invest in technology R&D is an inevitable approach. Now, 22 years after its establishment, Wistron views “cybersecurity” as the next important direction for progress. Before creating products, Wistron begins with war-gaming the cybersecurity challenges it faces internally.
Only Three Steps: Wistron Tests Identity Verification Technology in Its Own Facilities
“The behavior of employees ‘swiping cards to enter and exit’ hides significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities and risks,” mentions Peng Qi-Feng. Scenarios as routine as entering and exiting company buildings or factories carry the potential risk of corporate data leaks.
In current scenarios, it is difficult for enterprises to verify whether the people entering and exiting are indeed the employees on the ID cards. Even though facial recognition systems are implemented in factories and office buildings, if an employee lends their ID card to someone else and uses a fake photo, it cannot guarantee prevention of unauthorized access.
Such incidents are not unheard of internationally, with internal corporate secrets and security exposed to cybersecurity risks. This has led Peng Qi-Feng to consider finding more effective methods of identity verification.
After identifying their needs, Wistron approached Authme, a startup team in the Wistron Vertical Accelerator that focuses on “digital identity verification.” “Startup teams are a powerful driving force for Wistron,” says Peng Qi-Feng, hoping that the introduction of solutions from these teams will help find a balance in accelerating cybersecurity protection under the dual pressures of cost and time.
Authme’s co-founder and CEO, Andy Lee, states that Authme provides a type of identity verification technology known as eKYC. This combines OCR (Optical Recognition) for scanning document data pages and anti-counterfeit checks on IDs, Mobile NFC chip reading of documents, facial recognition, and live detection. Utilizing AI and machine learning, they have developed document verification software that can be integrated into existing devices (like phones, cameras) for direct upgrades.
Authme’s greatest strength lies in its ability to distinguish between photos and real faces, even from millions of test images. Andy explains that Authme can sample 106 facial feature points, including facial skin texture and blood flow detection. The accuracy of matching the photos in documents is as high as 99.7%, effectively countering image, mask, and Deepfake technology.
This means that individuals can no longer deceive facial recognition functions using photos. Authme’s clients currently include those in the financial sector and blockchain applications.
Wistron’s Collaboration with Authme Aims for a Broader Goal
With the help of Authme, Wistron can implement new identity verification solutions without significantly building up infrastructure.
Peng Qi-Feng says the first step, besides ensuring more accurate control over personnel access, includes other applications. For example, in the case of handling valuable instruments within the factory area, Authme’s identity verification technology can ensure that the tasks are performed by the authorized individuals, enabling business operations and equipment to start in a secure environment.
After successful trials within Wistron’s internal facilities, the next step is a ‘team battle’ — a joint venture between the enterprise and the startup, Wistron and Authme working hand in hand.
